Interested in Faith & Follow-Up

How your Church or local Churches can support your residents

Giving people access to “Making a decision” booklets

These are ideal to give to your team who will be working and sharing their faith with residents. They are all designed to be concise overviews of the gospel for the non-Christian.

• “Journey into life” booklet – In easy-to-read terms, "Journey Into Life" leads the reader through the steps needed to understand the concepts of sin and separation from God, why Jesus died to save us and what we can do to become Christians and live a changed life. This leaflet is only 16 pages long and can be ordered in bulk or individually at a very low cost.
• “Why Jesus?” booklet. This evangelistic booklet is for those who are having their first thoughts about the Christian faith, and often given to participants at the start of the Alpha course. Written by Nicky Gumbel.

Church follow-up with new residents

It’s important to make sure connections with the wider church ministry are sustained once a resident has initially been introduced. When bringing a resident into your church congregation you must balance two key factors:

• That the resident is a person and shouldn’t be treated with partiality - whilst for many residents one should anticipate they will be a more “high maintenance” member of the congregation.
• That the resident’s relationship to you is different to that of an ordinary new believer because you are providing them with housing.

This second point is important for all partnerships, but particularly those where the church itself is the Green Pastures partner. By being aware of the issues that may arise as a result of this unusual relationship of resident-landlord/believer-church you and your project can more effectively build your residents into the local church. Here are some potential issues that our partners and us have come across:

• Residents may be resistant to authority
• Residents may have been hurt by a church or church leader in the past but it’s important to try to pre-empt any others that may arise in individual situations.

Preparations for baptism

Many residents will have been baptized as children but for those who haven’t, and those who wish to have a “believer’s” baptism, arrangements should be made.  

Meal times

Many churches share a meal together after their services or during the week. Encouraging your volunteers to have residents round to lunch or dinner is a great way of ensuring residents feel welcomed and belong. Some partners organise a weekly meal in the residents’ home, too.

Employment

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”  - Ephesians 4:28  

See our more detailed document on helping residents into work here.

Buddy system for new Christians

It is not unusual for churches to have a structured mentor system in place for congregation members. This can be even more important for new Christians and residents should be no exception. Often this happens naturally. A volunteer may build a specially close relationship to a resident or a resident may look up to or seek counsel from a specific volunteer. Other times it may need to be more orchestrated.  

When choosing or confirming existing mentors for your residents there are two key things to bear in mind.  

• Firstly, are they mature enough for the job - enough that the resident will spiritually, emotionally and physically benefit from the relationship? We would suggest that a DBS check would be good practice for mentors. You should choose someone who is mature in their Christian walk and who is not unfamiliar with the practicalities and complications of pastoral support.  
• Secondly, you should choose someone who could make a reasonably long term (1 year plus) commitment to supporting and mentoring the resident in the early stages of their walk in Christ. Often homeless people have experienced extreme abandonment and it is important to ensure that our Christian family doesn’t repeat painful experiences.