Today I’m answering another one of the most common questions from last week’s Fusion Webinar.

This is a great time to make changes to your church’s Assimilation System, just in time to follow up on all of your Easter guests.

Here’s today’s question:

Q: Why do you receive the offering at the end of the service?

A: I think I touched on this one in the webinar, but we get this question a lot.  The primary motivator for receiving the offering at the end of the service (after the message) has more to do with Assimilation than it does with Stewardship.

The percentage of people who complete and turn in Connection Cards is dramatically increased when they’re collected at the same time as the offering.

Keep in mind that in addition to the vital contact information on the front, each week’s Connection Card contains “Next Steps” that connect with the day’s message and a place to share prayer requests.

These Next Steps and Prayer Requests don’t get filled out until during the message, so we don’t want to collect them until the end of the service.

For more information on how preaching for next steps ties in with the other elements of worship, check out this post that Coaching Alumni Travis Johnson wrote for me a while back.

I hope that helps!

Easter is only 11 days away – is your church ready to welcome the first time guests that are coming your way?

P.S. For the most advanced Assimilation training available, consider immediately downloading The Assimilation Intensive.

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.