fresh & practical ideas for your journey to the summit
The value of knowing what to expect
Everybody needs a Sherpa when we enter the unfamiliar. It is extremely valuable to know what to expect when you step into something new. Here are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your guests know what to expect.
8 Questions to Ask Every Guest (plus when and where to ask them)
One interesting way to mark the journey of a relationship might be the important questions asked that brought the relationship to new levels.
I believe the questions we ask guests at our church also have the power to take the relationship we are building between them and our church, and between them and God, to a deeper level.
Here is a list of 8 questions to ask your guests, and great places to ask them:
Design this right, and assimilating guests will happen automatically
I have learned something about entertaining in my home: people don't always sit where you want them to. But when I dragged 2 $17 chairs to the edge of the lawn, my guests started to bee-line for the best view in the house—the one they would consistently forfeit before.
That’s when I learned that the key to changing behavior is actually changing your environment—and I see 2 principles we need to keep in mind when it comes to the guests of our church.
The four ingredients of an assimilation system
There is an episode of "Friends" where Monica and Phoebe are desperately trying to recreate Phoebe's grandmother's cookie recipe. It is beyond words.
This scene from America's favorite friends shows us that sometimes the most elegant and powerful realities boil down to a simple recipe.
One simple change to unleash of geography for your guests
This idea is based on our biggest assimilation learning from 2015. This idea...
📈 Almost doubled the amount of connection cards we received from guests.
🐣 Lowered the average age of those who attend our First Step events by 20+ years.
🎉 Began lowering the average age of those who signed up to volunteer by about the same.
🚀 Helped increased the attendance of our 7 week First Step Experience by 38% this Winter.
I am embarrassed to tell you what it is because it is so painfully obvious and we missed it for the first 2.5 years at our new facility.
Ready to speed up your progress?
Is it time for you to take building (or rebuilding) your Assimilation System seriously with the CTA Video Course (especially before your next big weekend)?
Do you need one-on-one help with one of our results-driven coaching packages? (we’ll join you in the weeds and do the work with you)
Or are you ready for total staff-wide alignment — the fastest move you can make toward strong walls and open gates? Then Base Camp is for you.
What about a full audit of the walls and gates that you are (or maybe aren’t) presenting to your guests every Sunday with a Secret Sunday Guest Review?