What you celebrate in your church matters… it matters when it comes to evangelism, discipleship and life charge. Today, I want to challenge you to celebrate the right things and see a greater blessing in those areas of your church. There is an old leadership principle that says, “That which gets rewarded gets repeated,” and I think that’s true. In … Read More
Learn the Key to “Closing the Back Door” With My New Webinar! – Still a few spots for Today or Tomorrow…
We’ve all heard (or said) this line: “We would be growing if we could just close the back door.” Well, the first key to “closing the back door” is eliminating the mistakes you’re making now in assimilating new people! After coaching over 1,200 Senior Pastors – of all types, church sizes, denominations, worship styles and geographic locations – I’ve identified … Read More
How to Keep More Guests and Model Generosity
Since writing the book Fusion I get a lot of questions about assimilation and how to get more first time guests to return to your church and ultimately become members. One question I get frequently involves the handwritten note and gift that I recommend you send to every first time guest. There’s nothing like a handwritten note to really show people … Read More
How to Know What Guests at Your Church Are Experiencing (Assimilation)
Some of the best feedback I get from alumni of my Coaching Networks is how much it helps them to have the accountability and direction in their reading during their time in the network. One of the books that we read recently in my Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network was a business book all about welcoming guests, and it had some … Read More
What Motivates Guests at Your Church?
One of the best parts of leading Coaching Networks is that I get to learn from what the other Pastors in the network are learning. Recently I received a thought-provoking email from Mike Sorcinelli, a member of my Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network and Lead Pastor of New Day Church in Springfield, Massachusetts. He had just finished reading one of the … Read More
The Power of a First Impression – Part 3 of 4 (Assimilation and Easter)
Today I’m continuing a series of posts about the importance of the first few minutes of a newcomer’s experience at your church (click here for Part 1 and Part 2). In fact, a First-Time Guest knows whether or not they’ll return to your church in the first seven minutes of their initial experience at your church. That’s before they hear … Read More
The Power of a First Impression – Part 2 of 4 (Assimilation and Easter)
Last week I started a new series of posts about the importance of the first few minutes of a newcomer’s experience at your church (click here for Part 1). In fact, a First-Time Guest knows whether or not they’ll return to your church in the first seven minutes of their initial experience at your church. That’s why the Pre-Service time … Read More
How to Challenge Your People to Take Next Steps Every Week
Having helped thousands of churches over the last few years with their assimilation system (through the Fusion book and training events, The Assimilation Seminar and The Assimilation Intensive), you might imagine that I get a lot of questions about the different aspects of Assimilation. One of the most high impact Assimilation techniques that I recommend is the Connection Card (you … Read More
The Power of “Because” in Leading Change at Your Church
“Given a big enough why people can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche Obviously, Nietzsche and I don’t agree on everything, but on this statement we do. And as a church leader, you need to learn this lesson well and repeatedly… The most powerful word for leading change in your church is BECAUSE. I brought this up in my … Read More
Is Assimilation too Expensive for You?
Last Thursday, I led The Fusion Webinar and have received a great deal of positive feedback and questions – I wanted to address one more of these questions today. Any time I start outlining the Assimilation process that I teach and use at The Journey (including weekly Connection Cards, pens on every bulletin, handwritten notes for newcomers, etc.), inevitably I’m … Read More