One-to-one: with a not-yet-Christian

If a friend, family member or colleague is interested in our faith, our instinct is usually to do one of four things:
• give them a book to read
• invite them to a guest service or event at church
• take them (or send them) to a course like Christianity Explored
• get overexcited and bombard them with so much information that they change the subject (maybe that’s just me).

But here’s an idea: you could ask them if they’d like to meet up with you fairly regularly (preferably weekly), have a bit of a chat, and look at God’s word with you to see for themselves what it’s all about.

That way, they’re investigating Christianity with someone they already know and trust. They’re doing it at a time convenient to them. They can ask any questions they like, and say what they think. They can go at their own pace.

If you’re a pastor, you could encourage each member of your church to think and pray about asking someone they know to do this in a one-to-one setting.

If you’re a church member, you could get on with doing it without waiting for your pastor to encourage you!

And here are a couple of great resources which can help. Christianity Explained works through Mark’s Gospel in six studies, and it’s highly recommended by experienced church leaders like Mark Dever, Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC. The book includes lots of helpful advice on how to lead Bible studies with a non-Christian friend.

For someone who’s a new Christian, or isn’t quite sure whether they are or not, Just for Starters is an excellent seven-study booklet which works through the essentials of Christianity. It’s only £1.50, and this week it’s got another 20% off!

So now, next time someone asks you about Christianity, why not pause, pray, and then ask them if they’d like to one-to-one with you?

For a short introduction to what one-to-oneing is, just click here.