Keeping the conversation going

'Mission weeks open up opportunities to talk about the gospel that are often hard to come by. For that reason, we need to be active in keeping these conversations going. Mission weeks bear the most fruit when we don't allow them to be a one time thing, but when we keep investing in our friends, keep walking alongside them, and keep answering their questions.' – Staff Worker Hayley Marchant

So, a friend has been to an event that your CU has hosted in recent weeks. What’s next? Here are a few thoughts of how you could keep the conversations flowing.

• Ask questions.

Your level of directness will be influenced by your personality type and how close your friendship is – but try to find out, in their own words, how your friend has reacted to what they’ve seen and heard. I quite like asking them to message me with the three words that they think best encapsulate their response, and to let the conversation flow from there.

• Get them a book.

Some friends will have a bunch of questions. Getting them a great book might address some of their questions and focus their thoughts. I love Michael Green’s Jesus for Sceptics. You could also point them to relevant articles on the Bethinking website.

• Invite them to your Impact Group.

Impact Group material has been deliberately shaped to be both nourishing to Christians and totally accessible to those who don’t yet know Him. Impact Groups are a great place to get into the Bible and get a taste of Christian community.

• Offer a seeker Bible study.

Uncover seeker Bible studies make it easy for any Christian student to open the Bible with their friends. What better way to show off more of what Jesus is like than exploring one of the eye-witness accounts? There are great tips here on using Uncover John online, and also details of how to get physical copies if you’d prefer.

• Buy them a Bible.

I’ve noticed that increasing numbers of friends are quite open to reading the Bible for themselves. You can order attractive copies quite affordably. I normally encourage seeking friends to read the Bible in large chunks – starting with Luke, John and Acts, before then tackling Genesis and Exodus.

• Invite them to church with you.

If your friend has been to a CU event, why not ask if they’d like to come on Sunday with you? Most friends may never have thought about going to church and may just be curious. Others may be more serious seekers – or even have come to faith – and inviting them to church could be the beginning of helping them connect with wider church family.

• Pray.

God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed – small, almost imperceptible and yet the ultimate reality to which history is heading. Evangelism is a spiritual work – so let’s keep praying for the seeds that have been sown.