How Can Churches Help New Believers Grow?
Churches can help new believers grow by surrounding them with relationships, grounding them in Scripture, teaching them how to pray and practice their faith, helping them participate in Christian community, and giving them meaningful opportunities to serve. Healthy Church Health recognizes that conversion is a beginning, not a finish line.
What Does a New Christian Need First?
A new believer needs people.
Following Jesus is personal, but it was never intended to be solitary. Acts 2:42 describes the early believers devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, shared meals, and prayer.
New Christians need relationships where questions are welcomed and where they can see what following Jesus looks like in ordinary life.
How Should Churches Teach New Believers the Bible?
Begin with the big story.
Someone unfamiliar with Scripture can easily become overwhelmed by sixty-six biblical books, unfamiliar names, different literary genres, and thousands of years of history.
Help people understand the basic movement of Scripture: creation, human rebellion, God’s covenant purposes, Israel, Jesus, the church, resurrection, and new creation.
Then teach simple ways to read Scripture regularly and in context.
How Can Churches Teach People to Pray?
We sometimes tell new believers to pray without showing them how.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9–13). Churches can do the same.
Pray with new believers. Explain that prayer can include worship, thanksgiving, confession, requests, silence, and listening to Scripture.
Help prayer become a relationship with the Father rather than a religious performance.
Why Do New Believers Need More Than a Class?
Classes can provide valuable foundations, but discipleship is learned through life together.
A new Christian may need help understanding forgiveness, marriage, money, temptation, work, relationships, suffering, generosity, or how to make decisions as a follower of Jesus.
Those conversations often happen best in relationships rather than classrooms.
When Should New Believers Begin Serving?
They can begin participating surprisingly early, provided responsibilities are appropriate.
Serving helps people discover that Christianity is not merely about receiving religious services. They are becoming part of Christ’s body.
Simple opportunities to help, welcome, give, encourage, pray, or participate in community outreach can help a new believer develop a sense of belonging and purpose.
What Should Churches Do With Difficult Questions?
Welcome them.
New believers may ask questions longtime Christians have stopped asking. Some questions will be theological. Others will emerge from painful experiences or assumptions about Christianity.
A healthy church does not need to fear honest questions.
When we do not know an answer, we can say so and explore Scripture together.
How Can Churches Help New Christians Develop Spiritual Practices?
Start simply.
Teach people to read Scripture, pray, worship, participate in Christian community, practice generosity, serve others, and make space for God.
A few sustainable rhythms are usually more helpful than giving someone a long list of spiritual expectations.
The goal is not to make people busy. It is to help them develop a life with God.
How Do We Help New Believers Move Toward Maturity?
Give them both support and responsibility.
Encourage them. Answer questions. Walk with them through setbacks. Help them discover their gifts. Invite them to serve. Eventually encourage them to begin helping someone else follow Jesus.
Paul’s pattern in 2 Timothy 2:2 is multiplication: what Timothy received was to be entrusted to others who could pass it on again.
Healthy Church Health develops when people are not simply brought into the church but formed into disciples who increasingly participate in the life and mission of Jesus.
Conversion is a beautiful beginning. The church has the privilege of helping people discover the lifetime of following Jesus that comes next.
Bible Institute Network exists to help potential students at every level find trusted Bible study resources, ministry training, and educational opportunities that can help them grow in their understanding of Scripture and prepare for faithful Christian service.
Bible Institute Network was founded by Steve Lawes, who is also the founder of Church Encourager and Christian Practices.
