I did a workshop recently at  the Disciple Leaders Network conference on the topic of "How to think about and map out an effective assimilation strategy."  The host team asked us to make it a working time so that participants could walk away with some tools on our topics.  I thought I'd share mine here as well. 

I started by introducing our view of assimilation as a network of buckets and workflows.  Buckets are the groups, events, responses, steps, etc. in which we gather people with the same interests.  Workflows help us move them from one bucket (group) to another.  Here's the illustration I used in the workshop.

The French writer, poet, and aviation pioneer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery famously said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish."  

Easter was just a couple of weeks ago.  Hopefully, your church saw lots of visitors and twice-a-year attenders. How has your follow-up with these people gone?  Are you working the plan or was your goal for them to return really just a wish?

I was at a church in recent months and shot the QR code to fill out the communication card.  One of the options was to talk with a pastor.  I had a couple of questions, so I checked that box. 

A short time later I received an email back confirming that I filled out the card and would be contacted.  I never was.

Personally, I'm okay.  I know that church staff are busy and church systems often fail.  Plus, I don't want to have an over-inflated view of my value to them.  That feels prideful.

However, professionally, I'm not okay with that.  It's hard enough to get guests to respond, but if they do and we don't follow through, what does that say?   

We've been through a traumatic few years in the life of our country.  It is the topic of sermons, podcasts, blog posts, conferences, books, and everyday conversations.  But, for some of the people in your congregation the trauma has been far greater than for others.  And it may have nothing to do with either Covid or culture. 

The trauma I'm speaking of is the loss of a spouse, family member, or close friend.  It is during these dark times that the church often shines the brightest.  And, when it does the spouse or family members are forever grateful for the encouragement, prayer, help, and care they receive. 

Happy week after Easter.  You likely spent a lot of time preparing for last Sunday and now it's over.  Hopefully, you had a lot of guests and collected their information. 

I know you're exhausted, but you really need to follow up with these people. You'll be tempted to do something simple like a single "thank you" letter or email to invite them back.  But, you worked so hard!  Why not take follow up to a new level by setting up a drip campaign to continue to serve them?  The difference is bigger than you think and it's easier to do than you think.

Last week we focused on our new Text upgrades rollout, which, by the way, is a game-changer if you missed it.  This week, I'm back to my Life Happened series talking about how technology can help the church navigate the change we've seen the last three years.  The 7 topics for this series came out of the voice of the customer research we recently did to try to pinpoint what actually changed.

Matthew 6:21 says, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  So, one sign of how much an individual or family treasures your church is their giving.  

The Roundtable this Thursday starts our discussion on workflows.  We'll have different users share some of their favorites and brainstorm possibilities for using this powerful feature.  But, with Easter coming soon, I thought it would be good to consider how workflows might help with Easter communication.  

The ways churches are meeting at this point in the pandemic are as diverse as the church itself.  I know great churches that haven't met live on Sundays since March of last year.  And I know great churches that have been meeting live since July and now don't even require masks or social distance.  This is the beauty of God's design and the difference in the communities our churches serve.