Close

How to Know God

Do you ever wonder what Christians believe? Who Jesus is, what he did and why it matters? Get answers to these questions and more.

Spiritual Growth

Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth.

Life & Relationships

Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God.

Bible Studies

Find resources for personal or group Bible study.

Share the Gospel

Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus.

Help Others Grow

Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring.

Leadership Training

Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are.

Video

Browse videos designed to help you grow spiritually, share your faith, and lead others well.

Language Resources

View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages.

Quizzes & Assessments

Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others.

Campus

Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others.

City

Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city.

Inner City

Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs.

Athletes

Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation.

Families

Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage.

High School

Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school.

Military

Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide.

Locate Cru Near You

Explore Cru's global presence and discover how you can get involved in communities worldwide.

Events

Whether you're interested in conferences or local gatherings, there's an opportunity for you. Explore upcoming events and find your place to serve and grow.

Mission Trips

Explore domestic and global mission trips with Cru—serve, grow, and make an eternal impact. Opportunities for students, families, and professionals.

Internships

Explore Cru's internship opportunities—serve globally or locally, develop your skills, and make an eternal impact. Apply today!

Careers

Explore full- and part-time ministry careers with Cru—use your skills to impact eternity. Apply today!

Volunteer

Explore volunteer opportunities with Cru and use your skills to impact lives for eternity.

International

Explore global mission opportunities with Cru—serve, grow, and make an eternal impact.

What We Do

How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus.

Donor Relations

Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Cru’s annual report and more.

Our Leadership

Learn about Cru's global leadership team.

Cru Partnerships

When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen.

Storylines

Showing God in action in and through His people.

Press

Access Cru's latest news releases, media contacts, and background information on our global ministries and leadership.

0

Reaching the World: A New Style of Bible Study

The key to living out 2 Timothy 2:2 is transferability.

If the church’s goal is to, as Paul said, “entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also,” we need a tool that can easily be passed from one spiritual generation to the next. Discovery Bible Study may be that tool.

Discovery Bible Study, or DBS, is a study method that relies on the Bible itself, rather than the leader, to do the heavy lifting of discipleship. On the surface, DBS is simply reading a Bible passage and responding with a series of questions. Going deeper, DBS is a blueprint for house churches, teaching people to apply and share what they learn from the Bible. As participants read and react to the Bible, they are introduced to key factors of the Christian life, like prayer and sanctification.

Nuts and Bolts

DBS is a method of Bible study that works well in almost any context, but is especially well suited for small groups of people interested in studying the Bible, but who may not be Christians.

Here is what a standard DBS meeting looks like:

  1. Connect and Review
    Participants meet and talk with each other about their week. This includes questions like “What are you thankful for this week?” and “What difficulties have you faced this week?”, both of which teach participants about prayer. Everyone learns to share their highs and lows in community.
    During this section, participants also talk about who they shared last week’s lesson with and how they lived their life differently because of it.
  2. Read the Passage
    The group reads the passage once together, using the same Bible translation. Then one person reads it again while everyone else’s Bible is closed, followed by another person explaining the passage in their own words.
  3. Discover God’s Word
    Everyone has an opportunity to discuss how they feel about the passage and why it made them feel that way.
    After that, the group talks about what the passage tells them about God, people, and their relationship with Him. It’s important that answers come straight from the text, not from outside sources.
  4. Obey God’s Word
    This is the defining feature of DBS. Participants are asked, “If this passage is true, how does it change your view of God? Yourself? Other people?” They each come up with a concrete action that they can take in the next week in the form of an “I will …” statement. They also each think of someone they can share the passage with.

Why It Works

DBS is an effective study method for Christians and non-Christians alike. It is centered on God’s Word, without secondary sources. It keeps the focus on God, rather than the rabbit trails that can plague Bible studies. Most importantly, it’s so simple that anyone, including a non-believer who wants to learn about God with other non-Christian friends, can facilitate a group easily. Indeed, that’s built into the DNA.

When using the Discovery method, there are no leaders or students. One person facilitates discussion, but not from a position of authority. All are seeking God in the Bible together. Because one does not need to have any special training to lead this four-part session, one of the main goals of DBS is for those in the group to splinter off and form new groups based on those they are already interacting with in their daily life. Indeed, Cru staff members and volunteers are seeing that happen in universities across the country.

Thomas and Madelynn are two students involved with Bridges International™ (Cru’s ministry to international students) at the University of Texas at Austin, who desire to see students from all over the world know Jesus. They have been co-leading a DBS group for a few months now, made mostly of non-Christians from Asia and the Middle East. One student recently left for London to continue his studies, but he hopes to find or start another group when he arrives. Meanwhile, an Asian student in the study has offered to host the group, even though he has not yet come to know Jesus.

While these students are not yet Christians, Kerby Goff (a Bridges staff member) sees the group as the beginning of many stories of faith. He and many other Bridges staff members believe that transformation comes naturally when people are empowered to read and consider God’s Word for themselves.

Next Steps

Are you ready to start your own Discovery Bible Study with your friends or neighbors? Here are a few resources to help you.

  • Bridges International has created a handy guide to DBS, including a Scripture list to follow.
  • World Missions & Evangelism has a page all about DBS with plenty of resources for personal and group use.
  • David and Paul Watson’s book Contagious Disciple Making details both the mentality behind DBS and how to use it effectively.

Since 1951, Cru has helped individuals who grapple with integrating faith into daily life by offering practical steps and community support. As a result, countless people in over 190 countries have been empowered to move from passive belief to active faith.