A short workshop on the stages that people go through on their journey towards conversion in Christ.
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God is calling all of us to the difficult task of bringing people to Jesus Christ. This is a long process that has identifiable stages that we must be aware of if we are to effectively help the people God entrusts to us. The “Thresholds of Conversion” indicated in Sherry Weddell’s Forming Intentional Disciples provides us with a framework for understanding where people are at and how we can bring them to the next step in their conversion. These activities are designed to help give you the mindset of a “disciple maker.”
Part I: Identifying Thresholds
- To begin with, go to the Threshold Discernment Chart (PDF) and in the first column add in the people “given to you” that you identified in Part II of the Activity Sheet for Video 4 (Those who we are called to bring to Jesus).
- Using the “Threshold Discernment Questions” below, try and figure out where these people might be in their process of conversion. Write each person’s current threshold in the second column of the “Threshold Discernment Chart.”
Part II: Accompanying our people through the next threshold
Knowing what threshold someone is currently at will go a long way to helping you to help them to take their next step in their conversion process to Jesus Christ. If you are unsure of where someone is at that means that you simply have to spend more time with them as was looked at in Part III of Activity Sheet 3 (Beginning to accompany those we serve).
If you were able to put an answer to the threshold for each person that you are satisfied with, we will now think of ways that we can help them to move through this path towards discipleship.
For example: If someone does not yet have trust with you or the Church what are some ways you think you could help create that trust? If someone has a trusting relationship with you or seems to have a positive view of some aspect of our faith, how can you provoke curiosity in that person? And so on…
- Try to think of two examples for each person. Fill in your ideas in the third column of the “Threshold Discernment Chart.”
Part III: Threshold Discernment Questions
These questions can help you identify where someone may be at in their conversion towards Jesus. If you are not sure how to answer these questions it probably means you need to spend more time being present and listening to them.
Initial trust: “A person is able to trust or has a positive association with Jesus Christ, the Church, a Christian believer, or something identifiably Christian.”
- Does the person seem closed off or angry about things of faith? (If “yes” it is a sign of no trust)
- Is this person at all interested in things of faith? (If “no” it is a sign of no trust)
- Is this person friendly and genuinely glad to see you and spend time with you in real conversation? (If “yes” you are the bridge of trust for this person. If “no” keep working)
Spiritual curiosity: “A person finds himself intrigued by or desiring to know more about Jesus, his life, and his teachings or some aspect of the Christian faith.”
- Is the person challenging you on your own faith?
- Is the person asking questions about faith?
- Is the person asking questions about your life and practices?
Spiritual openness: “A person acknowledges to him or herself and to God that he or she is open to the possibility of personal and spiritual change.”
- Is the person open to attending faith-related activities?
- Does the person ask for prayers for themselves or others?
- Does the person seem to enjoy listening to faith-related messages and generally agree with them?
Spiritual seeking: “The person moves from being essentially passive to actively seeking to know the God who is calling him or her.”
- Is the person seeking answers to spiritual questions by themselves?
- Does the person go to faith-based activities without being invited or encouraged by others?
- Is the person praying and attending mass, sacraments more regularly?
- Have you seen a notable change in the way the person acts?
Intentional discipleship: “This is the decision to “drop one’s nets,” to make a conscious commitment to follow Jesus in the midst of his Church as an obedient disciple and to reorder one’s life accordingly.”
- Is the person excited about their faith and eager to tell others about God?
- Does the person spend extra time in study, prayer, ministry, faith-events?
- Does the person live a moral life that is in keeping with God’s plan for us?