How to Follow Up New Christians

So you just hosted an outreach, and several students indicated decisions to follow Jesus. Or maybe a new student came to your weekly meeting and placed their faith in Christ. Praise the Lord! Now what?

What is the best next step for someone who has just begun a relationship with Christ? Gospel-centered “follow-up” is the answer!

What is Follow-up?

Imagine bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital. Would you set her in her crib and say, “Okay sweetie, milk is in the fridge, the bathroom is over there, and here’s the remote control if you want to watch some TV”? No way! So why would we do the same to a brand-new Christian? They are like a newborn in their faith.

It is a tremendous responsibility and privilege to help cultivate the faith of a newborn believer. Follow-up helps a new Christian better understand their new identity in Christ, grow in their relationship with God, and learn how to share their faith with others. It helps them to understand and put into practice some important basics of the Christian faith.

Think about how vulnerable that newborn baby is. The same can be true of “baby” Christians, so it is important to begin follow-up ASAP! Satan may attempt to distract or discourage this new believer, or they may have serious questions or doubts about their new faith.

Do your best to text or call the student within 24-48 hours after they have received Christ, and invite them to meet to talk about how they can grow in their new faith. The Holy Spirit is moving in this new believer’s life, and you will want to join Him in that work!

How to start

Here are three first steps to get started with follow-up.

1. Pray

Begin by praying for them (Colossians 1:9-12). As God is the one who ultimately causes the new believer to grow, it is important that we pray for them. We should also pray for ourselves that we would be Spirit-filled and full of grace and truth as we meet with the new believer.

2. Remember that God is in charge

Only God can produce growth, and He does that in many ways. The Bible talks about four ways people may respond to God’s Word in Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23. Check it out!

In the book of Acts, Paul spent time with new believers in various cities, teaching and encouraging them (Acts 17-20). As a result, they eventually influenced their entire region! We can help guide and encourage believers to grow, but the bottom line is that God is the one in charge. What a relief! In 1 Corinthians 3:5-7, the Bible says,

“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”

3. Suggest a time and place to meet

It could be a fast food restaurant, coffee shop near the campus, the school courtyard… wherever! Suggesting a clear time and place can help simplify the communication process and help in arranging your first follow-up meeting. Explain that you would like to share some things that will help them grow in their new relationship with Christ.

Encourage the new believer to invite friends to join the meeting. Meeting in a group with other new Christians can foster openness and create a natural discipleship group for later. If possible, invite other new Christians who have recently accepted Christ to participate in follow-up as a group, especially if they already know each other.

Occasionally, something may come up that prevents you from meeting at the scheduled time. If this happens, do not lose heart! Just reschedule your appointment within 48 hours. Whatever you do, don’t leave that “baby” unattended!

It is a tremendous responsibility and privilege to help cultivate the faith of a newborn believer.

The first follow-up meeting

What do you talk about at your first follow-up meeting? The purpose of your first meeting is to build your relationship, establish trust, help these new Christians understand the assurance of their salvation, and help them begin to grasp God’s love for them.

Personalize your time

When you get together to talk, personalize your time by asking good questions. In other words, don’t talk much about yourself! Talk about things the students are interested in and things you may have in common, and be sure to listen! (See Turning the Conversation to Christ)

Explain spiritual growth

Use your time together to explain spiritual growth. Show the students that there is much to learn, and offer the opportunity to get together weekly, at least for the next four weeks. Asking for a short-term commitment may not seem as overwhelming to a new Christian as an open-ended “let’s meet.” After the first four weeks, you can challenge them to continue to meet for further growth together.

Ask questions to gain understanding

If you are meeting with someone whom you’re not sure is a Christian, ask questions that will help you better understand where they are at spiritually, and be prepared to share the gospel if the student is open to listening! For example, you could ask, “If you were to die tonight and God asked you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ how would you answer?” If the person is not 100% sure they are going to heaven, take the time to share the gospel with them to clarify. You can walk a student through Knowing God Personally online, use the God Tools App, or even use a paper copy!

Teach a basic concept

Every young Christian will need to continue to learn from the Scriptures. We have to start at the beginning and build. We often like to say, “Grace plus truth over time equals growth.” Don’t try to teach everything all at once! Follow-up is a process, and growth takes time.

You can find some great follow-up material at Thrivestudies.com. We have a four-week follow-up series there that will help get your student grounded and growing.

Important Truths for new Christians

Here are some of the most important truths a new Christian needs to know:

The person and work of Christ (John 20:31)
Assurance of salvation (Hebrews 13:5)
How to continually experience God’s love and forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
The ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 14:25-26, Ephesians 5:18)
Healthy practices for Christian growth (prayer, Bible reading, community, evangelism)
A Christian’s new identity in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If you need some resources to help cover these topics, go to Thrivestudies.com or check out the Thrive Studies App! There is even a four-lesson Thrive Studies series on how to follow up a new believer called The Discipling Others Series. Going through this yourself will help you follow up others with confidence. Check it out!

Taking care of a newborn is a lot of work! But by God’s grace, your newborn friends will soon be walking, talking, and feeding themselves spiritually. They will be on their way to becoming mature disciples of Christ!

Next Step

Initiate with a new believer you know and invite them into an intentional follow-up process to explain key principles and practices of the Christian faith. Need an easy to follow plan? Using the Thrive Start Series can provide help.

Thrive Start Series

Evangelism

This article is part of the Evangelism Collection. Read the rest of these articles to get an even better understanding of how to share your faith with students.

1. Do Your Own Thing

If you’d like to gather some friends, share your faith, and build something without any formal ties, just start with the playbook. The Reach Your School Playbook gives you everything you need to get started today.

2. Call Yourself Cru

If you’d like to use the Cru name and logos, and be part of a wider movement beyond just your campus, here’s what that looks like:

	Doing Your Own Thing	Being Called Cru
Use the Cru name and logos	No	Yes
Need a coach to get started	No	Yes
Part of the wider Cru movement	No	Yes
Get ongoing support from Cru staff	No	Yes
Can start today, no waiting	Yes	Still fast — just a call first

"Whichever path you choose, you don’t have to figure it out alone."

How to Get Started

If you want to call yourself Cru, the way to get started is to connect with a coach, that’s how you register your movement. This is separate from anything your own school requires; if your campus has its own club registration process, you’ll still want to check with your school on that too.

A coach is a Cru staff member whose job is to walk alongside you as you get started. Here’s what working with a coach actually looks like from there:

It’s free. No cost involved, no catch.
No pressure. You reach out, someone gets back to you with information and answers your questions, and there’s no commitment required just to ask.
Go at your own pace. You and your coach agree on a rhythm together, whether that’s weekly, every other week, or monthly, usually in calls of about 20 to 30 minutes.
The calls are practical. Your coach checks in on how things are going, helps you work through whatever challenges you’re facing, brainstorms ideas with you, and prays for you.
Real experience backs it up. Coaches have spent years working directly with students, teachers, and other volunteers on campuses like yours.
You get resources. Training and tools to help you lead with confidence, even if this is your first time.
It fits around your life. Coaches build their availability around your schedule.

Through it all, you’re helping students hear about Jesus, grow in their faith, and go on to reach others too. And whether you’re the student or the adult in this story, you stay the one leading it. Your coach walks alongside you; the coach doesn’t take it over.

Check Out the Playbook

Whichever path you choose, the Reach Your School Playbook is worth having in hand. It walks you through four simple steps — DREAM, PRAY, GO, GROW — for building something that reaches your school.

Download the Reach Your School Playbook

Whichever path you choose, don’t wait until everything feels figured out. Gather a few friends, open the Playbook, or send that first email to a coach. The important thing is that you start. Somewhere out there, a student at your school is waiting for someone to notice them, and that someone could be you.

Next Step

Ready to call yourself Cru? Reach out to the Coaching Center today: Email coachingcenter@cru.org and say, “I’d like to have a coach please!” Or call 1-877-GO-CAMPUS

Campus Ministry Toolkit: Skills and Tools to Reach your School

As you learn to reach your school, there are some key ministry skills that will make a big difference. These are things every Christian student can grow in and you don’t have to be perfect to get started. We also have some great tools to help you take your next step. With a little courage and the right resources, you’ll be amazed how God can use you in your school.

Starting Spiritual Conversations

Bringing up spiritual topics can be hard, but it’s one of the most important steps in reaching your friends. If no one starts the conversation, most students will never talk about their faith.

Preparing Yourself for Spiritual Conversations (article): A short guide to help you get ready to talk about your faith with friends.
Solarium: A deck of picture cards to help you start conversations about life and God.

Sharing Your Testimony

Your story matters. Sharing what God has done in your life can open hearts and help others realize that faith is personal and real.

How to Share Your Story (article): A step-by-step guide to help you talk about how Jesus has changed your life.

Sharing Your Faith

The gospel is powerful and your friends need to hear it. Learning how to clearly explain the message of Jesus is a huge step in making your faith your own and helping others follow Him.

How to Share the Gospel (article): a step-by-step guide to help you share the gospel with a friend.
Connecting with God Booklet: A short, simple booklet you can read through with a friend to explain how they can know Christ.
The Four Wristband: A wearable tool with four simple symbols to help you talk about God’s love and how to receive Christ.
GodTools App: A free app with interactive ways to share your faith in different languages and styles.

“Your story could be the reason someone takes a step toward Jesus.”

Following Up a New Believer

When someone accepts Christ, they need help knowing what to do next. Helping a new believer grow in their faith is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

How to Follow up a New Christian (article): Simple steps to help you know what to say and do after someone decides to follow Jesus.
Thrive Studies App: Includes the START series—four Bible studies for new believers.

Leading a Small Group

Small groups are a powerful way to build community and help students grow. If you can lead a good conversation, you can lead a small group.

Thrive Studies App: Includes dozens of studies on real-life topics and built-in leader training.

Campus Ministry Training

Reaching students on your campus is one of the most strategic ways to share your faith. Learning a few simple principles can help you start conversations, gather students, and take steps toward building a movement at your school.

Campus Training Videos – Short, practical videos to help you learn how to reach students on your high school campus. These eight trainings cover key topics like meeting students, starting conversations, sharing your faith, and taking simple steps to build a movement.

Other Helpful Tools

Comment Cards
- PDF
- Editable Version
Meeting Schedule Planner
- PDF
- Editable Version
Who’s In Your World?
- PDF
- Editable Version
Outreach Resources
- Team Outreach Sample Schedule
- Other Outreach tools
Cru Logos, fonts, and Colors

Some Great Websites You Don't Want To Miss

Everystudent.com: articles to help students learn about faith
Gotothecampus.com: ministry training and tools to help you grow your ministry

Next Step

Pick one tool and take a step this week to start a conversation or gather a few friends.

The Reach Your School Playbook

You can reach your school. We can help.

You’ve probably looked around your campus and thought, someone should do something. What if that someone is you?

The Reach Your School Playbook is a simple, practical guide that helps you make the first move. It’s short, clear, and built to move you forward, not a long manual you’ll never finish. Whether you’re a student ready to lead or an adult wanting to come alongside one, this is your starting point.

Download the Playbook PDF for free
Playbook Appendix Content (our toolkit)

You can actually do this

Most people never start, not because they don’t care, but because they feel stuck. Where do I even begin? What if no one shows up?

The Playbook clears that away. It gives you a path so you can stop overthinking and start doing. You don’t need a perfect plan or all the answers. You don’t have to be the popular kid or have it all together. You just need a first step, and a little courage.

And the friends you’re thinking about right now matter. You might be the one who helps them find Jesus.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Take the first step.

A simple path to follow

The Playbook walks you through four clear steps, each one designed to help you take action:

Dream — Start with a vision for your school and what God could do there.
Pray — Learn to pray for your campus in real, meaningful ways.
Go — Take action, gather a team, and begin reaching people.
Grow — Build a group that develops leaders and multiplies.

It might start with a single conversation at lunch, or a few friends praying before class. You don’t have to guess what comes next. It’s right there in front of you.

Made for students, helpful for adults

The Playbook is written first for students, because we believe teenagers can lead and make a real impact at their school. But if you’re a parent, teacher, youth leader, or volunteer, you’re not on the sidelines. There’s a whole section just for you, whether you’re supporting a student who’s leading or stepping out to start something yourself.

Students lead. Adults support. Everyone moves forward together.

"Students lead. Adults support. Everyone moves forward together."

You’re not on your own

Starting something can feel intimidating. But you don’t have to figure it out alone. The Playbook connects you to tools, coaching, and a bigger movement of people doing the same thing. Take one step, and you’ll find support along the way.