Follow Up

If the person makes a commitment, you then have a responsibility to ensure the well being of the new born Christian. If possible introduce him to another Christian and ask the new Christian to tell what he has done. Ask for his name and phone number and give him your phone number. Invite the person to Church, ask him if he knows where it is and find out if transportation is a problem.

Encourage him to read the Bible and make sure he has one. Tell him that he can talk to God in prayer. Encourage him to tell others about his decision. Keep in contact.

The first few weeks of an individual's Christian life are the most important. While his experience of salvation is still fresh in his mind, he is willing to make further steps in the Christian life. If he is quickly established in a fellowship of Christians and receives encouragement during this important time, he will likely continue to grow.

If he is left to his own, he will find it difficult not to slip back into his old life style. One Church did a study and found that only 1 in 6 of those who professed Christ through their ministry became active in their Church. As a result the Church established a follow up program where those who professed Christ were immediately contacted and received extra encouragement for several weeks.

When the Church did another study after this program was established, they discovered that now 5 in 6 of those who professed Christ became active in their Church.