How Do I Handle New Believers in my eGroup?

2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!"

First, having new believers in your eGroup is a wonderful thing. Celebrate the fact that they are there with you. It is important for these people to know that they are loved and that they have the support of the eGroup behind them. Here are some ways you can best support the new believers in your eGroup:

• Encourage them to join a Next Level eGroup in addition to yours. The Next Level eGroup is designed for people new to the Christian faith, or for anyone who wants to go through some of the foundational topics of God's word. The eGroup covers topics such as grace, forgiveness, creation, etc. It is offered at each campus on a Sunday morning, and childcare is provided by eKidz. Joining this group does not mean that they need to leave your group. Encourage them to attend both eGroups for extra support and growth.

• Provide icebreakers before the lesson.If there are long-time believers in your group, then the new believers may feel a little out of place and less likely to share their thoughts with the group. Providing icebreakers before teaching the lesson may help the new believers in your group feel a little bit more comfortable in the group setting and may encourage them to open up during discussion.

• Provide them with helpful devotions / verses. Think back to what resources helped you as a new believer. If there were any helpful devotions or encouraging Bible verses that you read then, you should choose to share those with your new believers now.  Here is another idea that might seem a little odd, but it would be incredibly helpful:  purchase them a Children's Bible.  A Children's Bible will show them the main stories from both the Old Testament and New Testament, and will give them a foundation of the main characters that they will probably hear about as they grow in their faith.

• Mentor them. As the eGroup leader, step up and take the new believers under your wing. Here are a few things you may want to do:

Outside the eGroup: Take the new believers in your group out to lunch or coffee for a one-on-one session. Get to know them and find out their story. (What brought them to Elevation, how they were saved, what they want to learn in eGroup etc?) Afterwards, encourage them to share their salvation story with the rest of the group.

Q & A: Answer any questions that they may have. The new believers in your group may be confused about the lesson that they heard. Let them know that you are happy to sit down with them to explain and answer questions.

Invest in your new believers: Begin to develop them as Christian men and women by giving them opportunities to grow. Ask questions of them, present them with outreach opportunities, call them throughout the week, etc. Show them that you care about them and want to help them grow in their faith.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!" Be an example to your new believers by showing them the new life that they are offered and can now walk in.

1. Who in your eGroup is relatively new to the faith?  Who already in your eGroup is a new believer in Christ?
2. Who in your eGroup is an established and mature Christian?  Who is the person in your eGroup who can help you mentor any new believers in the group?
3. What are the things that pushed you to grow in your faith after your decision for Christ?