7 Stages of Becoming a Christian

As Christian evangelists in the 1990s we were taught about 7 stages a person went through before becoming a Christian.  The 7 stages, as taught by the missionary organisation Operation Mobilisation, assume that a person has an in depth knowledge of the Christian message and fully understands it.  This is true of very few people in Britain today.  How do you find God when you actually have very little knowledge about him at all?  The person in this story has had a few encounters with the Christian message but it has never been adequately explained.  This is very typical of a person in our society today.  Everybody is different but here are the most common 7 stages that people in British culture would go through before finding God.  The challenge for the evangelist is to identify which of these 7 stages the person is at and to move them on to the next one.

1. I don't believe in God because it has never happened to me.
It has happened to you if you're a Christian.  Talk about your life, how you found God, what he has done for you.
2. I think there might be a God but am very worried about the amount of unjust suffering in the world and that religion causes so many wars.
Jesus hated the religion of his day.  He saw it as being disgusting and corrupt.  Religion is brought about by force.  That is why it is war like. People choose to have a personal relationship with God.  God doesn't cause the suffering in the world.  It is a very free world.  If God stopped all the evil in the world, he might stop some things that you do.  Some of the things you do might be evil.
3.  I think there is a God.  The religious song on the radio is extremely beautiful but it happened to someone else in another place and time.  It did not happen to me.
It has happened to you if you're a Christian.  Explain the meaning of the song or item on the news about Christianity.  Talk about your own experience.
4.  I am becoming aware of a need that I have in my life.  I am wondering whether God is the answer to my need but am unsure about this.
Listen to the person's need.  Offer prayer or practical help.  Talk about how God has helped you in difficulty.  One of the main problems in our society is that many people have never really felt a deep unfulfilled need in their life and never reach this stage.  Life in Britain is comfortable and cosy. 
5.  God has spoken to me in a very definite way about being the answer to my need.  I am wondering what I should do in order to have God in my life.
Make friends with this person.  Invite them to a Christian meeting.  You must give them the opportunity to find God.
6.  I am becoming conscious of my human weakness and my sin.  I know that I need forgiveness but am unsure how this works.
I very often find a person in the late stages of seeking God who is in agony about their sin.  The person doesn't fully understand what Christ did on the cross.  This should be explained.  They also need to understand that God's forgiveness requires repentance - change of heart, change of life, complete turning around.  The person will not experience God's forgiveness by worrying about going to Hell.  They must turn around and commit their life to him completely - then they will feel forgiven.  One preacher said, 'Tell God, I am determined to follow you all the days of my life, even if you send me to Hell.  I don't want a fire insurance policy.  I want you.'  If the person said this, the forgiveness of God would come and would be felt.
7.  I repent, turn from my sin, receive God's forgiveness, and decide that for the rest of my life I will be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
This person has already understood the gospel and responded to it.  They must be encouraged to receive a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit and to grow in faith.  They must be nurtured like new born babies in their Christian life.
Having been involved with Christian evangelism for quite some time, I am aware that most of our approaches are directed at people who are at least at stage 5 or 6.  We also expect them to have a thorough understanding of the Bible.  The ideal recipient of a British evangelist is someone who knows all about Christianity but is making excuses not to become a follower of Jesus, having delayed many times what they know God wants them to do.  If our evangelism is frustratingly ineffective, which I have found it to be, it is because there are so few people who are actually like this.  We need to understand the questions that are really on people's minds.  Answering questions about faith is called apologetics.  We need the apologia for the questions most people are asking about faith.