Student Leader Notes provide guidance to help leaders effectively teach others about Student DBS and assist them in leading their own Discovery Study—a weekly group session using Student DBS.
Be an Outsider: Teach Student DBS to interested students one-on-one if possible, so they can eventually lead their own group. They will likely understand the process after three one-on-one meetings, especially if you lead the first session and they lead the following two.
Leave quickly: If you have to lead a group, don't do so more than three times, you risk being seen as the leader, which can hinder the group's reproduction. They may come to believe they need to have the same knowledge and skills as you to lead effectively.
Think Groups: Disciple-making is meant to happen in groups of 3-6, not one-on-one. Encourage interested students to form and lead their own groups.
Keep it Simple: Ensure the process is so simple that anyone in the group can say, "Hey, I can do this." This simplicity promotes multiplication.
Ask All the Questions: Going through all the questions encourages reproduction. A partial DBS won't reproduce.
DON'T TEACH: This is the most important practice. Avoid lecturing. Instead, guide students to discover truths by asking questions. Self discovery leads to deeper learning than direct teaching by others. Encourage them to read Scripture between meetings to discover answers to their questions.
Ask Questions: Use initial questions like "What does verse three say about Jesus?" and follow-up questions like "Why do you think this is so?" to guide students to Bible truths. Asking what, why, how, when, where and who questions can deepen understanding.
Encourage Everyone to Lead: Have your disciple delegate the leadership role to others to build their confidence in leading their own groups.
Plan for Multiplication: Aim for groups to form new groups continuously. Multiplication happens when groups keep forming new ones.
Be an Outsider: Teach Student DBS to interested students one-on-one if possible, so they can eventually lead their own group. They will likely understand the process after three one-on-one meetings, especially if you lead the first session and they lead the following two.
Leave quickly: If you have to lead a group, don't do so more than three times, you risk being seen as the leader, which can hinder the group's reproduction. They may come to believe they need to have the same knowledge and skills as you to lead effectively.
Think Groups: Disciple-making is meant to happen in groups of 3-6, not one-on-one. Encourage interested students to form and lead their own groups.
Keep it Simple: Ensure the process is so simple that anyone in the group can say, "Hey, I can do this." This simplicity promotes multiplication.
Ask All the Questions: Going through all the questions encourages reproduction. A partial DBS won't reproduce.
DON'T TEACH: This is the most important practice. Avoid lecturing. Instead, guide students to discover truths by asking questions. Self discovery leads to deeper learning than direct teaching by others. Encourage them to read Scripture between meetings to discover answers to their questions.
Ask Questions: Use initial questions like "What does verse three say about Jesus?" and follow-up questions like "Why do you think this is so?" to guide students to Bible truths. Asking what, why, how, when, where and who questions can deepen understanding.
Encourage Everyone to Lead: Have your disciple delegate the leadership role to others to build their confidence in leading their own groups.
Plan for Multiplication: Aim for groups to form new groups continuously. Multiplication happens when groups keep forming new ones.
Resources
- See DMM Resources