Advanced Follow-up
Soul-Winning Lesson 10
Proverbs 27:23-24: Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. 24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
People, like all other things, usually do not get better with time, but worse (Psalm 102:25-26). If we do not follow-up swiftly and effectively with people who we save, our list of salvations will begin to look, in a spiritual sense, like the field of the slothful:
Proverbs 24:30-34: I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
Beyond knowledge of the Biblical principles and precedent, it is essential that an experienced soul-winner have proper methodology concerning follow-up. Undergirding a prosperous obedience to the combined aspects of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is:
- A bold, loving, and persistent zeal to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28).
- An accurate and well-kept record of people who receive the gospel.
- A wise, calculated, and well-executed plan of getting those who receive the gospel to come to church.
The Record: The Soul-Winner’s Notebook
- A Book of Records (motivational)
The extensive (though in some ways lacking) access that historians have had to written records of times and events has allowed a very accurate reconstruction of the past. This has been to the betterment of our present knowledge and historical edification (see also Romans 15:4). Throughout the Bible, various kingdoms are noted as keeping a “book of the records” (Ezra 4:15; 6:1), of having a depository of historical documentation, like Darius’ “house of the rolls” (Ezra 6:1). This allowed them to make wise decisions. For example, the decision of Ahasuerus to reward Mordecai’s noble effort (Esther 6:1-11), or of Darius in defending the right of the Jews to rebuild the temple (Ezra 5:9-17). Keeping a soul-winning notebook will furnish us with a helpful record of those we saved, which keeps us motivated to continue soul-winning, and also reminds us of significant or interesting stories to encourage ourselves and others with. Even God has a written record, as it were, of all who get saved (Luke 10:20).
- A Book of Remembrance (affective)
We should desire to have a righteous affection towards those we beget in Christ. “…ye are in our hearts to die and live with you” (II Corinthians 7:3); “For all things are for your sakes…” (II Corinthians 4:15). After defeating Amalek, God commanded Moses to “Write this for a memorial in a book” (Exodus 17:14), presumably as an eternal lesson to Israel of God’s divine providence and help. By having a regularly updated and pondered over soul-winning notebook, we will both remember, and remember in Christian love, those that we have ministered the gospel to. God himself keeps a written record of those who are faithful to him, calling it a “book of remembrance” (Malachi 3:16-17).
I Thessalonians 2:19: For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
- A Book of Refining (improving)
We ought to do whatever we do with all of our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Those soul-winners who never keep a notebook containing the information of any person they save are much more likely to have a cavalier and ambivalent attitude towards soul-winning. We make soul-winning more real to ourselves when we keep a notebook concerning it, and therefore we become better soul-winners by so doing. When one in practice takes something very seriously, they will naturally in heart do so also.
Ecclesiastes 10:10: If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
The Plan: How to Effectively Follow-up
The First Meeting
Right after someone (according to the best of your experienced judgment) trusts Christ as their Savior, they, as a newborn baby in Christ (see John 3:3-7; I Peter 2:2), are in a very fragile and vulnerable state. The devil will do absolutely everything in his power to stop the kingdom of God from increasing, which ranges from keeping people who we preach to blinded to the truth (Mark 4:15; see II Corinthians 4:4), to confusing, tempting, diverting, and destroying those who get saved (I Peter 5:8; John 10:10)—“Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). Therefore, it is fundamental to our success in making disciples that we very boldly provide a strong expectation of their attendance to church. This is done (a) by preaching very hard and very Biblically against their false church/religion (see Matthew 7:15; Galatians 1:6-9; Romans 16:17-18; I John 4:1; II Corinthians 11:13-15), thus detaching them completely from it, and (b) by providing them our name, phone number, and a definite, agreed-upon time for them to come for a lesson.
Lesson Scheduling
Besides your soul-winning notebook, you should have an organized and regularly updated document of all the practical information on people in a nicely ordered list. Keep a temporary record of the first lesson the person you get saved (scheduled in person) is to come to, and do for them with that scheduled time as you do with others who are scheduled by the phone. If someone is properly reminded about their first scheduled lesson, they have a higher likelihood to eventually (even if not then, but later) come (as opposed to being called, for example, a month or two later). We must keep short accounts with our converts if we hope to ever see them become spiritually mature and virtuous men and women of God.
When calling people to schedule, keep accurate notes on what happens with your calls to them. This is probably the only way to be able to make informed and well-calculated decisions on when to stop following-up on them. Just like out soul-winning, when someone who you thought got saved presents strong resistance, they should be rejected, especially when they unambiguously express denial of the true gospel (see Titus 3:10-11) or are decidedly and unrepentantly faithful to their false church.
Lesson Confirming
When someone has been scheduled for a lesson, you cannot just assume they will come; they may, but it is highly improbable. For most people, the things of God are not a priority: they forget, get carried away with worldly things, or just downright don’t care to seriously make plans of coming. Therefore, reminder calls/texts are necessary to bring about their attendance.
Keep in mind that the best times to call people on any day are in the early morning (7:00am-9:00am, before they are busy) or the late evening (7:00pm-9:00pm, after they are not busy).
- Give a reminder call the night before or the day of their scheduled lesson. In general, you want to let there be a time buffer between your in-person interaction with them and your telecommunication interaction with them. Too many interactions too quickly will annoy and turn off most people. The rule when scheduling, then, is that you generally don’t want to speak to someone verbally more than once per day. For example, if you saved someone on Saturday afternoon and scheduled them for a Sunday morning lesson, don’t call them on Saturday evening to confirm (provided they answer), and then on Sunday morning to confirm again! You should instead have just sent the text you send to all people who get saved on Saturday evening, and called them on Sunday morning.
Examples of In-Person-Scheduled People:
- If you saved them on Tuesday, and scheduled them to come on Saturday at 7:00pm, call them on Friday evening.
- If you saved them on Monday, and scheduled them to come on Tuesday at 7:00pm, call them on Tuesday morning.
- If you saved them on Thursday, and scheduled them to come on Sunday at 9:00am, call them on Saturday evening.
- If you saved them on Saturday, and scheduled them to come on Sunday at 9:00am, call them on Sunday morning.
Examples of Phone-Scheduled People:
- If you scheduled them by phone on Sunday to come on Tuesday at 7:00pm, call them on Tuesday morning.
- If you scheduled them by phone on Wednesday to come on Saturday at 7:00pm, call them on Saturday morning.
- If you scheduled them by phone on Thursday evening to come on Sunday at 9:00am, call them again on Saturday evening.
- If you scheduled them by phone on Saturday evening to come on Sunday at 9:00am, don’t call them again for that lesson.
- Give a reminder text the day of the scheduled lesson. If someone does not answer the reminder phone call, send a reminder text right after the call is not answered. For everyone who was scheduled, though, you must send a reminder text to them the day of the lesson. It is best to send it closer to the time of the lesson, if possible (within 2-4 hours of the lesson). The text should include the following information:
(Greeting) (their name),
(Statement about expectation/reminder for the scheduled lesson) (“When you come, ask for NAME”).
All people who schedule to come for a lesson will either receive (a) one reminder text, (b) one reminder call and one reminder text, (c) two reminder calls and one reminder text, (d) two reminder calls and two reminder texts. People in groups (b) and (c) are most likely to come, because they gave verbal confirmation by phone, which is not always easy to get; people in group (d) are highly unlikely to come.
After a lesson where someone who was scheduled didn’t come, make sure to call them that evening or the next morning to reprove, rebuke, and instruct them to come to church at the next available time.