Thursday 2nd March 2006
For most people, coming to faith is like a journey, but the journey does not end with making a commitment, it becomes a lifelong pilgrimage. So the ministry of evangelism is best understood as helping people make the journey. One of the ways in which this happens is through what are known as ‘nurture courses’. Every church can engage with evangelism by including nurture courses in their overall strategy.
The expression ‘Nurture Course’ arose in the 1980s in connection with the Billy Graham campaigns of that decade. Because Christianity had become a distant concept to so many in the UK, small groups were set up towards which new converts were directed. They proved effective; 72% of those who attended nurture groups went on to join a local church compared to only 23% of those who did not join the groups.
Nurture courses were originally intended to strengthen those who had recently come to faith but the expression has now come to describe courses ranging from pre-evangelism all the way through to discipleship courses for mature Christians.
‘Nurture’ brings to mind the ideals of raising children. They are taught the basics of life and given the skills that they will need in order to become successful adults; they are fed and surrounded by loving relationships as they grow. For these reasons ‘nurture courses’ is a good generic title – though not one to put on your posters!
In this diocese we would like to encourage churches to use nurture courses both as places of enquiry for seekers and also for deepening and developing Christian understanding and faith among those who have already made a commitment to Christ.
This guide looks at four tried-and-tested courses in order to help you choose the one that best suits your needs at the moment. They are Start, Essence, Alpha and Emmaus. There is also a list of useful books and web sites for further information and information on how to take the next step.
It is often the case that nurture courses are first run with the home congregation in order to get a feel for the process – and this can have a profoundly beneficial effect on a church. Experience with running Alpha and Emmaus has shown that it is not uncommon for there to be a drop in apparent success after the second or third course; however, perseverance at this stage produces steady increases in the numbers of newcomers.