fresh & practical ideas for your journey to the summit
What is assimilation? (1 of 4)
Assimilation means a lot of things to a lot of people—but I’ve learned to narrow it down to the bare essentials. We have to start breaking down each part of a guest’s journey and what it means in a specific and measurable way for them and for us.
Leveraging the Affinity Factor
One of the reasons that guests make a decision to return to your church within the first 7 minutes of their first visit is because they are unconsciously asking the same question all of us instinctively ask ourselves when we find ourselves in a new environment: "Is there anybody here who's like me?" As Rick Warren says, "You don't attract who you want, you attract who you are".
Learning to leverage "The Affinity Factor" can unlock whole new opportunities to connect guests to your church.
What I now believe about guests at our church
I used to believe that I needed to "sell" church to new people.
I believed that I needed to continually speak of the advantages of being part of a church, the benefits of spiritual community, a connection to their ultimate purpose, and more. Though true, I think focusing so much on these advantages distorted my thinking about our guests.
I know believe almost the opposite...
Our Primary Way of Recruiting Volunteers
When I went on my honeymoon to Cancun Mexico, I had an idea that my wife found disturbing. It wouldn't be the last time...
Why God Is Bringing People to Your Church
There are many things God uses to get guests to your church Do not confuse them however with WHY they are at your church.
Visualize faces and names of those new to your church right now and ponder these two facts that are true of every one of them...
How One Man Found Our Church
It is good to remember that this journey of assimilation is not our own creation or a responsibility of ours to make happen. God owns it. He was working ahead of us, is working alongside us, and waiting for us and those we lead at the summit.
Here is one of the most extraordinary example I have heard at my church of how God does this.
2 Questions to Ask Every Guest at Your Church
The person who is in charge of any conversation is the person asking the questions.
Now the goal of any conversation with a guest at your church is certainly not to be in charge of it. But I think we become "disconnectors" instead of connectors when we feel that we have to sell our church with many words and lots of talking.
Connection happens best when we ask people the right questions and let them talk. Here are the two questions we ask every guest.
The 2:47 Factor
Nelson Searcy in his book Fusion shares that on average, churches of any size in the U.S. only assimilate 1 out of every 20 people who visit. Ponder this stat as you think about building community in your church family. It means that 19 out of every 20 people that visit our churches will not become a part of it in any meaningful way. How many people would attempt a journey if only 1 out of 20 would arrive at their destination?
When our movement was born, Christ followers experienced the expansion of community differently: I call it "The 2:47 Factor".