Discovery Bible Study
Discovering Church Planting
Contents
- How a Discovery Bible Study works
- How to use this plan
- 1Love and obedience Matthew 22:34-40 · Deuteronomy 6:1-6
- 2The Great Commission Matthew 28:16-20
- 3A seed must die John 12:20-33
- 4Becoming all things to all people 1 Corinthians 9:19-27
- 5God prepares both ends Acts 10:9-33
- 6The unknown God Acts 17:16-34
- 7The armor of God Ephesians 6:10-18
- 8The battle belongs to the Lord 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
- 9The person of peace Luke 10:1-20
- 10A household believes Acts 16:11-15 · Acts 16:25-34
- 11What a church actually does Acts 2:36-47
- 12Shepherd the flock 1 Peter 5:1-11
How a Discovery Bible Study works
This page is for whoever leads the study. Everyone else only needs the passage.
A Discovery Bible Study has no teacher. The person leading only asks the questions; the Bible does the teaching. That is what makes it simple enough for anyone to lead — no title, no training, no materials, no money.
Eat, digest, grow
- Eat the WordRead the passage aloud, read it again, then close the Bible and have someone retell it in their own words. Reading is the bite, re-reading the chewing, the retelling the swallow. If the group can't retell it, read it once more before going on.
- DigestWork through the four questions. This is where the passage turns into faith and obedience — answered from what the text actually says, not from what someone already knew.
- GrowGrowth is God's part, not yours. One plants, another waters, but God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6–7). Do the cycle faithfully and leave the growing to Him.
The four questions
Answer from what the passage actually says — stay in the text.
- What does this passage show me about God?
- What does it show me about people — and about myself?
- What will I obey this week? (a concrete step, with a day)
- Who will I tell?
The shape of a meeting
- Look backWhat are you thankful for? What is hard right now? How did you obey what we found last time, and who did you tell? Pray briefly for each other.
- Look upRead, re-read, retell — then the four questions.
- Look forwardEach person says out loud one concrete commitment — a sentence that starts “I will…” — and names one person they will tell. Next time, the group asks about both. Asking is what turns a discussion into obedience.
The one rule: don't teach
The moment you start explaining, the group stops discovering. If someone says something that is not in the passage, do not correct them — ask, kindly, “Where do you see that in this passage?” and let them look. The text and the group sort it out. This is the rule that lets someone who has been in two studies lead the third.
Four to fifteen people. About an hour, once a week. Nothing else required.
How to use this plan
Who this is for
- A cohort that has finished ‘Sent’ and intends to plant. Twelve passages for church leaders who are done studying about mission and are ready to start churches — this is not another study for its own sake.
How to use it
- The same DBS discipline as every plan. Read the passage, retell it in your own words, work the four questions (what does this show us about God? about people? what will I obey this week? who will I tell?), and end with an honest commitment.
- Every commitment is a planting step. A place named, a household visited, a person of peace sought, a first group gathered, a future shepherd invited. If a week ends in private devotion only, push further.
- Facilitate, don’t lecture. These planters will lead the way they see you lead. Keep asking, “Where do you see that in the passage?” and let the text do the sending.