MOUNT VERNON — Church leaders and other volunteers met on Saturday morning at the Covenant Christian Church of God for what the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association calls a Follow-Up Discipleship Seminar, in advance of October’s Will Graham Celebration in Gambier. An identical seminar took place the previous day at New Life Nazarene Church on Newark Road.
The Rev. Jim Mullen, managing director of special training projects at the BGEA in Charlotte, N.C., who has more than 20 years’ experience in pastoring churches, led the seminar. He began by telling the audience how appreciative he was that they attended on a Saturday morning. He said local churches need to prepare to welcome an influx of new people this fall, as those who make commitments to Christ at the celebration will be directed by the BGEA to county churches.
“I know you have more on your plates than you know how to say grace over,” he said. “But this is going to help your churches. We are going to put people in the pews so you can teach them the ministry. And isn’t that what the Bible tells us to do?”
He explained that 80 percent of Christians never talk about their faith because they don’t know what to say and are afraid to say it. The seminar and upcoming Christian Life & Witness courses are designed to rectify that by training people to share their faith.
But actions speak louder than words, he cautioned, quoting a pastor friend, “It really doesn’t matter how high you jump. It’s how straight you walk when you hit the floor.”
Mullen explained that discipleship — Christian growth and development over time — is vital to following up with a new Christian. Other necessities include being a friend, providing encouragement, offering love and acceptance, and providing fellowship and community. He likened new Christians to “spiritual babies” who need “spiritual milk” in order to grow and develop.
He explained that offering new Christians books and reading material, then leaving them alone, can never work. And new believers know they could be cutting themselves off from some friends and family members who will reject them for their decision.
“They need new friends. People need someone, not something, to show them the way,” he said.
“We are going to need hundreds of counselors,” he added, the trained volunteers who will meet and pray with those who make a commitment during the celebration’s altar calls.
“Every one of these people is going to go back into your churches. We don’t start a Billy Graham Church. Oh, no. Your churches need to prepare and get ready to make the investment in these new Christians.”
The Christian Life & Witness courses are required for volunteers who want to be counselors (minimum age 13), although not everyone who takes the course will become a counselor. The local celebration office has a schedule of the courses, which begin April 9 and take place at four different churches.
The BGEA calls new Christians “inquirers,” and provides for them a Gospel of John, scripture memorization verses, a Bible study on CD which also contains the entire Bible text and a search engine, as well as a follow-up card. At the conclusion of each service, a Co-Labor Team gets busy collecting the cards, entering information in a database, generating statistics and preparing follow-up reports for local pastors. Within 24 hours, counselors follow up with their inquirers by phone. Two weeks later, another team will conduct a telephone survey among the inquirers. Then volunteers begin small group Bible studies called Neighborhood Discovery Groups.
“The program,” Mullen explained, “is purposely redundant. We want to make sure nobody falls through the cracks.”
Referring to the planning and preparation for October, he said, “This all isn’t just for three days in the fall. It’s for the rest of their lives that we are doing this. Thank you for letting the BGEA come and partner with you to bring men, women, boys and girls to Jesus Christ.”
Volunteers Maxine Smith of Mount Vernon and Beulah Grindle of Apple Valley, who both attend Community Christian Fellowship near Gambier, were in the audience.
“I’m going to be part of the prayer committee, so I needed to be part of this [seminar],” Smith said.
Asked what she gleaned from the seminar, she replied, “I learned the importance of really being in tune with God and open to what the new Christian needs. And to not try to force something on them that they’re not ready for. Understanding that they are young in Christ and don’t know some things that someone who has been a Christian a long time might know. I will need to walk at the pace they are capable of walking.”
“I’m also on the prayer committee, and I really wanted to know what is important to do and important not to do,” said Grindle. “And to be encouraged by learning more and more. That 80 percent of Christians don’t share ... I don’t want to fall into that 80 percent. I want to share the love and the life that can come from Christ.”
The Will Graham Celebration office is at 16 S. Main St., Mount Vernon. For more information call 397-1701.