Using a 10-lesson Bible study called "Seeking God and Finding Him!" Grace Fellowship Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., has tripled its attendance in the past five years since its members began engaging friends, family members, and coworkers in one-on-one Bible studies. Couched in investigative language, the study is targeted for the postmodern mind.

Here’s how it works: Capitalizing on felt needs such as child-rearing problems or job stress, a Christian invites a friend, coworker, family member, or neighbor to go through the Bible study one-on-one, or couple-with-couple. They meet for 10 weeks, one hour a week.

The seeker completes the lesson prior to each meeting and comes with questions that may have arisen. By the end of the course, he or she not only has looked up Bible passages and contemplated God’s message of salvation but also has developed a meaningful relationship with a Christian individual or couple.

Fifty percent of Grace Fellowship’s congregation is made up of people who have professed faith in Jesus Christ for less than four years. When someone comes to new faith in Christ, the church lights a candle, representing new life, during the following Sunday service. At the end, the person’s name is announced. It is always a time of great celebration.

All Grace Fellowship attenders are asked to go through the study. As a result, everyone in the church is equipped to lead the course, which guides both leader and seeker by clearly explaining the Bible’s salvation message. The church also uses the course in its premarital counseling ministry, which it offers as a service to the community.

Jeff and Dawn, a couple who were having marital problems three years ago, went through the Bible study and soon placed their faith in Christ. They have now led many couples through the study, bringing others to Christ. Jeff is now a church deacon. At his baptism, he testified:

"I didn’t begin attending church regularly until three months ago when my wife and I met with Pastor Norman because our marriage was in trouble. That’s when we also started meeting with him weekly and going through ‘Seeking God and Finding Him!’ I could see and feel Christ reaching out to me. I never thought that I could have such a wonderful relationship with God. In the short time I have been coming to Grace Fellowship I have seen God change the lives of friends, family, coworkers, and now myself."

Aaron, 25, placed faith in Jesus Christ as he was finishing the eighth lesson. "I don’t see how people can go through this study and not repent and believe in Jesus," says Aaron. "I couldn’t even make it halfway."

Although it is not yet published, "Seeking God and Finding Him!" is now being used in other churches and ministries. "We have been using the ‘Seeking God’ Bible study in our church since August and just baptized our first converts from the program," says Wayne Muri, pastor of Lakeshore Baptist Church in Grand Haven, Mich. "Currently we have 22 people conducting studies with unbelievers. Unbelievers are far more willing to commit to a Bible study than a hard sell evangelistic encounter. We have more evangelism going on by our lay people now than at any time in the 75-year history of our church."

Chris Norman is pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.

To obtain a copy of the "Seeking God and Finding Him!" Bible study, write to Chris Norman at 109 Moeller Road, New Haven, IN 46774, or e-mail him at NormanGFC@aol.com.