Bible Reading: John 15: 16,
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
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. New converts are baby Christians; by disciplining them, you nurture them to grow and have a foothold in the faith.
How to retain new convert
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.
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.
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. 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. 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 the Bible says, “… my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Get your new convert reading.
6. 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. 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.
7. Ensure that the new convert receives water baptism
8. Ensure that the new convert is baptized in the Holy Spirit John 14:17, He would be empowered after the baptism, and chances are high that you will retain him in the faith.
9. Help the new convert to develop some key habits
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.
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. You improve your chances of retaining the new convert if he cultivates the habit of fellowshipping. Hebrews 10:24-25.
10. Build a good relationship with the new convert
Among the reasons for which Jesus Christ was successful at making disciples for Himself was the cordial relationship between Himself and His disciples.
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).
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.