Page 53 - Finding Jesus with Good News report A5 WEB

Spiritual practices The challenges of
conversion
It’s easy to assume that people simply know basic
spiritual practices, but especially for those who
Learning to pray
have not grown up with a faith background (and
even for some that have), learning to pray and 49%
make sense of the Bible are new skills which they
need support with. Half (49%) said learning to pray
Reading the Bible
was a challenge, and (as shown above) for 28%
49%
it was one of the two most challenging things.
Similarly, 49% reported difficulty reading the Bible
and 25% indicated that it was one of the most
difficult things. We need to not make assumptions
and to help people develop their spiritual
practices from the outset.

Messy transitional period

Similarly, people’s questions and uncertainties
don’t vanish overnight, and the process of making
lifestyle changes can be a bumpy road that
people need patience and support with as they
begin a journey of discipleship. People told us that
the change from not following Jesus to doing so
is huge; it affects so many aspects of life. They
shared a wide range of areas they had battled, or
continued to battle with. Examples included their
relationships with drugs and alcohol, swearing,
sexual relationships and conversations that come
up with friends (eg gossip, talking behind people’s
backs, etc). Some were very specific, such as a
former professional medium, who still had people
contacting her for spiritual readings and for whom
the loss of income was a real sacrifice.

Evangelical Alliance 53