Here’s an encouraging statistic: CEEC recently asked if you’d noticed signs of a ‘quiet revival’ in your own context, and 63% of you said yes. People are coming to church for the first time, curious about Jesus, exploring the Christian faith. But I wonder if, like me, you’ve asked yourself: What next? How can we best help people who are new to Christianity take the next step?
Here are four themes we’ve noticed from our work at The Word One to One.
Helping Everyone Play Their Part
I love this story from a church in Northern Ireland. A woman new to church turns up one Sunday. A chat with the person she sits next to leads on to a coffee, then to the 321 course. Alongside, they read John’s Gospel together. Through friendship,looking at the Bible and getting to know the church family, wonderfully this lady comes to faith and is baptised. I love it because it sounds so ordinary, but God has been at work in an extraordinary way.
We can sometimes forget that the work of ‘making disciples’ isn’t just a job for church leaders. We might expect Ephesians 4 to say that leaders are given to do works of service. But it doesn’t say that. Leaders are given to equip God’s people for works of service, so that the whole body matures in Christ. This means that we are all called to play our part.
What also stands out to me from that story is the believer’s availability. They understood the pathways the church had created for those curious about Jesus and prayerfully chose to walk alongside someone through them.
If we’re church leaders, we can pray for our people to be available like this, with hearts ready to meet others and help them take steps towards Jesus. Resources such as A Passion for Life training videos and materials have proved a valuable way of envisioning and equipping everyday believers for this work.
And we can all ask ourselves the question: “In this season of life, how can I help others come to know and love Jesus?’
Offering Connection
Another thread from that story from Northern Ireland is the importance of relationships. Many who come to church for the first time are not just exploring faith – they are seeking connection. Whether they come back is not often to do with how polished the service is, but whether they are noticed, welcomed and known.
Inviting people into our lives through opening our homes, sharing meals, and making time for a walk or coffee, can feel unremarkable. Yet in an age marked by loneliness, this kind of a connection carries surprising weight. When people not only hear the gospel explained, but see it lived out, following Jesus begins to feel tangible and real.
Blend the Organised and the Organic
Structured evangelistic courses such as Alpha, 321, or Christianity Explored are a great option for churches, offering welcoming spaces for people to ask questions and explore the claims of Christ. But the question often follows: ‘What’s next?’
Often, discipleship flourishes where there is a healthy blend of the organised and the organic.
One natural next step after a course is to open the Bible together. Resources like The Word One to One, available as books or a free app, provide a simple, structured way to read John and Acts 1-to-1 or in small groups. There’s a double benefit. Christians grow in confidence as they read the Bible with others, trusting God to work. And those exploring faith deepen their understanding of Jesus, discover how to read the Bible for themselves, and are gently drawn into the rhythms of church life.
In South Wales, one church invites every newcomer for a coffee and the opportunity to read the Bible. Almost everyone says yes. They’re now preparing for twelve baptisms – and many of these new Christians say reading the Bible with someone was central to their journey to faith. ‘It doesn’t feel like revival,’ the church leader reflects, ‘but it feels a bit like what we see in the book of Acts – share the Word, and the church grows.’
Remember where the power lies
Of course these stories remind us where the real power lies in evangelism and discipleship. It’s not in the strategies we employ, the slickness of a course, or the intellect of the Bible sharer – but in the Spirit of God working through the Bible and His people to bring people to Christ.
In this “quiet revival”, God invites His church to faithful dependence on Him. As we pray, open His Word and invest in others, we can be confident that He will be at work, drawing people to Jesus and making His glory known.
Allen is The Word One to One’s Regional Field Manager in Ireland. Allen joined the team in April 2025 and is based in Belfast.
