Be the church

Somewhere, the contemporary church drifted away from the wonderful plan detailed in the Scriptures where everyone who follows Jesus gets to play an important role in actually being the church - as opposed to just "going to" a church.  The Bible says that all Christ followers are given special Gifts and abilities by God to specifically build up the church.  We have also discovered that being truly involved in each other's lives outside of the Sunday Gathering, gives us so much more community with each other.  Finally, we are learning just how incredible of a personal experience we can have when we actively give away the love of Jesus to others outside our normal circle of life.   It's church as "participation", instead of just being a spectator at a religious event!  

That is how we strive to, "be the church"!

The pledge

Some churches have a program called "Membership".  There have been some things historically that have been associated with that concept like voting rights or special reserved seats or plumb parking spots - that frankly Discover isn't all that interested in. However, we ABSOLUTELY think there are some really great aspects to any feature of "being the church" that encourage us to identify , associate and possess a sense of belonging!  So at Discover, we don't ask people who feel like this is "their" church to "become members"; instead we ask people to, "Take the Pledge".  We ask people to identify with the 5 key purposes found in the New Testament for churches to exist, and commit to making them each a part of their life.


Watch this message about taking the Pledge here, and if you are ready to identify Discover as your church, and you are ready to commit yourself to all Jesus wants your life to be, then click on the Pledge card to the left and download it, sign it and LIVE IT!

Ministry

At Discover, our desire is to be a church where EVERYONE participates in BEING the church.  That means it's not just the Church Staff that "do everything".   The Bible says each of us that have chosen to be in a personal relationship with Jesus are given a unique spiritual gift - a divine special ability.  We're given those gifts to put to use within the context of Community.  When we do, we find a profound sense of JOY spring up inside that is better than any kind of simple observational-based religious activity.  We encourage every one at Discover to identify what your Spiritual Gifts are.  They are given to you by God, but it's up to us to identify them.  Below is a very thorough assessment that will help you know just how God has wired you.  Download and print out the Gifts Score, then download the Assessment to your desktop (no need to print it out) and follow the instructions on the Gifts Score.  Finally use the Score Key to identify what your gifts are..  


Gifts_Score.pdf     Gifts_Assessment.pdf.    ScoreKey.pdf


Once you've identified your Spiritual Gifts, a fantastic resource for understanding more about them and how to put them into use, is the book "Discover Your Spiritual Gifts" by Bruce Bugbee.  You can find that book HERE


Once you know your gifts - put them into practice!  It'll change everything about "going" to church for you, and deepen things as your pursue a relationship with Jesus. 


To understand this concept better, we encourage you to watch two messages from the series: 

"My Utmost For His Highest"...  they are HERE and HERE.

Groups and studies

While Discover has our large group Gathering on Sundays, we really feel the truest sense of our Community is experienced in Small Groups and Studies.  Over the course of the calendar year, we offer all kinds of Bible studies, community groups, and seasonal opportunities.  The ultimate purpose is to draw closer to God and each other, building and deepening relationships, and doing life together.  Check back with this section to see what the current offerings are!

  • Pie Guys

    A small group for guys.  This is a topic-driven, conversation based group that looks at various spiritual questions and subjects that a man might have, and the answers that will sustain him.  And we eat pie! Monday nights, 6:30pm.  Contact Scott Owens for more info.

  • Ladies group

    A Community Group for women.  Join us for a time of reflection, laughter, and growing closer to each other and the Lord.  The group meets Wednesday nights at 6:30 at the home of Janelle Shelton and is facilitated by Alicia Christopher, whom you can contact for more information.

Mission

The center of a relationship with Jesus is learning to be like Him.  That means finding our purpose in loving others selflessly the same way He did. 


Discover seeks to live out the Mission of giving Christ's love away, both locally and globally.


At a Local level, Discover offers opportunities all year long for each of us to demonstrate in a practical way, the love of Jesus to our City and our State.  Night Light Tulsa is an amazing ministry working to bring hope and love to the Homeless community in our city.  Groups from Discover are encouraged to spend Thursday nights under the Bridge at Maybelle Ave!

On the first Saturday morning of each month, we encourage folks to participate in Feed the City Tulsa, a fun and engaging way where people of all ages can prepare sandwiches that will feed those with food insecurity in Tulsa.

Additionally, each Christmas season Discover adopts a family from the Jenks School District who may have fallen on difficult times, and provides gifts and support so that they can know Christ's love!


On a Global level, Discover has supported various mission efforts including financial support of missionaries from our community as well as participating in special opportunities to bring love and meaning like Operation Christmas Child.