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A Discovery Bible Study (or DBS) is a tool often used in Disciple Making Movements (DMM). It is a one of the many building blocks. It is used to equip people who want to learn who Jesus is, for people who have already decided to follow Jesus, for the training of leaders, but also for personal Bible study.
The principle
The basic idea of a Discovery Bible Study is that God's Word and God's Spirit together are powerful enough to make real disciples and strong leaders. It is not about learning a lesson, but to discover who Jesus is, to see for yourself what God asks of us, how to be good leaders. All by using only the Bible. In a DBS group setting, the leader is not the teacher, but only the person who leads by asking questions. Interesting; Jesus often taught people by asking good questions.
Basic rules for good DBS
Each answer is valid, as long as it has to do with the text that you are studying
If someone understands something really wrong, refer him back to the Bible passage. Is it still not clear, help the person to discover the answer itself.
Discussion is not allowed, only interaction to understand the answer better
Dont involve other texts, traditions or opinions of others. Stay with the text.
A Discovery Bible Study starts with selecting a complete passage, so for example a full story, or some other part of the Bible that has a beginning and an ending.
There are many on the Internet to find DBS sets. Some specially for seekers, other sets on the basics of living with God, others for Muslims, etc. Choose a set that fits your target audience. Here you find a couple of useful sets.
The process
1. Read the Bible passage aloud.
Preferably in two different Bible translations.
2. Go in pairs and try to retell the story in your own words.
Do this twice and help each other by adding if there are things missing in the retold story.
3. Answer the following questions:
3.1 What do you learn in this passage about God or Jesus that shows who God is?
3.2 What do you learn in this passage about people or humanity?
3.3 What command is there to follow? or what example to follow?
3.4 How do you obey the coming week with what God you have learned in this
passage?
3.5 To whom will you share this story, coming week?
It is very important to answer question 3.4 specific.
The idea is to start your next DBS meeting with the question: Have you done, want you decided to do? and with who did you share the story of last week?