This past November, my wife gave birth to our third son, Corder. He was named after my grandfather, Len G. Corder, who was a Baptist pastor in our state for 37 years and 28 years at First Baptist Church of Williston. He died 27 years ago, but people still talk about how he impacted them. We desire for Corder to touch lives just like Papa.
ClampSeeing a new life take his first breath in front of your eyes is miraculous. The professionals took over. They gave him a bath, checked vitals, wrapped him up, and handed him to me. I introduced him to his big brothers Caden, 9, and Connor, 7.
After a brief hospital stay, the professionals handed him over to us and we came home. We gave important instructions to Caden and Connor on how to take care of their new brother. We did this to save Corder’s life. Instructions such as, “Boys, you can’t pick your brother up by the head,” and, “Do not throw the baseball at him, because he hasn’t learned to catch yet.”
We had this new member of our family, but it was clear that mama was going to take the responsibility of feeding and caring for him. Although the boys and I pitched in, the bulk of the responsibility was placed on her shoulders. If we had left that to chance and just let him hang out in the house with us, poor Corder wouldn’t have made it very long.
So why do we do this to newborn believers? How intentional are we to ensure that new believers have an individual who is caring for them, feeding them, and teaching them how to speak to God, hear from God, and tell others about Him? New believers are baptized, and then we “plug them in.”
In the past, we have relied on the professionals of the church or some church program to disciple newborns. There is nothing wrong with a Sunday school class caring for them, but we shouldn’t assume that someone is being discipled because they are attending. What if, in the future, every new believer had a personal life coach who was responsible for them in that first year of their new life? What if a mature believer met with them informally every week over coffee to listen to how their time in the Word was going, help them find answers to questions, teach them to pray, and encourage them in sharing their faith? Life coaches could include their parents, the one who leads them to Jesus, a friend who is a believer, or a senior adult believer who has the time to spend with them.
My wife was rewarded for all of her efforts with Corder as he spoke his first words, “Da Da!” God has a sense of humor.
– Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow Lee on twitter @leeclamp or on his blog at www.leeclamp.com.