Helping churches to grow numerically and spiritually.
Today, as we near the end of this series of posts, let’s discuss the “N” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door. The “N” stands for Notice What’s Happening with People. Every church needs a way to keep up with people and to track their progress toward successful assimilation. Several affordable, customizable…
Okay, let’s look at the “I” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door which stands for Invite People to Lunch. Andy Stanley says, “we are a culture craving relationship.” Oscar Thompson said, “The most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is the word relationship.” Inviting someone to lunch is…
In this post, I will focus on the “S” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door. “S” stands for Start A Membership Class. See The Importance of a Membership Class for more information. A membership class can play a vital role in member retention. The class should be taught by the senior pastor and he…
In this series, we’ve been looking at ways to help our churches grow by assimilating newcomers and new members into the life of the church. In this post we will look at the “O” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door. For most churches, the Sunday School classes or the small groups serve as…
In my last post, I pointed out that the “C” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door stands for Creating A Welcoming Environment. Creating a welcoming environment involves OPENING the front door of your church in order to increase the number of first-time guests. A church cannot grow without visitors. The “L” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the…
The “C” in C.L.O.S.I.N.G. the Back Door stands for Creating A Welcoming Environment. Two of the keys to church growth is getting more people to visit and then keeping them once they do. In order to keep them long-term, they must be assimilated through relationship-building and church involvement. As a pastor, take the necessary…
Tomorrow evening, some of my buddies and I are kicking off an eight-stop assimilation tour across the state of Kentucky. The tour spreads through March – May of this year. Joining me on the tour will be Darryl Wilson from The Sunday School Revolutionary along with our Kentucky Baptist Strategists, Glen Cummins, Mike James,…
When it comes to assimilation, relationship-building is most important, but other key factors exist. Another way to improve the rate-of-return of first-time guests is by improving the worship service. Without question, innovative churches like Willow Creek Community Church, Saddleback Community Church, Granger Community Church, Fellowship Church, and North Point Community Church have…
“Jesus, the apostles, the Bible — all indicate by word or deed that our focus is to be on people, through meaningful relationships.” George Barna In How to Build Relationships, Part 1 we touched on three practical relationship-building tips. In addition to these three tips, here are some additional tips…
“We are a culture craving relationship. In the midst of our crowded existence, many of us are living lonely lives. We live and work in a sea of humanity, but we end up missing out on the benefits of regular, meaningful relationships.” Andy Stanley I emphasized the connection between relationship-building…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.