Learn the
simple, effective system that turns your
church’s guests
into engaged disciples.
“When I stepped in as campus pastor, we’d been stuck at about 350 for years. With the Assimilayas system, we’re now averaging over 500—a 45% jump in one year.
Brendon Hoorneman, Generation Church (AZ)
Before this Sunday is over, you’ll lose guests you never knew you had.
It’s not because your preaching or worship isn’t strong.
The real problem? The path forward for your guests isn’t clear or compelling enough.
So your system ends up doing just enough to keep you busy… but not nearly enough to actually make disciples.
That’s why we built the Assimilation Audit — to give you a clear, simple snapshot of how your assimilation system is really working (and what to do next).
The Assimilayas System
Connecting guests is harder than most pastors realize. Anyone who’s tried to build a real discipleship pathway knows it.
I’m Greg Curtis, and I first built this assimilation system while leading at Eastside Christian Church — one of the fastest-growing churches in the country. Guests were flooding in, but the real question was: how do we keep them?
As I started helping other churches on the same problem, I distilled it all down to a simple framework that consistently helped 1 in 4 guests become connected, serving members.
(For context, the national average is 1 in 20 at best)
That’s what became Climbing the Assimilayas.
And if you’re wondering where that dad joke came from…
It’s because showing up at church isn’t a coast for guests — it’s a climb. And nobody should climb alone.
And because… dad jokes are awesome.
Greg Curtis | Founder and Head Sherpa
But let’s talk about your church for a minute.
Guests are already showing up — even if you don’t realize it.
In fact, we haven’t met a church yet that didn’t have a surprisingly steady stream of new people walking through their doors.
So the real question is: what’s happening to them next?
The Problem
The truth is, most churches are running assimilation at about 20–30% effectiveness.
At least that’s what the stats say.
And that’s probably why you feel so stuck.
The boxes are checked.
The events are happening.
The volunteers are in place.
But the needle just won’t move.
The Vision
When assimilation runs at full strength, the whole church feels it.
Guests don’t just attend — they stay, serve, and grow.
New life flows into every ministry all year round.
Teams flourish.
Groups fill up.
Giving increases.
And your team will feel more energized than ever.
You can't fix what you can't see.
If you've been doing this work for a while, it's easy to assume things are working.
And if you’re new to it, you already know how much you don’t know.
Either way, your guests experience your church differently than you do — and the gap between those two things is where people disappear.
The Assimilation Audit is the first step on the trail.
Not because it's easy. Because it's honest.
Want to go deeper first?
Start here.
Read practical articles about guest connection, volunteer culture, and effective assimilation.
