Once you have effectively welcomed your new church friends and introduced them to key leaders and potential friends in your congregation, the final major piece of your early assimilation efforts is the newcomer’s orientation. Somehow, you must communicate the core components of life in your church if you expect people to engage that life with
Month: April 2013
Assimilation – Putting the Pieces Together Part 6
How do your new friends learn about the ministries of your church? If your answer is “Sunday morning announcements,” I think I might have some bad news for you. While making announcements in services is a subject deserving of its own blog, the truth is that these aren’t as effective as you hope. Even where
Assimilation – Putting the Pieces Together Part 5
As a pastor, no one was more on my Sunday morning radar than people I hadn’t met before. I wanted to connect with every guest, and I tried to prepare my regular attenders for that priority. We managed our congregation in three services, and that kept the crowd for each under 500 so I could
Assimilation – Putting the Pieces Together Part 4
If you made contact with your first-time guest within 24-36 hours of their visit to your church, you have already significantly increased the likelihood that they will visit your church again. But a second effort–a midweek contact–can be a great way to make a deeper connection. The days of home visitation, at least the way
Assimilation – Putting the Pieces Together Part 3
So yesterday was Easter…a huge day for many churches. Hope yours was one of them. Like most churches, you likely met a few new folks on Easter Sunday. Alongside Christmas, Easter is a prime day for people to visit church. And if you were able to obtain a few guest names, well not there’s some
Healthy Church Network 