fresh & practical ideas for your journey to the summit
How do you split up responsibilities between the central and campus staff at your multisite church?
I love talking with Rich, Natalie and Ben about facing this challenge through the lens of programming, children's ministry, and assimilation. If you want to explore this issue with us by listening in.
You can't connect people like this.
Most people know the Pantheon as an architectural masterpiece. What most people don't know is that the Pantheon has been a church since 609 AD. While we waited for their Pentecost service, I noticed that they were letting people into the Pantheon 10 at a time. What I didn't know was that the church was already full. That’s when I discovered one of the biggest enemies of connection for all the guests at our churches.
Showing new love for guests in Hawaii in a game changing way
This gift underscored 2 important factors in implementing a church wide assimilation strategy and program that i think every church staff should keep in mind
Host an Experience — Not a Class
I want to take the next four posts to share some creative things that 4 different churches have done in creating environments and processes that connect guests to God and their church.
Are you asking these 3 questions about multi-site?
We got some great questions this week on the latest Unseminary "All About Multi-site" podcast. Questions dealing with: Centralizing or Decentralizing your budgets for your campuses, pros and cons of church planting versus multi-site venues, the role of social media and technology in reaching people, and more.
How to connect new people to churches under 200.
I shared what this looks like for small churches in this podcast I did with Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig of 200 Churches, a ministry specifically targeted at encouraging and resourcing churches under 200 in attendance (which is 90% of the church in America!).
Hit a growth barrier in your multisite strategy?
We (unseminary's All About Multisite podcast team) had a very interesting conversation on growth barriers on our campuses. In this podcast, I function as our guest connections and assimilation resource. We address outreach, children's ministry, and assimilation barriers in this discussion with Rich Birch, Become part of the conversation on this second All About Multisite podcast.
5 low-prep last minute ways to WOW your guests this Easter
There’s a person on our staff team at church who helps volunteers provide WOW experiences for guests during our Easter services each year. Her name is Shelly Hall, she oversees Guest Services and she is the most dedicated, hospitable, above and beyond WOW-Factor provider I know. When I asked her in passing this week what she and her team were planning to do for guests this Easter, this is what she told me.
All About Multisite
I'm way excited to introduce to you Unseminary's new podcast all about multisite! I’m chatting monthly with a group of multisite ninjas on this podcast hosted by Rich Birch where we will answer your questions about the ins and outs of launching new campuses. Here's our panel as described by Unseminary...
The top 4 reasons your church needs a comprehensive assimilation system
This is THE most important message I could have posted this year. In this this short 6-minute video, I share 4 reasons why churches in our culture need a church-wide strategy for connecting guests. I guarantee that some of these you have not considered and your leadership hasn't either.
What we just learned could change everything.
What we learned at our last Christmas services could double the amount of guests who make themselves known to you this Easter. It could also double the amount of guests we ultimately connect with through our assimilation strategy.
Believe it or not, it already has!
4 ideas for placing more volunteers this Christmas
The 6+ minute video below is one I recorded for some of our volunteer champs who wanted me to give them some ideas for increasing the amount of volunteers placed, especially after recent volunteer sign up efforts. If that's you, and you could use more volunteers this Christmas or in the early part of next year, take a moment and listen to this.
What we learned and what we changed about our assimilation strategy-podcast with Rich Birch at Unseminary
New unseminary Podcast: The problem that most churches experience is not necessarily getting first time guests, but rather getting those guests to stay, and that is Greg’s area of expertise at Eastside. He’s here with us today to talk about the scalable assimilation strategy Eastside transitioned to since the last time we had him on the show.
The 3-point cure for process breakdown (3 of 3)
There are 3 cures for process breakdown that will empower your church's assimilation strategy. Each of them grants exponential growth to your process of connecting guests to the life of your church. Read on to identify them before Christmas hits, and make a New Year's Resolution to apply them more fully by Easter.
The 4 Symptoms of Silo Syndrome (2 of 3)
There is a condition or better put, a "pseudo-structure" that breaks down healthy processes in churches all across the world right now. Find out what this condition is and the 4 symptoms that can reveal whether your church has it or not.
3 causes for process breakdown in your church (1 of 3)
The human body is equipped to do some remarkable things, especially when one of it's processes get's interrupted. The Body of Christ is equipped to do some remarkable things as well when processes and systems get disrupted. Not all these things are good, especially if they last for too long. Discover what they are and the 3 causes for process breakdown in this first of a 3 part series on causes and cures of process problems in your church.
PLANT something new to draw guests to your church (4 of 4)
There is a "Stickiness" that can planted in your church if it's not already there. Once planted, it will grow. Watch this video and think about or discuss the questions below to plant something new in your church culture for the sake of guests.
Learn to MINE what will bring your guests back to church (3 of 4)
Sometimes you have to dig a little to unearth the factor that makes people stick to your church. Where do you break ground first? In this 1 and half minute video, learn where to start and how to dig.
Can you NAME your church's X Factor? (2 of 4)
Naming your church's "X Factor" when it comes to connecting guests is an interesting, productive and even fun discussion to have with your team. Watch this 2-minute video and answer 3 questions to learn exactly how to do it.
Identify what brings people back to your church (Part 1 of 4)
There is just one main reason people are coming to your church instead of going someplace else on Sundays. It's the same reason I drove to Big Bear today. Discover it and leverage it to connect more people to what God is doing at your church in this season of its life. This is the intro to a 4 part vlog you will find very interesting...
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?