How “Discover Your Bible” Works

Kiara wondered what she had gotten herself into. She came to the group at the invitation of her friend John. She sat with her Bible and Discover Genesis study guide. Where was Genesis? What is the difference between a chapter and verse? Was she supposed to know this? She kept her eyes down. Maybe if she looked busy reading and writing, no one would know she did not know…

The leader, Sharice, began with a warm-up question that Kiara could answer! The group laughed together. Then, Sharice directed the group to the introduction and each group member took a turn reading it. Kiara discovered that Genesis is the first book of the Bible – the beginning of the story.

Next, they turned to the passage. Kiara’s chest tightened up again as they read the first few verses. What was this saying? But Sharice just asked questions, focusing on words in her Bible. Kiara felt a little bit of triumph – she could find that answer! John and other group members also asked questions. Kiara took a deep breath – she had a lot to learn but was on her way.

Discover Your Bible (DYB) studies begin with the end in mind. They aim to help people like Kiara, John, Sharice and even you – discover God’s Word together.

The DYB series is designed specifically for Bible discovery, and has been honed by over fifty years of experience. The books are continually updated, revised and translated. The lessons supply questions to guide members through the Bible passage. No lengthy readings or outside materials to research, nothing to memorize, no “test” to see if you got it right. Just the joy of discovery. Each lesson focuses on chunks of Scripture so that discovery happens within the context of how the passage fits in the story of God’s relationship with his people. This also allows for contextualization and inclusion of a variety of voices, cultures and communities.

Each study in the series has both a study guide and a leader guide. The study guide lessons contain a set of discovery questions and space to write answers. The questions focus on specific verses to guide the reader’s search. Each aspect of the study guide, like the introduction and glossary, are designed so that all members can fully participate.

A leader guide accompanies each DYB study as an aid for facilitating the conversation, but not as an “answer book.” It contains some interpretive guidance and extra questions to help the leader flesh out the discussion. Sometimes the leader guide alerts the leader to difficult passages or gives suggestions on how to deal with sensitive topics. It helps mentor a leader in how to lead, awareness of group dynamics and how to navigate complexities of the text. Both the extra questions and information are intended for use only as needed by the group. To lead is to keep one ear on the Spirit and the other on the group!

For more info and a list of titles in this series, see GlobalCoffeeBreak.org.

This page is made possible through a partnership with CRC Ministries within Canada.