We got some great questions this week on the latest Unseminary "All About Multi-site" podcast. Questions dealing with: Centralizing or Decentralizing your budgets for your campuses, pros and cons of church planting versus multi-site venues, the role of social media and technology in reaching people, and more.

If you have been unsure about how to get your team on the same page about first impressions, here is the most easily accessible and power packed resource I have heard of. I am so looking forward to being a part of this unique event. Here is why I am so excited to recommend it to you:

I shared what this looks like for small churches in this podcast I did with Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig of 200 Churches, a ministry specifically targeted at encouraging and resourcing churches under 200 in attendance (which is 90% of the church in America!).

We (unseminary's All About Multisite podcast team) had a very interesting conversation on growth barriers on our campuses. In this podcast, I  function as our guest connections and assimilation resource. We address outreach, children's ministry, and assimilation barriers in this discussion with Rich Birch,  Become part of the conversation on this second All About Multisite podcast.

There’s a person on our staff team at church who helps volunteers provide WOW experiences for guests during our Easter services each year. Her name is Shelly Hall, she oversees Guest Services and she is the most dedicated, hospitable, above and beyond WOW-Factor provider I know. When I asked her in passing this week what she and her team were planning to do for guests this Easter, this is what she told me.

I'm way excited to introduce to you Unseminary's new podcast all about multisite! I’m chatting monthly with a group of multisite ninjas on this podcast hosted by Rich Birch where we will answer your questions about the ins and outs of launching new campuses.  Here's our panel as described by Unseminary...

This is THE most important message I could have posted this year. In this this short 6-minute video, I share 4 reasons why churches in our culture need a church-wide strategy for connecting guests. I guarantee that some of these you have not considered and your leadership hasn't either.

What we learned at our last Christmas services could double the amount of guests who make themselves known to you this Easter. It could also double the amount of guests we ultimately connect with through our assimilation strategy.

Believe it or not, it already has!

The 6+ minute video below is one I recorded for some of our volunteer champs who wanted me to give them some ideas for increasing the amount of volunteers placed, especially after recent volunteer sign up efforts. If that's you, and you could use more volunteers this Christmas or in the early part of next year, take a moment and listen to this.

There are 3 cures for process breakdown that will empower your church's assimilation strategy. Each of them grants exponential growth to your process of connecting guests to the life of your church. Read on to identify them before Christmas hits, and make a New Year's Resolution to apply them more fully by Easter.  

New unseminary Podcast: The problem that most churches experience is not necessarily getting first time guests, but rather getting those guests to stay, and that is Greg’s area of expertise at Eastside. He’s here with us today to talk about the scalable assimilation strategy Eastside transitioned to since the last time we had him on the show.

There is a condition or better put, a "pseudo-structure" that breaks down healthy processes in churches all across the world right now. Find out what this condition is and the 4 symptoms that can reveal whether your church has it or not.

The human body is equipped to do some remarkable things, especially when one of it's processes get's interrupted. The Body of Christ is equipped to do some remarkable things as well when processes and systems get disrupted. Not all these things are good, especially if they last for too long. Discover what they are and the 3 causes for process breakdown in this first of a 3 part series on causes and cures of process problems in your church.

There is a "Stickiness" that can planted in your church if it's not already there. Once planted, it will grow. Watch this video and think about or discuss the questions below to plant something new in your church culture for the sake of guests. 

Sometimes you have to dig a little to unearth the factor that makes people stick to your church. Where do you break ground first? In this 1 and half minute video, learn where to start and how to dig.

Naming your church's "X Factor" when it comes to connecting guests is an interesting, productive and even fun discussion to have with your team. Watch this 2-minute video and answer 3 questions to learn exactly how to do it.

There is just one main reason people are coming to your church instead of going someplace else on Sundays. It's the same reason I drove to Big Bear today. Discover it and leverage it to connect more people to what God is doing at your church in this season of its life. This is the intro to a 4 part vlog you will find very interesting...

Here are some thoughts that came my way after we were evacuated from our home and returned after the fire had been contained. 

Joe and I had a blast being interviewed by Nick Blevins on his Family Ministry Podcast. Nick's podcast is a must for anyone serving families in any way through the local church. Joe Schmaltz oversees Next Gen Ministries at Eastside and is a good friend. I thought I would share this with all Sherpas who are helping families make the climb toward a more vital connection with a local church.

In the wake of all that has happened to so many in the US over the last few weeks, I started looking for 2 things:

1. Were Jesus' followers stepping into the need and coming along side others during these crisis?

2. Did they do it in a way that would involve people new to their churches or even outside of them?

Here's what I found...