A 3 Day "Assimilation Solutions" Blast
Hey Sherpas!
Been thinking a lot about connecting people and how to do it over this past week after Easter. You know what I was mostly thinking? I was thinking about how grateful I am that we have been able to form solutions for what I consider to be the top three mistakes that most ministries make when it comes to assimilating new people to our churches. These were mistakes we were making and when we made some courageous steps toward new ways of doing things, we stumbled on to some real solutions that took us to new levels of connection.
These solutions helped us greatly this Easter at Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim California where we had...
- almost 11,800 people attend
- 188 guests exchange their contact info for a gift at Guest Central
- 182 people baptized, some of which didn't even plan on attending church that weekend!
What did that mean for me as a Sherpa?
- Making sure 188 people got a warm invite from Gene Appel (our SP) to the First Step with Gene dinner or luncheon.
- Watching our Guest Central Volunteers write a personal note with a gift card to our Cafe in them to each guests.
- Sending a video invite from me and a personal phone call to 182 people who I had the privilege of baptizing on Easter weekend, all to invite them to First Step with Gene last weekend where we fed over 200 people.
- Tending to a rare condition called "baptizers elbow", which can attack people like me after a weekend when you have to baptize more than 180 people...a workman's comp issue I am sure.*
So what were the mistakes that we found solutions for that made me so grateful this Easter?
I will be sending them to you in the form of a 3 day "Assimilation Solutions" blast that reveals how at one time, we were making what I call the top 3 assimilation mistakes that I see most ministries making these days. They are common, and the solutions are simple, though not always easy. But when it comes to overcoming things that aren't easy, meet one of the people I baptized on Easter.
This is Paige. She came to be baptized this Easter and overcame the challenge of not being able to move any of her limbs with the help of Steve who carried her out of her wheelchair and handing her to me to be baptized. If she can overcome paralysis to do something Jesus wants to do in her, certainly we can overcome any obstacle in our way to help people connect to Jesus' church.
So here's what to expect this week from me:
- One assimilation mistake and solution, every day for the next 3 days
- More opportunities to sign up for my CTA Base Camp on April 28-29.
On that last topic...Here's what Tim Wilkins, Next Steps Pastor at a multi-site church called South Hills Church in Corona Ca, said about the Base Camp:
"The CTA gathering confirmed what we are doing right and clarified the next steps that will take us to the next level. Greg and his team were insightful, inspiring, and authentically human. A great mix of theory, best practices, and group interaction. A definite MUST for anyone in the assimilation world."
Click here to find out more or to register. See you tomorrow!
* no such thing. My elbow is fine!
