DBS is re-shaping the way many of our pastors are viewing their roles as shepherds in churches in very healthy ways. It’s opening up the “wild” idea that everyone can read the Word of God and be engaged and formed by it; that people don’t need a pastor to teach them God’s Word but can rather discover it through the power of the Holy Spirit. And it’s also encouraging leaders to re-think the typical worship service and teaching time. Here’s a story from two pastors from our Soroti Discipleship Cohort:

Robert and Emmanuel minister in Soroti District, about an hour and a half north of Mbale. In their cohort they’ve been discussing DBS for a couple of months, learning how to participate and facilitate group studies within the discipleship cohort. They were recently invited to visit another church in the region and bring an encouraging message. When they arrived at the church, they found 10 people gathered at the church. After prayer and discussion, they decided to lead a DBS study with the group instead of preaching. This is very counter-cultural to give away a teaching time and allow the Holy Spirit to teach instead. So they began leading a DBS study and the reception of the people was incredible. When it came time for the group to RE-TELL the story, the volunteer was a very old, blind man. He retold the story very well, and clearly was hearing the Word of God well. After the study, this same man told the two pastors, “This way is much better than preaching because we were able to discover God’s Word ourselves. Thank you!” We are thankful for this victory!

For a video testimony from Robert and Emmanuel, click HERE. And please continue to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance in all that we are doing.