Slideshow image

A few Sundays ago we introduced our revised Belonging Pathway across our services.

For a number of years we’ve been working hard to sharpen up our processes for helping new people integrate into the church family, whether they’ve spent decades in other churches or are brand new to Jesus and what it means to live life under him. We’ve grappled with a number of important issues:

  • how do we get to know people and have them get to know us?
  • what’s the best way to share the gospel with those who have never heard it before?
  • what other information and experiences do we want people to have to not only prepare them for the Christian life but also for what that life looks like at St John’s?

We’ve looked hard at what we already have in place and what has (and hasn’t) been effective. We’ve gone to other churches to see how they’re doing things and we’ve listened to those who have been doing research in this area.

Our Belonging Pathway is the outcome of all this work. It’s not the only way that we could structure things but it is, we think, the best way we can be shaping newcomers’ experiences at St John’s.

The Belonging Pathway has three parts to it: Connect, Explore, Belong. We all have our part to play at each stage.

First, we want every new person to Connect with us. Research and our own experience tells us that people are far more likely to come back a second week to hear more about the goodness of Jesus if they make a personal connection in the first week. That person who comes over to say hello before the service begins (have you noticed how new people always seem to arrive earlier that us?!) or who has a friendly greeting and invitation to stay after the service leader has prayed that last prayer is a vital way to Connect. That’s something that each and every one of us can do. It makes an enormous difference. As people Connect they find out more about St John’s and what we’re all about so that, we pray, they will want to…

Explore. The next stage sees our new person now being more active to find out more. We long for them to Explore who Jesus is and what life under him looks like. The main (but not only) way we do this is through our Explore course which we hold most terms of the year. More and more people are coming to Explore every time it’s run and we are regularly seeing people come to faith in Jesus through it. Explore is perhaps the easiest way any of us can get involved in evangelism. Invite someone along or even come to help at the next one! Explore is one of our core ministries at St John’s and so we invite every newcomer to join - even those who have already been following Jesus for years! They’re the sort of people who want to get involved in ministry and what better ministry to get stuck into then being part of Explore?!

The final stage of the pathway is Belong. We long for those that we have Connected with and who have Explored Jesus to Belong at St John’s. Belong is the way we describe our ongoing life together as we live out our mission to Grow as disciples of Jesus, Love like Jesus  and Tell others about Jesus. Our Growth Groups are a key way that this happens and a central part of the what it means to Belong.

Connect, Explore, Belong. That’s our pathway for everyone to belonging at St John’s.  What’s the next step along the pathway for you? How will you play your part in helping others along the pathway?

David Ould
Senior Associate Minister

PRAY: for welcoming and belonging at St John’s

Give thanks for the people at St John’s who are helping newcomers connect, explore Jesus, and belong to our church family. Ask God for wisdom as we welcome people—whether new to church or new to faith—and for fruit as they explore life under Jesus. Ask God to help every member of St John’s play their part in helping others take the next step toward belonging.