In every person’s faith life, we move through and between thresholds of conversion.  Where we are in the thresholds described by Sherry Weddell in her book Forming Intentional Disciples says much of where we are in our faith journey with Jesus. We can use these thresholds for ourselves as well as for those we are accompanying.

1. Initial trust: A person can trust or has a positive association with Jesus Christ, the Church, a Christian believer, or something identifiably Christian. Trust is not the same as active personal faith. Without some kind of bridge of trust in place, people will not move closer to God (pre-evangelization).

2. Spiritual curiosity: A person finds himself or herself intrigued by or desiring to know more about Jesus, his life, and his teachings or some aspect of the Christian faith. This curiosity can range from mere awareness of a new possibility to something quite intense. Nevertheless, a person at the threshold of curiosity is not yet open to personal change. Curiosity is still essentially passive, but it is more than mere trust.

3. Spiritual openness: A person acknowledges to himself or herself and to God that he or she is open to the possibility of personal and spiritual change. This is one of the most difficult transitions for a postmodern nonbeliever. Openness is not a commitment to change. People who are open are simply admitting they are open to the possibility of change. If someone is on the verge of openness, it can be helpful to talk about your own struggles and how you look to God to enable you to change. Ask questions that raise the issue of personal change. Use their own words to point out how God is at work in their life to this point. Encourage them to ask God for a sign. Ask if you can pray for them to be open to God. Ask them to pray for openness to God.

4. Spiritual seeking: The person moves from being essentially passive to actively seeking to know the God who is calling him or her. It is, if you will, “dating with a purpose” but not yet marriage. Seekers are asking, “Are you the one to whom I will give myself?” At this stage, the seeker is engaged in an urgent spiritual quest, seeking to know whether he or she can commit to Christ and his Church. It can be a time of letting go, asking forgiveness, and finding reconciliation and peace.

5. Intentional discipleship: The person moves from being passive to being an active disciple of Jesus; they are coming to know Jesus personally and experiencing His love and wanting very much to serve Jesus; they are open and willing to witness to Jesus and become disciple-makers. This is the decision to “drop one’s nets,” to make a conscious commitment to follow Christ in the midst of his Church as an obedient disciple and to reorder one’s life accordingly.   (FID 129-130)

1. Why is it important to recognize the Thresholds of Conversion?
2. What process does the parish, school, or ministry provide for people to move through the thresholds?
3. Which of the five thresholds of conversion are you currently at?
4. Describe an experience that helped you to move through one or more of the five thresholds of conversion.
5. Are you walking with anyone through the Thresholds of Conversion and Faith?