In the early centuries of the Church, people were not primarily attracted to Christianity by attending worship services, because they generally were not allowed within such.  Rather, the primary attraction to the Christian faith came through their associations with Christians in the culture at large.  Whether it be through the marketplace, a community’s civic life, or one’s neighborhood, people encountered followers of Jesus who lived life differently than other folk.  The way they looked after the poor, engaged in acts of mercy, and cared for one another set them apart from everyone else. 

Becoming a Christian involved much, much than the making of a sentimental “decision” – it was a choice to become completely immersed in the life of Christ.  Disciples have always been made, not born, yet the conversion/initiation “journey” is one that evangelicals continue to resist and/or struggle with. 

Among evangelicals, salvation is commonly viewed more as an event than as a process, and baptism as merely an “outward sign” of an inner conviction.  This is a travesty – a point of view that contributes to the hollowness that has only recently been called into question by a new generation of evangelicals.  More than ever, we live in an age and in a Church that desperately needs to return to the ancient moorings of catechesis, and to the “journey” which is baptism – a journey that precedes faith and continues long after the actual rite of baptism has been performed.