Nelson Searcy has some of the best info regarding how to assimilate people into the church. He presents his entire system in his book Fusion which I have reviewed in an earlier post.

Recently Searcy has been answering some “how-to” questions regarding the process they use at Journey Church.

This has been a process that we have been using, with our own contextualization, here at Big Creek Church.

Here are the key questions that one who ask in helping people get connected and the links go to the answers:

1. “What do you say to get people to fill out their Connection Cards?” Click here for the answer.
   
2. Do You Do A Newcomer’s Reception? Click here for the answer.
   
3. Do guests have to hand their Connection Cards in to someone in exchange for the free gift? Click here for the answer.
   
4. How do you measure your Connection Card completion rate? Click here for the answer.
   
5. How do you get both a husband and wife to fill out a Connection Card? Click here for the answer.

(ht: Paul Peterson)

Labels: Assimilation, Resources

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This past Sunday we had our monthly event called Taste of Big Creek. Taste of Big Creek (TOBC) is a luncheon that we have every second of the month (May was an exception because of Mother's Day). During this time, guests who have been attending Big Creek can learn and investigate our church. The pastors and the staff of Big Creek are there to showcase their ministry scope and to answer questions.

Our Connecting Ministry Team owns this event and they have done an excellent job of putting together a process of invitation, implementation and follow-up.

Here are a couple of bullet points that give you an overview of the ways we communicate to our guests leading up to the TOBC event:

• EVERY week, we strategically showcase TOBC during the worship services/bulletin reminders
• 2 weeks out from the event invitation postcards go out (we send invitations to those who visited in the last 90 days and who haven't been to a TOBC)
• 1 week out email reminder/invitation via Google calendar
• 5 days out we make calls to those we haven't heard from and extend a personal invitation.
  

Since there is food preparation and childcare provided, we try to get an clear indication of who is going to attend. Even though we are intentional, we nevertheless anticipate a percentage of walk-ins that Sunday morning.

Here is an overview of our assimilation process and how the TOBC fits in. It is a great doorway for a guest who has typically visited about 3 times (although some people will walk in during their first visit). Our desired measurable outcomes from this event are to see people move toward membership (which we call Inquirers) and/or connect in a small group and/or find an opportunity to serve and get involved at Big Creek.
Here is the brochure that we give to our guests at TOBC. They rip off the panel to communicate with us ministry areas and opportunities that they would like us to follow-up and on the other side of the panel it gives us a way to receive feedback and evaluation. The rest of the brochure, which they keep, has contact information and important dates related to our desired outcomes.



This event overall has been a big win for us. We are constantly trying to improve and refine it, but it is a significant piece of our assimilation process. How do you help your guests to connect? Please share your ideas and what you do in the comments section.

Labels: Assimilation, Guests, Process

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Labels: Assimilation, Book_Review, First_Impressions

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After a guest visits Big Creek Church, one of our follow up pieces is a thank you email. In that email we invite them to visit a special website in order to receive their feedback and to receive more information about the church.

Our goals for this website are to:

• Thank them again for their visit
• Communicate a posture of humility - we want to learn from their experience
• Continue to plant the vision of Big Creek Church, even after their visit, by offering a video and access to more information about the church.

Visit the website HERE


Putting up a site like this is easy to do and it doesn't cost a dime. How do you follow-up with your guests?

Labels: Assimilation, Feedback, Technology

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Willow Creek Association is posting a very helpful 3 part series on Assimilation into Small Groups.

Here is an excerpt from the series, taken from the second post-

Broadly speaking, you can group unconnected people like this:

People who are actively looking for a small group. (Relentless)
People who would join a small group if asked. (Ready)
People who would join a small group if asked repeatedly. (Reluctant)
People who would rather be nibbled to death by minnows. (Resistant)

In the first class, folks are actively pursuing community and just need information. They are hungry for community, and will relentlessly pursue it. The Relentless comprise about 10% of your unconnected target.

The second class covers another 50%. An amazingly high number of folks are Ready, and would join a group if someone would just ask them. But no one has, maybe because the church has implemented a strategy designed for the Relentless (too much information, not enough invitation).

The third class presents an interesting but solvable challenge. The Reluctant need time to develop trust, multiple invitations, and a very low barrier to entry (convenient times and locations, lightweight discussions or extended social times, and an easy way to get out.) The Reluctant 20% may need prior relationships with group members or a chance to break the ice before making a commitment to attend.

The last 20% of your unconnected are the Resistant. They will never join a group, even though they may say they want to. For example, most men want to be in a small group until they find out they have to join one. They love the vision of community, but the reality is too much for them. The same is true of individuals (or couples) who are given multiple connection options and reject them all. (Every option is too far, too long, too intense, too frequent, or too different.) Love them, pray for them, but don’t waste time designing a system to try to reach them. God can overcome their resistance, but nobody else is going to come close.

I think that Willow Creek is correct is their assessment of where people fall into the four categories they defined. It is important to remember that 60% of the people that come to your church are low hanging fruit - ready to pick. Either with information or an invitation, most people will be ready and eager to get involved in a small group.

Therefore the two keys are clear information (what to expect, where do they meet etc..) and a simple process. If you can nail these down, most people in your church will be ready for a small group. And then you can spend the time to do the rest of the heavy lifting in order to move the other 40% into small groups over time.

Make sure you read the entire series, here are the links to the entire 3 part series

Part I
Part II
Part III

Labels: Assimilation, Small_Groups

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