What to do when you want to see different results (1 of 3)

It's been said that your church's ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results that you now see. The pivotal question is, would you like to see different results?

Your church's ministries have been designed to move your church in a specific direction. That direction has results built into it. For example, your church's ministries have been designed in the prayerful hope that your church will...

• widen its impact on individuals and families in your community

• see people experience the transformation that comes from following Jesus together

• connect well with the guests who God leads on to your campus and to its people.

• engage people in Spirit-empowered, sacrificial initiatives that change the lives of people all over the world

When it comes to us "Sherpa-types" who help people connect with others on this journey, we must realize that our assimilation ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results its currently producing.

Concurrent Truth: Change the design, change the results. 

Would you like to see different results this Spring and exponential results by Fall? You totally can. It will require these three things:

1. Identify a new design clearly

Outcome determines design. What do you secretly wish was coming out of your assimilation ministry that currently is not.? That is not the wrestling of an unspiritual soul. That is God stirring in you for the sake of people he loves. This stirring, when brought to the right environment, will result in a new design or even direction for your assimilation ministry. The surprising thing is that in many cases it is not a new direction but a few dial-turns that turn a greater number of guests into connected, serving members of the body of Christ that you serve in.

In many cases, it is not a new direction but a few dial-turns that turn a greater number of guests into connected, serving members of the body of Christ that you serve in.

2. Make a plan to implement that new design, one step at a time.

Whether a dial-turn or a fresh design, every positive move toward a greater vision of connecting guests and engaging new followers of Jesus is a simple step by step process. It doesn't role out all at once. That is why I love helping people develop a Sherpa Action Plan that is up to 12 months in length and is strategically designed around the 3 annual bumps in attendance. This allows them to achieve the best assimilation results possible.

3. Enjoy the new results.

No kidding. Over the last four years I have been able to serve churches of 80 to 20,000 in attendance from 7 different countries and counting. I have seen that by bringing Sherpa-types together, putting them in a positively charged and specifically designed environment, the new designs, strategies and dial-turns materialize fast. Once each step is taken, results are celebrated almost immediately.

I recently got this from Mike Firsch from Yucaipa Christian Church. He attended my CTA Base Camp one year ago. The specifics of this touched me big time and I share it with his permission:

Hi Greg, 

It's Mike from YCC.  Hope you're doing well.  I wanted to take a moment and say thank you.  I really appreciate your investment in me and our church.  The time you have given and the content you have shared has been so helpful.  Here's what God did through your help:

Last year we had 176 contact cards filled out.

This year we currently have 786 cards filled out 

Last year we averaged 18 people at First Step

This year we are averaging 41 people at First Step

Our small group numbers are growing (71% of adults are in groups now) and we're pumped for the new year.  We have set some big goals and believe we will hit them soon.  

Thank you for sharing your insight and giving us the opportunity to learn from what you're learning.  I appreciate your friendship and I'm praying for you, your family and for Eastside today.  Grace and peace ...

Did you catch that? They are capturing the contact info of 4 times the amount of guests they were before, over doubling the participation in their First Step environment and now have 71% of their adults in a small group. That now have a contagious culture for guest to be drawn into for the sake of Christ's work in them. New results celebrated!

• How many of your guests are you currently assimilating? (One way to determine this: divide YTD Guest Cards by the number of new volunteers added YTD. Or if you track it, new people added to small groups YTD. Both of these are valuable indicators of your churches assimilation rate). 

• How are these results directly ties to the design of your ministry? Be specific.

• Brainstorm 3 dial-turns and one possible wholistic design change that could bring you the results you want. Try one for a trial basis to gage effectiveness.