Working Together to Show God’s Love through Action in the Community
Welcome to Discovery!
You are about to embark on a journey of discovery:
- Discovering more about the needs and issues in your community
- Discovering more about yourselves: the gifts and skills you didn’t know you had
- Discovering more about God, and his heart for those on the margins of our community
- Discovering how you and your church can make a real difference!
How to Use this Resource
Section A: An Overview of Discovery gives an overview of the Discovery process – the aim of Discovery, what will be achieved, and what happens during the first six months and beyond.
This is a good place for anyone new to Discovery to start.
Section B: Starting the Discovery Process provides all the information a facilitator needs when introducing Discovery to the church leadership and to the church. It also contains a check-list to help guide church leaders in their appointment of the core group.
Section C: Core Group Development provides all the information a facilitator needs to lead the core group sessions:
- General advice – how to get the most out of the core group sessions
- Session Outlines – suggested session outlines used by facilitators with other churches
- Team Building - activities that explore trust, team work, giving feedback and managing change
- Spiritual Reflection – activities that help the group to reflect on God’s heart for the poor and how the church should respond
- Action with the Community – activities for helping the core group identify the needs in the community, gather and analyse information, and prioritise and plan what to do
Section D: Leadership Accompaniment provides guidance to the facilitator on how best to accompany and guide the church leadership through the first six months of the process
Section E: Church Envisioning provides a range of activities and resources for the church leadership and core group to use in mobilising the church to get involved.
Section F: On-going Support provides advice to the church leadership, core group and community support worker on how to continue the process after the first six months.