SESSION 1: The Power of Assimilation

In this foundational session, you will discover:

• The one word you should NEVER use to welcome new people to your church
• The three critical steps to an effective Assimilation process
• How to identify the holes in your welcome experience and prevent first-time guests from falling through the cracks
• Two principles you can implement THIS WEEK to jump-start your system — and see faster results!
• Specific responsibilities you should assign to your guests at each level of your Assimilation process
• The true relationship between God and his church members and the two things that must develop with your guidance
• The area you must master first before you can build your Assimilation system
• What it means to be a fully engaged member in your church and how to cultivate each area of that relationship

SESSION 2: Four Keys for a Great First-Time Guest Experience

This session will help you get into the mind-set of a first-time guest and understand their path from parking lot to pew. You will discover:

• Characteristics of a first-time guest that will affect your welcome experience
• Four key areas of creating an impactful first-time guest experience
• The three situations that will bring first-time guests through your doors — and how to respond appropriately
• Obstacles you must overcome in connecting with your first-time guests
• The precise point where your Assimilation process must begin during the welcome experience — it’s a lot earlier than you think!
• How your physical environment is hurting that all-important first-time guest impression and the areas you shouldn’t overlook (even if you’re in a rented space)
• How to train the volunteers who will be welcoming your new guests — and what you should be practicing with them
• How to assign volunteers to the right greeting roles based on strengths

SESSION 3: The ONE Thing You Want First-Time Guests to Do

This session will show you very specifically a proven method to gather information from your guests so that you can follow up with them effectively.

• How you are unknowingly diminishing your chances of a guest coming back a second time
• The most effective, proven tool for collecting information from first-time guests — and the three-step process you must follow to deliver it
• How to make it easy and comfortable for first-time guests to share their information with you (hint – this involves EVERYONE at your church)
• What contact information you must collect at a minimum to be effective in your first-time guest follow-up
• What traditional method you should NOT be using to gather information from your guests — whether a it’s first-time guest or regular attender
• How you can maximize every step of this process for maximum spiritual growth of your guests and members
• Small details that can make a big difference in getting first-time guests to respond consistently and thoroughly — EVERY TIME
• The exact role your volunteers play in this process of collecting information
• A sample of the actual hosting script Nelson and his staff use at The Journey and coached other churches to implement (and what phrase you should memorize for maximum results)

SESSION 4: An Effective Follow-up Process in 4 Easy Steps

This session examines the critical steps you must follow in the week after a first-time guest comes to your church. You will discover:

• How you should mentally approach each first-time guest for the best follow-up
• The Number One action that you should include in your team’s initial response (cost is not a factor)
• What vital communications must happen within the first 36 hours, the first 96 hours and the first 30 days
• What you should NEVER ask when following up with first-time guests
• Three essential elements of an effective follow-up email (sample included)
• As the world has gone high-tech, you must be __________-__________.
• The secret method that will exponentially increase first-time guest response and position you to receive God’s trust

SESSION 5: Connecting Second-Time Guests

This session will help you recognize the unique opportunities of second-time guests and how to maximize them. You will discover:

• Two essential areas in moving second-time guests to regular attenders
• One of the strongest indicators of the future health and growth of your church — and what you need to start measuring NOW
• The #1 connection opportunity you can make that will assimilate your second-time guests
• The compounding effect of the changes made to your welcome experience
• The right way to encourage engagement from your second-time guests
• The most important place you can focus your attention when it comes to second-time guests
• The critical communications that must happen within the first 36 hours and then the first 96 hours (and how they differ from first-time guests)
• Three effective ways that you can engage second-time guests for spiritual growth
• The one thing you must NEVER stop doing when following up with second-time guests
• The question you must ask yourself today — are you creating enough ___________________ in your church?

SESSION 6: From Regular Attender to Fully-Engaged Member

This session shows you how to keep moving your guests forward and lead them ultimately to membership. You will discover:

• The true indicator of a regular attender (and where you will notice it first)
• The critical step for a regular attender that must (always) precede church membership
• 4 identifying traits of a church member
• The two most important ways to move someone into membership
• What you should never run out of during this Assimilation process — or risk the development of your attenders
• An overlooked measurement of church health that you can — and should —immediately get a handle of
• The membership-building topic that’s missing from your preaching calendar
• 3 commitments you should regularly be asking from guests and regular attenders
• Breakdown of an impactful membership class, including format needs and sample documents

SESSION 7: Where to Start: The Keystone in the Entire Assimilation System

This session wraps up the systems and strategies you have learned and helps you create a plan of action to start immediately! You will discover:

• The one method you can start TOMORROW and see dramatic improvements to your Assimilation rate (it’s easier than you think!)
• How improving Assimilation will support ALL other areas of your church development
• A realistic timeframe for developing and affecting changes to your Assimilation strategy
• The two focuses at the core of an effective Assimilation system — remember this above all else!
• How you can continue to build your Assimilation system month-after-month yet in the shortest time possible