Everyone understands that new believers need care and nurture. But we often get busy and neglect this important ministry role. Here’s a simple framework for taking the next steps.
What Do New Believers Need?
The apostle Paul compares his care for new Christians to the role of a mother.
1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.
In the apostle Paul’s care for the new Christians at Thessalonica, three roles stand out: feeding, caring, and sharing life.
How to Feed New Christians
New believers need to be fed from the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2). This involves more than just good sermons. They need individual answers to questions and focused teaching that lays a great foundation. The mentoring resources from pursueGOD.org will be a great resource for this.
[Related Track: New Believers]
How to Care for New Christians
The best way is to meet individually. Make an appointment, where you can hear their story and find out what their real and felt needs are. Address those needs by using mentoring resources. Send them a link from pursueGOD.org so they can watch it on their own before you meet.
How to Share Life with New Christians
The apostle Paul was not content just to share information, as vital as that was. Where possible, invite the new believer into your life. Find activities that you would already be doing that you can include them in – like a hobby or even a ministry assignment. For example, play golf with them or take them along on a hospital visit. During less structured times like this, the real issues often come out. And this demonstrates that they are not just a “project” but that you love them personally.
No One Person Can Meet the Needs of Every New Christian
A busy pastor or leader can help some, but probably not everyone. The key is to equip ordinary believers to use mentoring resources to help new believers. A pastor can make the handoff. When you start a mentoring relationship with a new believer, share the hope and expectation that they will go “full circle” and eventually be mentoring others themselves.
[Related: 4 Stages of Biblical Mentoring]
[Related Series: Bible Basics for New Believers]
Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- Read 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8. What does Paul’s example show us about how to mentor new believers?
- Read 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12. Compare and contrast the role of a spiritual father to the spiritual mother in verses 7-8.
- What “food” do new Christians need? What is the best way to provide that nourishment?
- How can you show a new believer that you care “like a mother…caring for her own children”?
- What are some ways you can share your life with a new believer? What makes this challenging?
- What are some appropriate boundaries for sharing your personal life with a new believer?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident do you feel that ordinary people in your church can be effective at mentoring new believers? Explain.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
