How to disciple and retain new converts

Introduction

It is the responsibility of every mother to care for the baby she has given birth to so that he will grow up to maturity to care for himself. In like manner, new converts are baby Christians; by discipling them, you nurture them to grow and have a foothold in the faith.

The motive behind discipleship of new converts

Do mothers care for their young for nothing? After years spent feeding them, cleaning them, protecting them, etc. they grow into healthy and strong adults, capable of taking care of themselves. When the church effectively disciple new converts, they grow spiritually to become mature Christians. And once they become mature Christians, you have a high chance of retaining them. The frequent backsliding of new converts is a problem in most evangelical churches. Therefore, the main motive of discipling new converts is to retain them in the faith and the church.

How to disciple and retain new converts in the faith

It is easier to preach to an unbeliever and then take him through the sinner’s prayer to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior to become a convert – a new convert. Sometimes, after a lot of conviction, the new convert would show up for church service once or twice, or thrice and then cease coming. From observation, it is pretty hard to retain new converts in the church. A lot of new converts do not experience Christianity for long, they backslide after a few days, weeks, months, or years. Discipleship or discipling new converts is supposed to be the solution to the problem of losing new converts to the world. Discipling a new convert is the aggregate of all the useful services you render to the new convert so as to retain him. I mean discipling new converts consists of all the things you do in the life of the new convert so as to retain him in Christianity and in the church.

Let’s suppose you went to evangelize. You happened to run into this non-religious young man, and you spoke to him about Jesus. Then he was moved by the message and you realize his heart was open to receive Jesus. Then you led him to pray the sinner’s prayer and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. He has now become a new convert. Now there are a few helpful things you must do to disciple and retain him:

1. Get to know more about the new convert

On the first day you met, after having led him to accept Christ, introduce yourself – your name, your church, and what you do – and that will do. Then take the new convert’s contacts and home address. Find out where he lives so that you can visit him. Get to know more about your new convert— his full name, what he does, who his family members are, his background, etc. You can get to know him better through friendly conversation. If you get to know him better, you will be able to understand how best to help him so as to retain him in the faith. Tell the new convert you would like to visit him and that you would also like to invite him to church the coming Sunday.

2. Follow up

Visit the new convert and if you happen to meet him, expend the time to encourage him, especially with words that assure him that he is truly saved, all his sins are forgiven, and he is a new creation. Use the opportunity to remind him that you would like to invite him to church the coming Sunday.

3. Invite and help the new convert to attend church service

On the day you visit, as part of your teachings, let the new convert know why it is important to attend church service. On this note, invite and or remind him to attend church service with you the coming Sunday. Do well to remind him with a call on Saturday evening so that he will prepare. Sometimes, he would agree that you come home to fetch him; if that happens to be the case, do it with no hesitation. Do not give up if he fails to turn up or if he finds an excuse not to turn up for church service. Continue to encourage and remind him to turn up for church service. If the new convert honors the invitation to come to church on Sunday mornings, then the stage is set to encourage him to attend weekday services as well. Remember that you have a chance of retaining him if he shows interest in coming for church services.

4. Introduce the new convert to the church

If by God’s grace, you help your new convert to come to church, then the next step is to build a bond between him and the church. First, introduce him to your pastor and other officers or leaders of the church. Your pastor should do well to introduce him to the whole congregation and request a congregational prayer for him on that first day at church. By introducing your new convert to the church, you engage the church to play its part to disciple and retain him. More so, you set the stage for socialization; other Christians will get to know your new convert and befriend him, and even assist him when need be. By and large, your new convert begins to get the feeling that he belongs to a family now.

5. Get your new convert reading

Ignorance is a powerful factor that leads many new and old converts to backslide. Any Christian is more than likely to backslide sooner or later if he is not studying. Therefore the Bible says, “… my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Get your new convert reading. How? If he does not have a Bible and cannot afford one, do well to get him one. In addition, if you can afford, get him any helpful Christian literature that has once helped you to grow spiritually so that he too will grow. The new convert is likely to highly appreciate any literature you give him and would read it for his own good.

6. Share your Christian resources with the new convert

I was an administrator of a WhatsApp group. The members of the group were sharing very powerful messages that were helping my spiritual growth. Around that time, I happened to lead an unbeliever to accept Christ and become a new convert. Having sought his permission, I added him to the WhatsApp group so that he would benefit from the wealth of spiritual resources shared on the page. Whatever thing you are exposed to or whatever resources that you have at your disposal that are helping your Christian life, do well to share them with the new convert so that he too would benefit spiritually. Tell the new convert about the Christian TV shows that have helped your spiritual growth, the Christian radio programs that inspire you to live in holiness, the Christian websites you have been studying from, and the Christian books you read. Also share with him other Christian digital resources such as music, audio Bible, etc.

7. Intercede for the new convert

You should know that there is a spiritual battle to fight on behalf of the new convert. Remember that the new convert used to be an unbeliever, belonging to the kingdom of the devil before you snatch him to become a new convert. It would be smart of you to realize that the devil has not given up on him yet and has plans afoot to get him back. After all, the devil knows the weaknesses, desires, and lusts of your new convert and therefore knows how to lure him to backslide into the world again. More so, being a new convert, inexperienced, ignorant, and spiritually weak, this is the time the devil has any chance of winning him back; and he would exploit this chance to make sure the new convert backslides.   How do I stop the devil? The Bible says that the prayer of a Christian is powerful and effective (James 5:16). Therefore pray – pray intercessory prayer for the new convert so that he would overcome all the temptations and deceptions the devil would bring in his way to make him backslide. Whichever way the spirit of the Lord would lead you, intercede for him to retain him.

8. Be exemplary to the new convert

A blind man cannot lead another blind man, lest they all fall into a ditch. A teacher does not know everything, but at least, he should know more than his students so that he can teach them to excel. How would you help a new convert to develop the love and habit of attending church services if you play truant at church? Your habits, be it good or bad, would have a lasting effect on the new convert. The moment you go into discipling new converts, you set yourself apart as someone whose life is worthy of emulation, and the new convert will inevitably look to you. For the time being, your lifestyle would be the nearest example of the Christian life that he can look to and emulate. As much as your good habits would encourage the new convert, your bad habits would also demoralize him in his pursuit of holiness, and you would ruin your chance of retaining him. Matthew 5:16

9. Ensure that the new convert is baptized in the Holy Spirit

Using Scriptures like Acts 2:39, Acts 2:2-4, John 14:17, and Luke 24:49 wet the new convert’s appetite to receive Holy Spirit baptism. Either you pray with him to receive Holy Spirit baptism or you hand him over to your pastor or elder to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You cannot overemphasize the positive lasting impression of Holy Spirit baptism on your new convert. He would be empowered after the baptism, and chances are high that you will retain him in the faith.

10. Ensure that the new convert receives water baptism

Tell your pastor about baptizing your new convert. He will arrange a day and time with you on which he will baptize him. Help the new convert to turn up for the baptism, even if you have to accompany him there.

11. Help the new convert to develop some key habits

The eaglet cannot survive without learning to fly, and neither would the lion cub survive in the jungle if he does not learn the skills of hunting. You must help the new convert to develop some habits that are needed for him to grow spiritually and remain in the faith.  There are at least three essential habits he needs to develop:

The habit of praying daily. Teach the new convert to inculcate prayer into his life by setting apart some time each day to pray. Encourage the new convert with your own experience on how prayer has helped your life as a Christian to kindle his interest in prayer. Make it a point to remind him of daily prayer any time you get the chance to speak to him. Teach him to understand that by praying to God daily he gets to relate to God personally and that prayer strengthens his cordial relationship with God; hence the Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.”

The habit of daily Bible reading. Help your new convert to set a time apart to study the Bible every day. He might begin by reading the Gospel of John first since it says a lot about Jesus and salvation. Nobody knew God; it was God who made Himself known through the Scriptures written by inspired holy men. Teach the new convert to understand that he needs to read the Bible to know more about the God he is serving.

The habit of fellowshipping: Help the new convert to develop the love and the habit of attending church services regularly – weekdays and weekend church service. Research has revealed that babies cannot survive without socialization. Your chances of retaining the new convert are dependent on his fellowshipping to such an extent that it should be your problem if he continually shuns attending church services. How do you get the new convert to fellowship? Be his reminder. Through calls and messaging, remind him to come for church services; especially on Saturday evenings, and remind him to attend church service on Sunday mornings. Sometimes, he would consent that you come home to fetch him for service. If the situation is like that, do not hesitate to help him in that manner. You improve your chances of retaining the new convert if he cultivates the habit of fellowshipping. Hebrews 10:24-25.

12. Build a good relationship with the new convert

You know what? Among the reasons for which Jesus Christ was successful at making disciples for Himself was the cordial relationship between Himself and His disciples. Apart from the fact that they were His disciples, Jesus wholeheartedly accepted His disciples into two very important relationships:

1. He accepted them as His friends: This was Jesus’ own words – “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15).
2. He accepted them as His family: Once Mary came to search for Jesus Christ, and when Jesus was told that His mother wanted to see Him, this is what He did – And He (Jesus) stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! (Matthew 12:49).

Every soul-winning Christian should do likewise. When you lead an unbeliever to become a new convert, he immediately becomes your responsibility and he passes from being a mere unbeliever, a mere neighbor, or a mere stranger; rather, he becomes a family and a friend to you, simultaneously, and you should treat him as such. Give him any assistance just as you would have given your biological brother, sister, or mother. It is not a mere talk that the new convert has become your relative — brother, sister, or mother. What sets relatives apart is the fact that they have something in common; they are related by blood. In the same way, the soul-winning Christian and the new convert have something in common; that is, the same Holy Spirit that is on the soul-winning Christian has been given to the new convert also; hence, they become relatives in Christ. Building a good relationship improves your chances of retaining him.

i. Effective communication with the new convert

How would there ever be a good relationship without good communication? Jesus did not have any problem with communication in that His disciples spent their time with Him always; He had them follow Him wherever He went. Presently, such a thing is unthinkable. It may not happen that the new converts you are discipling would have to follow you around like Jesus’. However, that does not mean that our hope of good communication and a good relationship should be shattered. It could be achieved through many means of communication such as:

A. Visitation

Even Jesus, though He had His disciples with Him all the time, still used visitation as a means to enrich His communication and relationship with His disciples. He visited the house of some of His disciples. He visited the house of Peter; there, He healed his sick mother-in-law (Luke 4:38,39; Matt 8:14). After having invited Matthew into discipleship, Jesus visited his house. There, He ate and drank at a banquet with other tax collectors (Mark 2:14-17, Luke 5:27-31). He visited the house of Lazarus (John 12:1-3). He visited the house of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42), etc. He left lasting effects at the homes he visited and these deeds have become lessons for us. If Jesus did it why shouldn’t His disciples? Having accepted the new convert as your brother and friend, treat him as such; visit him regularly to teach, encourage, and see how he is faring.

B. Calling

The disciples of this generation are far from being at a disadvantage in terms of establishing an active line of communication when we have technology at our disposal. Text messaging and messaging via WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are quite good, helpful, and relevant. However, you would not be sure whether the recipient reads your message or not. Therefore, making phone calls or video calls to reach the new convert is a sure way of communication that will translate to a strong relationship. It would be helpful to call daily to remind the new convert to have his Quiet Time or remind him to attend evening church services, Sunday morning church services, or any church program. How often should you call? Just once a day will do; unless there is something very important to tell or remind him of, then two; because too much of calling may sound disturbing.

C. Messaging

Messaging can be done via SMS or social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snap-chat, etc. Use messaging as a line of communication to share or communicate encouraging and motivational messages, whether it is in the form of pictures, text, GIF, audio, or video, to new converts to strengthen their faith.

ii. What am I to communicate to the new convert?

If you have the opportunity to meet the new convert whom you are discipling, whether on the phone, on social networks, or face to face, what are you to communicate with him about? The Bible has a prescription for what disciples of Jesus should communicate to one another about. Especially, when dealing with new converts, it is very expedient to carefully observe the Bible’s directives on what to communicate to them because what you tell them can either strengthen them or weaken them.

• First of all, according to Matt 20: 20, a Christian is supposed to nurture the new convert in the word of God and the obedience thereof. That is to say, when you meet him, seize the opportunity to teach him the word; engage in Bible discussion; do not spend any time with the new convert in a fruitless discussion on topics such as politics, football, etc.
• Teaching and admonishing the new convert (Colossians 3:16).
• Exhort the new convert so that sin will not harden him. (Hebrews 3:13).
• Comfort and edify the new convert. (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Therefore when you reach the new convert whether by calling, messaging, or face to face, speak words that will teach or encourage, or admonish, or exhort, or comfort, or edify him.

Take note

Apply wisdom and be led by the Holy Spirit to conduct your discipleship in such a way that it would not look like you are disturbing the peace of mind of your new convert.

Always remember that you are not alone in this business of discipling new converts. The Holy Spirit is with you. When it appears everything you are doing is not working, humble yourself, pray to Him, and wait upon Him in fasting for His help and guidance.

In a situation where the new convert’s family is hateful towards his newfound faith, it would be better if you do not visit his home. Communication on the phone and social networks will do. Or if you have to see him in person, you can ask him to meet you at church.

When a female Christian is visiting the new convert’s house in the name of discipleship, it is the best thing to have a male friend accompany her there.

Conclusion

It hurts to lose new converts; that is why you should try as much as possible to retain them. Disciple the new convert effectively and retain him in the faith and in the church, for God would greatly reward you for it.

Food for thought

• Have you won a soul before? If you have, were you able to retain him in the church?
• Personally, what do you think is responsible for why some new converts do not last in the church?
• Personally, what is your attitude towards winning a soul and losing him again?
• What do you think would happen if there were very little communication and relationship between the church and the new converts?
• Is your mind made up to embark on winning souls and retaining them in the church?