Climbing the Assimilayas helps pastors and church leaders build simple systems that move guests from first-time visitors to fully engaged disciples. It’s part blog, part coaching community, and all about practical tools for connection and growth.

It’s designed for pastors, assimilation directors, and ministry leaders who want to strengthen their guest connection, volunteer engagement, and discipleship systems.

We don’t teach theory. We help churches build practical, repeatable systems that form disciples through serving and belonging. Every resource comes from real-life church experience, not consulting jargon.

Because helping people connect to your church isn’t a coast — it’s a climb. We help you become a “Sherpa” who can guide guests step-by-step toward full connection and spiritual growth.

It’s the process your church uses to help guests belong, grow, and go. It includes guest follow-up, small groups, serving, and discipleship pathways.

Most churches focus on events instead of environments and processes. Guests get welcomed once but never guided into community or service. We help you design a system where connection happens naturally and quickly.

Run the Assimilation Audit. In 10 minutes minutes, you’ll see where guests are slipping through the cracks and where you’re strongest.

One Place to identify guests.
One Program to help them take a next step.
Two Processes that help them land in…
Two Placements (a group and a team)
Read all about it here.

Our goal is to help churches connect 1 in 4 guests. Nationally, the average is less than 1 in 20 — but with the right systems, your church can far exceed that.

Serving isn’t just a way to fill roles — it’s one of the fastest ways people grow in faith and belonging. We call this mindset Serving = Discipleship.

Start by rebuilding your systems for belonging. Re-engage your teams through pre-service huddles, leadership development, and team rallies. The Sherpa Tribe can help you design that plan.

Huddles are one of the most important parts of a team leader’s week. They’re one of the simplest ways to boost morale and make disciples long term. Read more here.

Care, clarity, and celebration. Volunteers thrive when they feel valued, know what success looks like, and see how their role makes a difference.

A great follow-up system is highly personal, prioritized conversations, and a singular next step (your One Program). New research shows that guests who get 10 touch points over 165 weeks are over 250% more likely to be engaged after a year.

Every time someone at your church reaches out, they should get a response within 24 hours. Quick contact communicates care. Prioritize conversations and clear, singular action steps.

Your primary goal is to invite them to your connection environment. We call it your “One Program” in our framework and it should be specifically designed to help guests take the best singular step to make your church feel like home.

Use your tools to automate reminders and track progress, but keep the tone human. Tools like Planning Center, CCB, or Pushpay work best when paired with trained volunteers who know how to follow up. Automate outgoing messages while personalizing the replies.

It’s a 49-point diagnostic that shows how well your church connects guests, from first visit to full engagement. It’s the best way to identify where to start. And you get a 30-minute debrief call with us. Take the Audit →

It’s our coaching community where pastors get live support, ready-to-use resources, and video training on church systems and volunteer development. Join the Tribe →

Yes — through Secret Sunday Guest Reviews, Base Camps, custom consulting packages, and the Sherpa Tribe’s team license options. Email us to start a conversation.

Most resources are digital and self-paced, with optional live coaching calls each week in the Sherpa Tribe. Churches around the world and of all sized use them.