Volume 1, Number 8
MAKING INTENTIONAL ASSIMILATION A TOP PRIORITY
Finding prospects, winning people, and helping them develop as Christians is not enough unless they are tied spiritually, emotionally, and relationally to a vibrant church. That means a church must intentionally assimilate new people into the life and work of the church. But how? Here’s a starting list of discussion ideas you may want to share with your decision-making groups:
v Create talking points—Give your members something worthwhile, novel, and interesting to invite their neighbors, family, and friends to attend. Simply “come to our church” doesn’t work well.
v Church information classes—Offer church information classes instead of membership classes. Offer them in an interesting seminar format. Along with the usual church membership class issues like doctrine, history, and lifestyle, be sure to include testimonies of recent new members. Include a discussion of mission and opportunities to serve.
v Director of assimilation—Since your church may not be large enough to have a minister of assimilation, why not read all the assimilation material you can find and then share the ideas with a volunteer? Their main task will be to see that new people are intentionally and effectively drawn in into church life and ministry.
v Phone visits—Be sure that every new person is visited at least once a week by phone. Establish a schedule of who is to call and when. A phone call offers contact, encouragement, and often the impact of a personal visit while respecting the person’s personal time. Develop a “tele-care” ministry.
v Track newcomers—Keep track of who visits and when. Give special follow up to those who visit more than once. A prospect who visits three times in a two-month period is likely to be a very strong prospect for your church.
v Update facilities—Fresh paint and new carpeting make an incredible difference. Too often we get used to seeing things the way they are rather than the way they should be. Recruit fresh eyes to help you see your facility for what it is.
v Follow up—Follow up on visitors in ways they will appreciate, rather than in ways it has always been done. Letters, phone calls, e-mails, handwritten invitations, special dinners for guests, and “let’s get coffee” are all methods which can work well.
v Enhance genuine friendliness—Many friendly churches are friendly only with their regular attendees. Often visitors are overlooked or ignored. Teach friendliness and make its expression a high priority. Many visitors are shy and need someone to welcome them genuinely (and privately).
These assimilation ideas are digested from The Issachar Factor: Understanding Trends that Confront Your Church, by Glen Martin and Gary McIntosh (Broadman and Holman).
WHY NOT HAVE A GREAT MARRIAGE?
Standard marital roles have all but disappeared from our practice and vocabulary. It is important for ministry partners to understand their relationships fully and discover innovative ways to build a satisfying marriage. Here are seven ideas from the book (written for couples) Married to a Pastor:
v Become proactive. Establish priorities, see possibilities, develop solutions, and take action. Define ministry for yourself and your spouse before someone else does it for you.
v Emphasize benefits. More people love you than you think. More people care about you than you think. More people pray for you than you think.
v Check your perspective. Fanning faith in others often creates a live-and-let-live style that is attractive for them and for you. Planting seeds of faith in oneself and others and watching the plant grow on God’s timetable is fun and gratifying.
v Let God empower you for change. Change is here to stay. Draw on old resources to fashion the future. Enjoy spiritual fulfillment by applying your commitment, creativity, imagination, and achievement to what God wants done where you are.
v Free yourself from stoic self-pity. A sullen mood often places a lid of limitation on everything we do in ministry. Try focusing on the reality that Christ-quality lives can be enjoyed regardless of yesterday’s scars or tomorrow’s demands.
v Become a person of depth and quality. Becoming a quality minister means you are pleasing to God, at peace with your soul, and useful to the people you serve. Quality people keep Jesus as the centerpiece of their service.
v Commit to holy character. A shallow religion is never a satisfying substitute for authentic Christianity. Being whole provides stamina and satisfaction for everything else.
Let’s celebrate the fact—making your marriage a great one makes life more satisfying and enables you to give more effective service to Christ and His Church.
EXPLODING LEADERSHIP MYTHS
Layer upon layer of old ways of thinking, outdated notions, and impractical practices keep pastors and parishioners from developing a common dream for their future together. If they could communicate openly, many of these issues would evaporate—or at least lose their sting. Why not explode these myths:
Myth 1—Problems get smaller with silence. When you deny problems you are closing your eyes to the symptoms of the disease. Left alone long enough, many diseases can become lethal. Think of what untreated disease can cause.
Myth 2—Your opinion is the truth. Some folks try to control decisions by saying “God told me” or “It’s a proven fact . . .” Honestly labeling opinions as opinions helps take the heat out of discussions and allows for strong, productive communication.
Myth 3—Someone must be blamed. When a problem is discovered, the first words spoken are often, “Who caused it?” The most important facet in refusing to play the blame game is for individuals to accept responsibility for their conduct, to own what is rightfully theirs, and then show the same mercy to others that they hope others will show them.
Myth 4—Conflict must be avoided at any cost. All progress requires change for someone. Change often creates resistance, and resistance means conflict. The objective is to manage conflict so it is creative and useful—not destructive.
Myth 5—Nitpickers and perfectionists should not be offended. Sometimes nitpickers need to be confronted with one word, “Stop!” Beyond that, evaluate all criticism to see what is true, then ignore the rest.
Myth 6—What has been must always be. More churches are dying for change than are dying because of it. Traditions are good when they are celebrated but they are deadly when they are worshipped.
Myth 7—My excuses are valid. Excuses are a way we let ourselves off for making service to Christ and the church a low priority. We cannot rationalize our behavior by saying, “I am only a volunteer.” After all, who was it that you volunteered to serve?”
Myth 8—My experience works in every situation. Saying, “This is how it worked in my other church” isn’t necessarily a good argument for trying something where you are presently. No church is like it once was or like the one of our childhood. Lead your church to live in the present moment.
Myth 9—Our pastor should do better. Every church decision-making group would do itself a great favor by regularly affirming the pastor’s strengths. Celebrate his/her character, commitments, and competencies. In such an atmosphere of accepting affirmation, many pastors will stretch to be as good as people think they should be. An affirmation groundswell often starts with the pastor affirming the strengths of the laity.
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