One of the biggest questions we have wrestled with regarding new converts is, “How do we help them take their Next Step once they make a commitment to Christ?” We have seen almost 170 people make commitments to Christ since launching here Lithopolis. (That is only the people who have told us, I believe there are more) We realized early on that we must be responsible to not only help them cross the line of faith but to take their next step as a Christ-follower.
One thing we implemented about a year ago was the creation of a Next Step to give anyone makes a commitment to Christ. In this kit, we give them a Bible with simple reading plan to get them started, a DVD of a message I preached on Baptism, some cards talking about the essentials of The Bible, Jesus, a relationship with God and more, a journal, and a letter from me congratulating them and helping them take another step.
I think we have done a good job putting together something on a dime. But we want to make this entire process a little more strategic.
Here are some of the things we want to do to make sure each new believer has every opportunity to make the Next Step.
- Revamping Guest Services to be more than just an information table, but rather people who call and follow-up with people who get a Next Step personally.
- We have plans to get a more professional looking box and materials to give out in this kit. (This portion is very costly and we can’t do it yet)
- Creating Next Step small groups where people can attend for several weeks and begin to develop a good foundation for their faith.
- Trying to develop a process to help us capture their stories either on video or written shortly after the moment of salvation.
- Developing a process to help encourage them to take the next step toward baptism and joining a small group.
These are some of the ideas we have and are currently working on. If anyone has any thoughts or things we could do to help new Christ-followers take that Next Step, I’d love to hear them.