Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is a simple rhythm, the same three steps every time, that works whether you’re leading a small group or sitting down with one other person over coffee. It’s been used all over the world to disciple people who are new to faith, and has played a part in many people coming to faith in Jesus for the first time. This library is a growing set of studies built on that method: real passages, real questions, and space to actually talk about what you find. Free to use, adapt, and pass on to anyone.
Discovery Bible Study (DBS), sometimes called Discovery Bible Reading (DBR), has been used all over the world, particularly in discipling people who are new to faith but curious about the Bible, and it’s played a part in many people coming to faith in Jesus for the first time. Instead of one person explaining the Bible, everyone reads the same short passage and works through the same five questions together. People discover the truth for themselves, which means they remember it, own it, and are far more likely to live it out.
01 Look Back
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Look back a few minutes to reconnect: what’s happened since last time, what you’re thankful for, how you can pray for each other.
02 Look Up
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Read a passage together, retell it in your own words, then work through the same five questions, every single time.
03 Look Forward
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Turn what you found into something real: a behaviour to change, a promise to trust, an example to follow. Then pray for each other.
“Making disciples” comes primarily from the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus tells his followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
So biblically, making disciples means inviting people into a relationship with Jesus, walking closely enough with them that they learn to think, live, and love the way he did, and then equipping them to do the same for others.
