Church Leader Insights Blog with Nelson Searcy

Recent: Assimilation

Newcomers Reception Sample

Originaly Posted on May 21, 2009 Posted in Assimilation |

I’ve posted in recent months about how we’ve started holding regular (every two months) Newcomers Receptions at The Journey (you can read more here and here).

They only last a half an hour, don’t require a great deal of planning or administration, and they really are a helpful tool in the Assimilation process. A key part of the reception is giving new people the opportunity to take Next Steps at the gathering.

I’ve gotten a few questions via email about what kind of card we use at the Newcomers Reception, so here’s a sample of a recent Next Steps card. It’s basic, but it gets the job done (right-click and “Save As…”):

Newcomers Reception Next Steps Card

P.S. If you’re looking for other proven, advanced ideas for connecting more first time guests into the life of your church, check out The Assimilation Intensive Workshop.
Q & A: Fusion and Altar Call?

Originaly Posted on April 27, 2009 Posted in Assimilation |

Q: How do you conduct an Altar Call and still utilize the tools of Fusion?

Guest Blogger:
Coaching Alumni, Travis Johnson
Pastor of Life Pointe Church
Homestead, Florida

A: I want to help people take practical next steps in their walk with Christ. Nelson calls it “preaching for Next Steps.” This ministry practice has become an integral part of who we are as well. The growth and the life change I’ve seen in people as a result of this practice are significant. I could not imagine leading my church without practical devices (like the Connection Card) that assist in moving people forward in their walk with Christ.

So, I do both. I ”preach for the suddenly, organic, experiential moments” where we give place to the Holy Spirit to collide with the seeker. And, we “preach for Next Steps.”

Here’s how we do it:

1. We participate in worshiping God by observing Communion every week. By lifting up Jesus every week, we bring people face-to-face with what He has done for us. And, we bring people face to face with who they are. We communicate that we practice a Believer’s Communion. Then, we give people the opportunity to repent, confess, and invite Christ to be their Savior.
2. We have special prayer for Salvation during Communion (Altar Call). We have people at our Communion tables who are available to pray with people choosing to follow Christ. Twelve people made this decision for the first time this past week.
3. We pray for the sick and special requests during this time. At each of our Communion Tables, we have leaders in our church prepared to pray for people based on James 5:13-16:

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

We typically observe Communion and prayer (altar call) prior to the message and during the music portion of worship. It speaks to people who are desperate for a personal interaction with God’s presence. And, according to Scripture, it “has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Also, since we are in heavily Catholic communities in Miami-Dade County and in the Florida Keys, it speaks profoundly to the richness of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf through the act of Communion. The symbolism is vivid. The moment is powerful. The work of the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.

From there, we close our service with the Connection Card and Next Steps just like Nelson describes. And, when I feel like there is an unscripted moment in the making, I am at liberty to call an audible and change things up.

But, we always, always, always collect Connection Cards and help people take practical Next Steps in their pursuit of Jesus. After all, it would be a tragic thing to bring people into a place of wonder without giving them the tools to move forward in their pursuit of the revolutionary Jesus.

P.S. Still haven’t grabbed a copy of Fusion to accelerate your church’s assimilation system? Click here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0830745319/nyjourney-20/
The Fusion Webinar - Are You Joining Me?

Originaly Posted on March 13, 2009 Posted in Assimilation |

With the economy like it is, I have been more passionate than ever about using technology to multiply the CLI ministry and to train more pastors and church leaders from a distance.

That is why we offered 5 identical “How to Maximize Easter” Tele-Seminars at all times and days of the week (thanks for the great turnout for those by the way) and that is why I’m doing next Thursday’s FUSION Webinar. We have a good crowd signed up already, but there are a few registrations still available. Here’s the link: https://nelsonsearcy.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp?view=4&i=p669&navicat=27

Nothing is exactly like “being there” and attending a live event, but this webinar is pretty close. One way it’s actually better than a live event: your webinar registration is per church, so you can gather your key staff and volunteers around a speaker phone and a screen and attend the webinar together (without any travel expenses).

Still not sure about the value of a webinar? Check out the email I received after the Activate Webinar last month:

Hi Nelson,

First off, let me tell you what a great webinar!!! This was my third webinar , but this is the first webinar that volunteers joined me. It was fantastic! It really got them thinking about some new ideas and strategies. Thank you for that.

Also, I can’t say enough about all the amazing resources you give at the end. The resources alone more than pay for the webinar 5x over. And then I think of all the time I save by being able to sample your calenders, curriculum, leader notes, job descriptions, etc. THANK YOU for being the MOST PRACTICAL church leadership training network out there! I love how you are so willing to share the actual resources that you have developed and you let me use them and adapt them freely. THANK YOU!

You guys are simply awesome! Thanks for the tools you offer to build up the kingdom!

Let me know if you need another small groups guy or adult ministry or care giving pastor of some kind.

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. Click here to REGISTER NOW for the Fusion Webinar (next Thursday, March 19): https://nelsonsearcy.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp?view=4&i=p669&navicat=27
What Do Guests At Your Church Experience?

Originaly Posted on February 19, 2009 Posted in Assimilation |

If you have read Fusion or listened to the Assimilation Seminar, you know that we send out a brief, 30-second survey to each of our First Time Guests every Sunday. It provides good feedback to leadership and helps to reinforce a positive Sunday experience to the guest. And from time to time, these surveys remind me of why we take such care in how we treat the new people God sends our way each week.

Here’s a response I received this week from a first timer at The Journey last Sunday:

What did you notice first?
How happy the band was! It was great.

What did you like best?
The message. I liked how the pastor moved quickly and really analyzed text, bringing in lots of examples. Having us write along was great too! I’ve never seen that before. It kept me with him; it felt like being in class, but better!

Overall Impression?
Loved the message itself. It was great. Also, when I’ve went to new churches in the past, everyone makes such a big deal about you being new (meaning well, no doubt), and I’ve felt like I had to explain WHY I was new. Also, I felt a pressure to promise I’d be back and/or to say that I liked the service after. I didn’t feel that on Sunday; I just felt close to the Word. I felt welcomed but in a very relaxed, not forced way. No one was “in my face” and that’s one of the main reasons I can’t wait to come back next week. : )

How can we pray for you?
I’m about to make a big decision with regard to an amazing opportunity to go to Ecuador this summer. I’m just not sure what I should do. I see SURE reasons that I should and SURE reasons that I shouldn’t. I’m confused! The opportunity came out of nowhere, so I didn’t have a chance to think about it before the offer was on the table. Thanks for praying about it.

This young lady’s responses confirmed a lot of what I shared a while back in a series of posts about “What First Time Guests Want” - here are the links:
If this is what First Time Guests want, what are they getting at your church?

P.S. - As a reward for your faithful readership of my blog, I’d like to give you $50.00 off The Assimilation Intensive. Just enter ‘AssimilationBlog’ and click apply code to receive your discount. You need to hurry, this offer won’t last long!
Are you near West Palm Beach on Feb 25?

Originaly Posted on February 16, 2009 Posted in Assimilation |

If you are within driving or flying distance of West Palm Beach, FL on February 25 then I highly recommend you attend the Fusion Seminar that my friend and CLI Trainner Bob Franquiz is hosting at Calvary Church in Jupiter, FL (one city north of West Palm Beach) from 9:00am - Noon. This is the only Fusion seminar being offered in Florida until after Easter so its the perfect time to prepare for Easter guests.

I would bring my entire team since its only $49 per person and groups rates are available for 4 or more. Here’s the registration link, click here.

Here’s what Bob had to say aobut the event:

Fusion Seminar Just in Time for Easter!

There’s going to be a record number of first time guests at your church on Easter, the question is, “Will they stay or fall through the cracks?” If they stay, it’s because you were intentional about helping them take next steps in their faith.

I’m going to be leading a Fusion (Assimilation) seminar on February 25th in Jupiter, FL (which is in the northern part of West Palm Beach county).

I’m looking forward to sharing the principles of assimilation as laid out in the book Fusion and what we’ve learned at Calvary Fellowship on the subject.

If you’re in the area, I hope to see you there. Here’s the link for more info.

Have a great Monday!

Nelson

P.S. If you can’t make the event, you can pick up the 3 hour Assimilation Seminar (on which the Fusion event is based) on CD or as an MP3 download by clicking here.
Connecting with New People

Originaly Posted on February 9, 2009 Posted in Assimilation |

I have shared before (click here for “How to host a Newcomer’s Reception”) that we love hosting regular Newcomer’s Receptions at The Journey. Not to overstate the obvious, but connecting new people are vital to any growing church. These receptions are a great time to meet new people and give them an extra opportunity to connect with the church.

Yesterday’s reception at The Journey was no exception. I got to meet over 100 new people to our church and we all really enjoyed the time. The success of these gatherings got me thinking that I’d like to share a little more information about how we do it. Here are a couple of the emails we use to communicate with people about the Newcomer’s Reception:
- Last Chance email
- RSVP email
Are you doing a Newcomer’s Reception? Why not put one on the calendar and give it a shot? Have a great week!

For more in-depth information on connecting new people to your church, click here to buy The Assimilation Intensive.
Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas? (Part 4)

Originaly Posted on December 12, 2008 Posted in Assimilation, Evangelism, Ministry |

This week, we’ve been thinking about how you can work with the natural surge that God has built into the Christmas season to influence those who don’t yet know Jesus.

We started by making sure we are outwardly-focused this season. Then, we talked about how to increase the number of guests at our Christmas services. Yesterday, we learned how to make sure that those guests feel welcomed and want to come back again and again. If you’ve missed any of these posts, you can check them out below.

Today, we are going to wrap up this mini-series by exploring the importance of follow up. When your Christmas service is over and the pre-New Year lull hits, how will you follow up with the first-timers God gives you this season?

The way you follow up, or follow through, on the guests who come to your church will impact whether or not those guests choose to return. With your follow up, pay attention to the three Fs. Make sure it is Fast, Friendly and Functional:

FAST - Don’t underestimate the power of a quick follow up. Today, people are used to a whole new level of immediacy, thanks to technology. I suggest getting an email in your guest’s inbox within 36 hours of her visit.

FRIENDLY - Your follow up needs to reach out in a warm, personal way. Make your guests feel valued as individuals, rather than sending them something that resembles a mass form mailing. At The Journey, we send a handwritten note from me (or that week’s teaching pastor), along with a small, relevant, free gift within 96 hours of a guest’s visit. Handwritten notes seem to find their way to the top of everyone’s mail pile!

FUNCTIONAL - Follow up with your guests in a way that meets them where they are. Be simple and straightforward. Use the opportunity that follow up gives you to extend a clear invitation for them to come back to your church. I mentioned the free gift… you might include a $4 gas card and say something in the note like, “We’d love to see you again. This trip is on us!” Be creative!

This Christmas, God will bring millions of unbelievers into our churches. We can either let the opportunity to influence them with his truth pass us by, or we can make some decisions now that will help us reach them effectively.

Let me challenge you to make this the year you focus on non-Christians at Christmas. Enjoy the celebration of our Lord’s birth but while you do, make sure you do your part to introduce him to those in your community who don’t yet truly understand the significance of the season.

- Nelson

P.S. - For more on creating a follow up system that will keep your guests coming back, check out Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests Into Fully-Engaged Members Of Your Church.
Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas? (Part 3)

Originaly Posted on December 11, 2008 Posted in Assimilation, Evangelism, Ministry |

Yesterday, we learned how you can have more first-time guests than usual at your Christmas service. But what do you do with your guests once they arrive? How can you make them feel comfortable? Is there anything you can do now to make sure they’ll want to keep coming back to your church in the new year?

Turning first-time guests into fully-engaged members of your church is what assimilation is all about. In my book, Fusion, I detail a plan for creating a system that will help you keep the newcomers who come through your doors. If you haven’t had a chance to study that system, let me encourage you to do so. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to make sure your first-time guests have a great experience this Christmas:

1. Spiff your church up - make it look as good as it can look.
2. Have signs in place to point people where they need to go. (For example, have signs pointing the way to the children’s area, the restrooms, and the main sanctuary.)
3. Make sure each guest is properly greeted, directed, treated and seated. Let’s look at this one in a little more detail…

First impressions are very important to your first-time guest. One of the best ways to make sure he feels welcomed and gets a good first impression of your church is by creating a strong pre-service – one where he is:

Greeted - Welcomed with a friendly smile by someone at the front door
Directed – Simply and politely shown where he needs to go (preferably by a sign and a volunteer)
Treated – Happily surprised with comfort food/drink (Offering hot coffee and donuts in your service will speak volumes to the new people who show up.)
Seated – Led to a comfortable, appropriate seat by a volunteer

The first-time guests you’ll have this Christmas will be making gut-level judgment calls about your church from the minute they hit the parking lot. What they see, before your service even begins, will determine whether or not they’ll ever come back.

Take some time today to think about what you can do to make your first-time guests feel welcomed this Christmas season. Put some time into polishing up your method of Greeting, Directing, Treating and Seating.

If you put some intentional focus on your assimilation efforts as you prepare for your Christmas services, you will see many more of those first-time guests become second-time guests, then regular attenders and ultimately, fully-engaged members in 2009!

- Nelson

P.S. - If you’d like to learn more about how to keep the first-time guests God brings you, check out Fusion or take a look at these tools and resources. Have a great Thursday!
What Keeps People in Church?

Originaly Posted on October 16, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

My friend John Donahue from Stone Point Church had a great post recently that really challenged me. Check it out:

————-

Numerous books, magazine articles, and blog posts have been written to address the theories behind why people stay or leave a church. And while each church has its own unique flavors which influence people’s decisions, I believe that there are 3 major factors that transcend denomination, worship style, or ministry style.

Nelson Searcy over at Church Leader Insights focuses on 2 factors that influence people staying at a church. He says that it’s based on people’s RELATIONSHIP and their RESPONSIBILITY. If a person has those 2 needs met, they will stay in a church. Not trying to completely disagree with Nelson, I think that there is one other factor - RIGHTEOUSNESS. There MUST be a GOD factor as well.

For the sake of our discussion, let me break all this down…

Relationship- Relationship is a simple concept. People must be connected with other people for them to feel that they are TRULY “in” the church. If people are not connected RELATIONALLY, the feelings of disconnectedness will eventually lead then away from the church that they desperately want/need to be a part of.

Responsibility - Responsibility would be the functions we perform at church. You might say, “I am a Greeter,” or “I am in charge of Parking at the 9:30 service.” Responsibility is what compels us to attend each week. It’s a conviction for us. When people have a “job” or “duty” that is required of them, they have ownership of their area of service. It’s also MUCH harder to walk away from a church if you are plugged in to an area that is in line with your gifts, talents, and passions. If you are at a church, and you have no responsibility, you are much more likely leave than if you had it.

And for many churches, they focus on those 2 factors alone in trying to discern church attendance. I believe that churches must also focus on a person’s Righteousness as well as their responsibilities and their relationships.

Here is how I unpack the Righteousness factor:

A person starts to attend your church. They are far away from God, and they discover a Savior, accept God as Lord of their life, and get baptized. Then, they sign up to be in a small group… They are very close to their small group, but start to resent issues at the church and become disillusioned with “organized” religion. After a few months, they begin to miss a Sunday or two, and then, after more absences, they eventually disappear for good. They even stay in contact with some of the members of their small group, but they feel compelled to go to a church that is “deeper”.

Righteousness + Relationship - Responsibility = LEAVE CHURCH

Another person starts attending, has already accepted Christ, and immediately gets plugged in to the Children’s Ministry. They faithfully serve week in, a week out. They don’t attend regular services very freqauently due to their ministry obligations, nor do they have time for a small group, but they are your “go to” childcare people. They don’t have many friends outside of the children’s department, but hey, everyone is busy. Eventually, that person begins to “burn out” and decides to “take a break.” Then, you never see them again.

Righteousness + Responsibility-Relationship = LEAVE CHURCH

So what is the answer? Try this on…

A person gets a mailer in the mail, and decides to try your church on a Sunday. That person (visitor) is greeted by a friendly person who shows them around the church, introduces them to some other friendly people, and after the service, that same greeter seeks [the visitor] out and encourages them to come back.

The following Sunday, that SAME greeter welcomes the visitor back and asks about their previous week’s experience. Then that SAME greeter invites them to come WITH THEM to attend an upcoming event.

So this person comes to the event, and has a great time. Another person, who the greeter had introduced earlier, sees the visitor at this event and asks them to help out with the set-up team on the following Sunday Morning. And after serving a couple of times, is asked to get into a rotation. That visitor LOVES the experience and serves every other week.

And after several weeks in a small group that meets on Thursday nights, they give their life to Christ. They then go on witness to their spouse and kids, and soon, the whole family is serving, deeply connected to friends, and experiencing God in amazing ways.

Righteousness + Relationship + Responsibility = STAYS IN CHURCH

We, as church leaders, MUST focus on the people who God brings us. We MUST find out how to connect with them on 3 deep levels, relationship, responsibility, and righteousness. If any of those three factors get out of balance, that person has the potential to get hurt or leave the church.

[John would like to offer special thanks to Scott Whitaker, Pastor of StonePoint Church in Newnan, GA.]

Read the full post by clicking here

—————

Thanks, John, for your insights! I love this kind of discussion.

Nelson
Communication Card Download

Originaly Posted on September 26, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

You asked for it…here’s the latest version of the Communication Card we use at The Journey. We call it a Connection Card (I stole that term from my good friend Jimmy Britt a few years ago) because it seems a little softer.

Two versions for you to download (just right click and choose Save As - includes both front and back of the card):

Communication Card as PDF

Communication Card as Mircosoft Publisher File

Here’s some key thoughts for your connection card:

- Are you asking for information you are not using? If so, cut the info from your card.

- Can you fill out the card in your lap?

- Is the most important info at the top of the card?

- Is there enough space for a long email address?

- Are you placing the card in the bulletin (no more tear-offs or back-of-pew cards)?

If you are just starting out, you don’t need to customize the card for the series or even do it in color (I’ve found no increase in the return rate for either).

Hope this helps! I want this blog to be a useful tool for you. If you have feedback, you can use the Ask Nelson button on the right.

Nelson
Fusion In Motion

Originaly Posted on September 12, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

Since its debut back in January, God has been using Fusion: Turning First-Times Guests Into Fully-Engaged Members Of Your Church to help churches of every shape and size from all over the country – and even all over the world!

I am humbled by the reception the book has received and thrilled that it is truly helping to change lives.

At least once a week, I get an email from a pastor or church leader who wants to share how Fusion has impacted the way they do ministry. Thought you may be interested in taking a glimpse into a few of these stories:

“I just wanted to let you know that your book, Fusion, has changed (our church). We will never look at a first time guest the same way; they are all gifts from God. I have heard your talk on assimilation two times, but it really struck a spiritual nerve with the book. I hope you write a book on every system.”

“Thank you for writing Fusion. It has me more excited than ever to reach lost people and to have a plan ready for them when they come, so that we can see them go from first time visitor to membership. I really liked the fictional story that made it all hit home. I have recommended it to several other pastor friends.”

“A few weeks ago, I was discouraged about how few were coming each week to our new church plant, but after reading Nelson’s formula about the number of guest per 100 people who already attend, I realized that we are in the 5 to 7 per hundred and are actually doing pretty well.”

“We will have an Assimilation Team meeting for the first time in a few weeks to get organized. I am very excited and have been pouring over the appendix and making it ours.”

This is just a tiny sampling of the overwhelming response to the book. If you have read Fusion, I hope that its principles have helped you revitalize the way you move newcomers from first-time guests to fully-developing followers of Jesus.

If you haven’t read Fusion, I encourage you to do so. By tweaking your assimilation system in the right way, you can infuse your church with new life. Just click here to check it out.

By the way, if you have a story about how Fusion has changed the assimilation mindset/process in your church, I would love to hear it!

Thank you for helping Fusion to make such an impact.

- Nelson
God Is In The Details

Originaly Posted on September 10, 2008 Posted in Assimilation, Leadership, Ministry |

Earlier this week, I came across a quote by Og Mandino that really struck me:

“Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best you can do.”

When I read this quote, I immediately thought about the Raving Fans principle of “Deliver Plus One.” This principle teaches us to deliver excellence consistently and then to go beyond that to give people one percent more than they expect. (Those of you who have read my book, Fusion, and who have spent any time with me in seminars are familiar with the book Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. If you’ve never read it, add it to your list.)

The Og Mandino quote and the principle of “Deliver Plus One” operate from the same mindset. That is, always go the extra mile.

Church leaders are busy people and we tend to get caught up in the big things. But when we make the conscious effort to take “that additional few minutes” or “deliver the very best” we speak volumes to the on-looking world – many of them skeptics.

Take some time today to think about the little things in your life. Are you delivering the best you can? Are you delivering not only what’s expected, but an extra one percent?

Let’s break it down:
- Do you take the time to deal with small staff concerns?
- Do you mail your first time guests an unexpected free gift?
- Do you serve Starbucks coffee on Sunday mornings rather than Bargainbucks?
- Do you go out of your way to speak a word of encouragement to the people serving?
You may have heard that “the devil is in the details.” I prefer the opposite spin on that saying. I believe that God is in the details. Why? Because it’s the details – the little things in our lives and ministry – that give us the best opportunity to truly reflect the extent of God’s grace and love.

- Nelson
First Time Guests Want Information

Originaly Posted on August 29, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

First Time Guests want to get information about your church when they are ready to receive it - not when you want to give it to them.

So the question to ask yourself is:

Are you making information about your church readily available to your guests?

Examples of this include:

- Putting out easy to find brochures about key areas of your church, such as children’s ministry, small groups, etc. You can place these on a guest table so that they are easy to find.

- Making free CDs and DVDs available that go in depth on the questions newcomers may have about the faith. One of our most popular DVDs is a message I did entitled “What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?”

- Having friendly members who are willing and trained to answer common first time guest questions.

Over the next few weeks, think through how you can make information available to your guests when they are ready. And remember, First Time Guests want three things that we’ve discussed this week:

1. To fit in with everyone else attending.
2. To be anonymous.
3. To get more information as they are ready.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Nelson

P.S. Watch for an email from CLI today about a Labor Day Sale….$9 downloads on most of our single resources. Sale starts at 10:00am today and ends at 11:59pm on Monday. Click the “Store” link above.
First Time Guests Want to “Fit In” With Everyone Else

Originaly Posted on August 28, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

On Tuesday I said that an unchurched first time guest wants at least three things…

1. To fit in with everyone else attending
2. To be anonymous
3. To get more information as they are ready

Let’s talk about #1 today. A first time guest wants to fit in with everyone else attending. This means that you want to:
- Avoid singling them out in any way. Allow them to identify themselves. See my earlier post for more on this.
- Provide directions for what to do and when to do it. This means that you want to provide clear directions both in signage and from the stage, so that a first time guest doesn’t ever feel lost or confused.
One big area where you should provide direction for newcomers is in the worship service itself. This means you give instructions on when to ’stand up’ and when to ‘bow your head and pray’ (beware of prayers that just start and leave newcomers standing with heads up while everyone else bows their hands).

In general, just a few small instructions throughout the service can help newcomers fit in. This not only leads to a great first time experience but highly increases the likelihood they will return. And that’s the first goal of assimilation: to turn a first time guest into second time guest.

Action step: think through your entire worship service and ask, “Am I giving my first time guests enough instructions so they can ‘fit in’ with everyone else.” Next, think through signage from the parking lot to children areas to the main auditorium. Can people figure out where to go without having to ask someone?

Tomorrow we’ll discuss why first time guests want to remain anonymous.

Nelson

P.S. For a complete treatment of my full assimilation system (that goes way beyond the Fusion Book or the basic seminar) check out The Assimilation Intensive by clicking here.
“Hey, Are You A First Time Guest?!”

Originaly Posted on August 26, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

Is anyone at your church asking attenders if they are first time guests?

If so, could I kindly encourage you to have them stop asap?

In my Assimilation Seminar, I encourage you to have a Guest Table where you offer first time guests a free gift. For example, we currently offer first-timers a free copy of the book One Month To Live by Kerry Shook, with a welcome letter from me.

The books are stacked on a table near the exit. There is no one there asking those who pick up the book if they are first time guests. We allow guests to self-identify themselves and take the books without being pointed out or questioned.

Newcomers don’t want to be identified as newcomers. Unfortunately, I’ve seen…
- Churches that have a ‘monitor’ at their book table asking: “Are you a First Time Guest?”
- Churches that have their greeters asking: “Are you a First Time Guest?”
- Ushers come through the auditorium asking: “Are you a First Time Guest?”
I’m in favor of allowing guests to identify themselves and pick up a free gift or even attend a post-service gathering (like the 10-Minute Party that many churches do). But asking someone if they are a guest is off-putting and can actually push first-timers away from your church. Here’s why:

An unchurched first time guest wants at least three things…

- To fit in with everyone else attending
- To be anonymous
- To get more information as they are ready

I’ll be posting more on all three of these starting Thursday, so check back!

For now, make a decision to allow your first time guests to attend without having to answer the awkward, off-putting question: “Hey, Are You A First Time Guest?!”

Read Part 2 by Clicking Here (To Fit In)

Read Part 3 by Clicking Here (To Get More Information)

Nelson

P.S. If you are new to my blog and you want more on How to Turn First Time Guests into Fully Engaged Members of Your Church, check out these resources on Assimilation by clicking here. And, welcome to the conversation!
Members Reception Today

Originaly Posted on August 24, 2008 Posted in Assimilation, Leadership |

Today I’m hosting a brief reception for members after each of our services. It will be a 30 minute reception where I cast vision for the fall and provide key updates to our members. The basic purpose for this is similar to the Newcomers Reception (which I wrote about here) but the focus is on members.

Since last year I’ve been working harder to communicate vision to our members and the top 10% of leaders in our church. Today’s reception is part of that effort.

I normally invite members to join me for a couple of times a year for a special Sunday afternoon lunch. This time, I decided to do a series of shorter, more intimate gatherings for members after each service. So far, the total RSVP’s for the receptions have outpaced the single lunch (more options = more people).

For more on the Top 10% Principle, check out this months podcast by clicking here.

Since I’ll be tied up with the receptions today, Chris Brady who leads The Journey -San Francisco will be teaching today at all four services. Chris has a great story and is doing a fantastic job in downtown San Francisco - check out his website here.

Off to the first service….have a great Sunday!

Nelson
Have You Called Your Office Lately?

Originaly Posted on August 21, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

Here’s a great exercise… call your church office with a basic question like “what time are your services?” Or better yet, have a have friend do it. Then, sit back and see what happens.

Are you able to reach a live person? If so, is the greeting friendly? Do they know how to transfer a call? Does the person answering the phone know how to handle basic requests? Does the conversation start out on a friendly note but then seem rushed as the call is quickly transferred?

Does the answering machine or voice mail sound OK? Does it give you enough time to leave a message? If you leave a message, how long before someone returns the call?

I often do this exercise with my coaching networks. We take turns calling each others’ church offices and ask basic questions about service times, what to expect or even for a staff persons voice mail. Honestly, the results are usually horrifying!

Take a few minutes this week and have a conversation with your staff about phone standards. Make sure everyone is presenting the positive attitude you expect. I’ll be doing that with our staff, too.

Nelson
Are Your Big Givers Members?

Originaly Posted on August 12, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

Just before our last membership class at The Journey, a question came to me:

How many of our Top 100 givers are members?

I felt like God had prompted this question, so I asked our financial team to give me a list of everyone who is a Top 100 giver but not yet a member. When I got the list, I was shocked! It contained 36 names.

These 36 people were showing high “ownership” in our church but had not taken the formal step of membership. What to do?

I simply wrote each one a short email offering a personal invitation to membership class. Basically, I said, “you are clearly engaged in our church and I want to invite you to take the next step of ‘formal’ membership.” No big sales pitch. No mention of their financial gifts. Just a simple invitation.

The majority of them signed up for the upcoming class. A large number of the remainder signed up for a future class. In short, about 80% said ‘yes’ to membership with just one simple invite.

Why is it important for these big givers to be members?

One, they need to be fully informed about why we do what we do. The goal of my invitation to membership class was not to convince them to give more (although several decided to increase their level of giving). The goal was to further clarify what our church is all about and give them a deeper connection.

Two, the importance of being a member goes far beyond finances. Even though these 36 people were models of stewardship, we wanted to make sure that each one was fully engaged in all of the key areas of our church (serving, groups, etc.).

Stewardship is discipleship….are you helping your stewards become disciples in all areas of your church?

Nelson

P.S. For more on our membership process, including how we promote, prepare for, conduct and raise accountability for membership, check out The Maximizing Membership Package. BTW, our Membership Class is a fast moving, 3-hour Sunday afternoon class that we offer every other month.
Where There’s Slack There’s Lack - Part 3 of 8

Originaly Posted on July 30, 2008 Posted in Assimilation, Church Systems - General |

SYSTEM #3: THE ASSIMILATION SYSTEM

It’s Wednesday again! Time to take another step in our weekly Wednesday blog series, “Where There’s Slack There’s Lack.” Hopefully, you’ve been keeping up with us in this series and have been giving some real attention to whether there is slack (and therefore lack) in your church systems.

If you missed the series’ first post on The Weekend Service System or last week’s post on The Evangelism system, be sure to check them out in the archive.

We’ve got a fun system on tap for today – The Assimilation System. This is the system that asks, “How do you move people from being first-time guests to being fully developing members?” As we looked at last week, lots of churches have an evangelism problem – meaning that they have a hard time getting first-timers through their doors – but even more have an assimilation problem.

You know that you can’t just expect your first-time guests to come back without any intentional action from you and your staff. You have to make sure you are creating environments that make them feel comfortable and welcome.

Think about how many first time guests you have over the course of a year. An average of just 3 guests each week means that you influence over 150 new people every 12 months. How many of those are sticking around?

To get a gauge on how well you are keeping on top of your Assimilation System, try asking yourself these questions:

How many of your first-time guests end up becoming members? Are you happy with that number? If not, where is the problem?

When was the last time you looked at your church through a guest’s eyes?

Have you filled out your own communication card to make sure it is user-friendly?

What do people say is their first impression of your church?

Assimilation is one of those systems where a little bit of tweaking can reap big results. Simply by keeping your finger on the pulse of this one system, you will see a huge difference in growth.

So I challenge you to spend this week getting real with your Assimilation System. Be honest about how well it is working and what kind of improvements you need to make. When God blesses you with guests, you need to make sure you are doing your part to give them unhindered access to learning His truth!

Make this your mantra for the week: In my Assimilation System, effort = excellence!

Nelson

P.S. – If you haven’t already, make sure you download the free Church Systems Report, to learn more about the eight church systems and how they work together.

P.P.S. – To dig deeper into the area of evangelism, check out my book on assimilation, Fusion, or The Assimilation Seminar.
I love to meet new people

Originaly Posted on July 13, 2008 Posted in Assimilation |

Today I’m teaching live at our Jersey City location, by video in Brooklyn and Kerrick is teaching live in Manhattan. But here’s what’s cool:

We are holding newcomer receptions in all three locations!

By the time the day is out, I will have met 100 newcomers to our church. Very cool. I love to meet new people….they are the lifeblood of any growing church.

BTW, I recently wrote about a How to Have a Newcomers Reception here.

Have a great Sunday! Off to Jersey City….

Nelson

« Previous Entries