DBS — Who Is the Leader?

If I told you that the effectiveness of an evangelism method depends on its Leader, you’re likely to respond: “You just convinced me to not participate in evangelism, because I know I’m not qualified to witness or to lead.”  

But what if there were a witnessing method that did not require you to be an expert leader with all the answers?  In fact, you wouldn’t be the Leader at all.  

Allow me to explain.  I’m going to describe two ways to witness to a group of people who are seeking the truth about God and life.  The first way is based on common sense and is pretty effective.  The second way, called Discovery Bible Study, seems nonsensical, but is a thousand times more effective.

1.  Expert Leader.  I have led about twenty groups of people who did not know God in an exploration of Bible teachings.  Over 12-18 weeks, I explained the Bible’s answers to big questions like: Where did we come from?  Why are we here?  Why do I feel cut off from God?  Why is there evil?  What happens after death?  How can the gap between my Creator and me be bridged?  Who is Jesus Christ?  Why did He die on the cross?  Did Jesus actually rise from the dead?  What difference will it make if I believe what the Bible says?

Week by week the wheels of thought spun as the participants probed me with Whys and What-ifs.  I was grateful that my training in college and seminary had equipped me to give biblical, reasonable answers to their doubts and questions.  Slowly but surely the Holy Spirit led most of the participants to repent and trust in Jesus as their Savior.  

Despite the success, however, something troubled me.  By the end of each course everyone had become dependent on me, the Expert Leader, to provide them answers.  Somehow, that didn’t seem right, but I couldn’t explain why.

2. Ignorant Facilitator.  A small group evangelism method called Discovery Bible Study (DBS) has a strange, counterintuitive feature: a knowledgeable Christian expert does NOT lead the group.  Instead, the Bible discussion is guided by an Ignorant Facilitator.  Not just ignorant, but in most cases the facilitator is not even a believer — yet.

What qualifies Ignorant Facilitators to play this role?  They admit they don’t have the answers to life, and they are interested in learning what the Bible has to say.  In addition, he or she invites relatives and friends to go on the Bible expedition with them.  Week by week, they read one portion of Scripture and ask several questions, including:

• What does this passage teach us about God?
• What does it teach us about people?
• If this passage is the word of God, what is He asking me to change about my behavior?
• With whom should I share this Bible passage this week?

How can the Ignorant Facilitator method be effective?  Isn’t a Bible study without an Expert Leader doomed to be a mere pooling of ignorance?  

Well, consider this: In the last 25 years, the Ignorant Facilitator method has convinced group after group to become followers of Jesus Christ.  They in turn initiated new groups that experienced similar results, fanning out to more and more friends, family, and co-workers.  God has used this Ignorant Facilitator method (aka Discovery Bible Study) to convince tens of millions of people in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere to become disciples of Jesus Christ.  That’s why DBS results in another acronym, DMM, which stands for Disciple Making Movements.

How could this happen?  Well, as I said earlier, the effectiveness of an evangelism method depends on its Leader.  So, the key question is: Who is the Leader?

When an Expert Leader teaches and answers every question, seekers learn to trust and follow the Expert Leader.  

When the Word of God is allowed to teach and answer every question, seekers learn to trust and follow God.  

A video is worth a million words as this 8-minute film proves.

“Okay,” you might say.  “You’ve caught me attention, but I still have lots of questions.”  Good, that’s why I am writing a series of blog posts to present the unique, counterintuitive features of Disciple Making Movements and Discovery Bible Study.  So, please keep reading.

If you decide that you want to be trained to use these magnificent tools, I am willing to mentor you (at no charge) and point you to training resources available online or in your area.

Meaning of acronyms used in these posts:

• CPM (Church-Planting Movements) refers to phenomenal multiplication of house churches and Bible study groups in various places in the world.
• DMM (Disciple Making Movement) refers to multiplication of disciples who make more disciples as Jesus specifically told us to do in Matt. 28:18-19.
• DBS (Discovery Bible Study) cultivates disciples who obey and apply what the Holy Spirit reveals through Scripture, and then share it with others.