Personal or Community Conversion?

In the church, we would study the Bible with people thoroughly before they could get baptized and thereby become Christians. We had a whole study series, which varied from country to country, culture to culture, but also had many similarities worldwide. I was an expert at leading those studies and very adept at bringing people to a decision. A lot of it was manipulation, and since I was good at convincing people, I was one of those people who was considered very effective. All the studies were conducted individually, which was a lot of work. The average person would study at least 10 times, two hours each time.

I was always puzzled, though, by what I saw in the Bible. What we did in the church did not appear in the scriptures. No one studied the Bible thoroughly the way we did. They heard the Gospel, were moved, repented of their sins, and were baptized. The whole process was quick and simple. Very different from what we were doing.

You could argue that we were thorough, so people would have stronger faith, but most people who got baptized would end up leaving the church. So obviously, something was not working. Many of us scratched our heads, and the solution was to be even more thorough, making people jump through hoops before “allowing” them to be baptized. And still, most people would leave.

It seems that a more organic and trusting way of sharing the Gospel is more appropriate. A controlling method of conversion is really based in fear, and not that effective long-term.

Another thing that made me question was the fact that, in the church, everyone studied individually, but in the Bible, the vast majority of people turned to God in groups. Think Lydia’s household in Acts 16 or the jailer’s family also in Acts 16. A household included family members, and also servants, so that would have been a large group. I used to think, how could these people make a real, well-thought-out decision, if they did not confess their sins individually, and if they were not brought to tears by the cross study?

When I moved to South Asia, a lot of people became Christians, and most of them did so in groups. Usually, we would meet someone, they would invite us to their home, and the whole family, as well as neighbors, would embrace the faith. We would try to study the Bible with each individual, but it was not possible or practical all the time. We just did not have the privacy to do so when a whole family shares a small room. The family ties were also strong. So, interestingly, but by default, we started doing things much more the Bible way.

In the Bible, people lived in a community-based society. In South Asia and in many parts of the non-Western world, people live in community, so when they turn to Christ, it makes sense that they do so in community as well. The idea of a “personal relationship with God” is a Western and relatively new concept, starting with Martin Luther, but really spreading in the 20th century through the evangelical church.

In high-control churches, micromanaging someone’s conversion ensures control, often through coercive methods and a fair dose of manipulation. The “divide and conquer” method of individual conversion, the isolation of family members from one another, including the misuse of Mat 12:48 (“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”), leads to this individualistic model, which is not actually very biblical.

And in terms of retention, people are more likely to stay in churches if they have the support of their community. So maybe we need to re-examine our methods, look at Jesus and his disciples, and imitate the way they did things instead of relying on man-made methods.