New Christians are a gift. They remind us that God is still moving, still calling people to himself. There’s nothing quite like watching someone encounter Jesus for the first time – it wakes us up again to what this whole thing is about.

Of course, it can be a little messy too. New faith always is. But that’s not a problem to solve – it’s an invitation. The question is: how will we make space for them? How can we love and support the new believers among us? 

We’re going to open a series in Kōrero inviting new believers to share their stories of figuring out what it means to be a Christian in their first year of faith. In the meantime, let’s hear from someone who’s at the frontlines, welcoming fresh Christians in.

I spoke with Mark Johnson, the vicar in Golden Bay, who has seen God at work in remarkable ways. He shared some inspiring stories and offered practical insights on the art of welcoming fledgling believers.

You’ve been seeing a real move of God in Golden Bay with people coming to faith. What has that been like for you personally?

Mark: Well, you know, we’ve seen bits and signs of that over the last five years as we’ve been coming in and out, and really at other festival places too. I’ve been the one saying, “Well, we can expect that if we create space for people to encounter Jesus, they probably will.”

But it’s been quite surprising to see people show up at church. I’d hoped that would happen eventually, but I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly.

I think it’s just hunger. We had a gathering Sunday night at our house, and a woman asked me if I felt guilty about leaving Newtown. I said, “No, it seemed like it was time for us to make a move. I won’t always be here – I’m not young.” But she said, “You can’t go. We’re all so hungry.” And this is someone who wouldn’t even identify as a Christian. She described it like this: people are so hungry.

That’s why some are showing up at church, showing up at the things we’re doing. But you know, it’s tricky in Golden Bay because there are lots of other spiritualities. People are hungry spiritually, and they’re hungry for anything right now. I think ultimately they’re hungry for Jesus, but they’ll look anywhere.

Can you share a story of someone who’s come to faith recently and what their first months have looked like?

Mark: A guy came a few months ago. He had started coming to church for a couple of Sundays because someone who was baptised earlier this year invited him. One Sunday he just had this look on his face, and I talked to him. He told me he’d had a dream the night before. In his dream, Jesus showed him all the times he had rescued him in his life. He just said, “I know it’s real now. I know it’s real.”

Two weeks ago he came to church and said to Kirsty, “Hey, I finished that book you gave me.” She asked, “Oh, what book?” and he said, “The Bible. I finished it.” He had read the whole New Testament. It was probably the first book he’d finished in a long time.

So we’re going to baptise him pretty soon. He really had an encounter. And now, whatever we’re doing, he just wants to be there.

In your view, what are the key things new believers need most in their first six months of following Jesus?

Mark: They need friends who love Jesus. They need that relationship, that connection to community for sure.

One of the things we do is show the Alpha course to people who have already encountered Jesus, especially in the scene we’re in. Alpha is so normal – you’ve got Nicky Gumbel, and it just works. It gives them a basic overview. It helps some of them connect the dots. They’ve encountered Jesus, they know he’s real, they understand the gospel, but they don’t know the whole rest of the story. Alpha is helpful for that.

Then, they need to learn how to read the Bible. Coming to Bible studies or those kinds of groups is really helpful. Something we’ve been doing – and the 24-7 Prayer movement is really good at this – is encouraging people to get Lectio 365. It gives them a nice daily rhythm.

So, they need community. They need tools, access to scripture, learning how to pray. And then historically, we’ve just invited them into mission.

A lot of our new Christians are ready for an adventure following Jesus – they’re excited.

We never have to tell people they need to share their faith. That just hasn’t been an issue. Sometimes we’re actually chasing after them, because they want to go to the festivals and tell people about Jesus! We try to do that wisely, but it’s been an awesome way to disciple Christians – getting them involved in mission and discipling them along the way.

Are there particular resources – books, courses, apps, or simple practices – that you’ve found especially helpful for new believers?

Mark: Discipleship is so relational. But people often get inspired by stories. Pete Greig’s Dirty Glory has been really helpful because there are so many fun stories in there, and he’s a good writer, so it’s a good read. We’ve used it just to get stories in front of people about how God is at work today.

Another book is The Jesus Storybook Bible. It’s awesome for kids, but it’s pretty good for adults too, especially for people who’ve never really heard scripture told that way. We’ve given away a few copies.

Then, depending on whether someone’s a reader and how they like engaging with ideas, I’m a big Dallas Willard fan. For people who want a deeper concept of what it means to follow Jesus, his stuff is really helpful. Otherwise, we use John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way for a more contemporary version of Dallas’ stuff.

What role does Christian community play in those early months, and how do you connect new believers into it?

Mark: We always have something going that we can invite people into – whether at our house or at the chapel. Monday night prayer is one example, and it’s a really easy way to bring people into a group and another way of praying together.

We’ve also got a lot of other options. Esther, for example, started a women’s Bible study that has some new believers and some people who aren’t believers yet. We’ve run short courses too. Over Lent we did the Prayer Course on unanswered prayer, and that was awesome. It opened up really helpful conversations around prayer.

We often have people in our house, to be honest, and we’ve got others in our community who are always ready. Some of our newer Christians have been huge in that space too. And with some friends from another church, we started watching The Chosen series together and having discussions afterwards.

What are some challenges you’ve noticed new believers face, and how do you walk with them through those?

Mark: In our context, there are a lot of “gods” out there. So for some people, seeing Jesus as an exclusive relationship takes time. They know he’s real, they kind of get it, but they’ve had other loyalties. For some it happens right away, but for others it’s a process. We say they’ve got some other lights on, and they need to turn them off.

Another challenge is that people are good at festival life, but Monday morning is hard. Learning how to live ordinary life as a follower of Jesus – that’s something we talk about a lot.

And of course, there’s a spiritual battle. For a lot of people, we trust the Holy Spirit to disciple them, and we pray for protection because they can get pulled back into old scenes.

What would you say to other churches or Christians across the diocese who want to support new believers well?

Mark: We have to make room for them. We have to lead with grace. I’m not the Holy Spirit. That means sometimes we don’t need to be quick to point out all the stuff that needs to change in their lives. It’s easy to fall into behaviourism, when really we just hide our own stuff better.

So: make room, love people well, and lead with grace. Some people think that’s backwards – that we need to start by convincing people they’re sinners. But I’m pretty sure most people already know their lives are messed up. Grace comes first.

There are also moments on Sunday mornings when people who’ve been walking with Jesus for a long time – who have a very different culture – pivot to welcome new people and embrace them. That is huge.

One person said, “I’ve never been in a church where I felt welcome before.” That matters so much.

Don’t be afraid. Don’t make everybody else “the other.” That’s really important.

And if Jesus is presented as good news – which he is – people are hungry for it. We have such good news about who Jesus is, his teaching, his wisdom, his presence with us. If people see that we’re really convinced it’s good news, that goes a long way.

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