Breakout Session 1 Following up- Assimilating New Families Into the Church

Ken Thomas Gabe Norris – Connect Ministries

Non negotiable things that must be in place for follow up to be effective

  • There has been a 300 % increase in unchurched from 1991 to 2015
  • Every generation is on the decline for church attendance
  • 4-5% chance that someone will accept Christ after the age of 18
  • Just did an event…what do we do next?
  • Myth- follow up starts when the event ends

4 Ingredients for Effective Follow up:

  1. Research
    What are they doing?
    Where do they spend their money?
    What are the demographics?
    Are you friends with unchurched people?
    Do you know what the apps they are downloading now are. WHAT movies they are seeing? What their patterns are?

Not just do you know about them but do you know them.

Tools to learn more about the people in your community:

  • Chamber of commerce
  • Observation
  • Listening groups
  • Google

Are you going to them or are you asking them to come to you?

Research is the first step to relevance.

  1. Define success and set the goals
  2. What is your strategy? Can you crystal clear articulate your strategy? And can the people around you do the same?

Chick fil a number one strategy is to create raving fans. Someone who is willing to pay full price, come more often, and talk to more people about it

3 practical things they do every day:

  1. Operational excellence- at the very best of everything they do
  2. 2nd mile service- not just take your order at the counter they are going to bring your food to you sometimes even escort you to your table.
  3. Emotional connections- not going to do just breakfast lunch dinner but do daddy daughter dinners. We are trying to connect with your heart.

3 things to help you implement strategy:

  1. Create a thorough timeline
  2. Pre, during and post event plan
  3. Everyone knows their role
  1. Training-

Training created alignment even when something that may have taken them off course didn’t.

Strategy will create an alignment that is hard to beat
Maybe not everyone in our boat understands what the strategy is… It doesn’t happen by accident it requires intense training

Alignment creates momentum.
Momentum creates results.
Results creates culture.

  • Why- They need to be trained on the why. Why we are doing what we are doing and what the goal is.
  • What- they may not have a clear understanding of what we are trying to accomplish.
  • Who- who is the event or program for. Who are we after?
  • How- the how is determined by who…your demographics

Would our volunteers know what the next step for the unchurched, de churched, lost, Do you have a training plan in place?

Does following up and assimilating families into the life of your church truly align the culture of your church?

From follow up to assimilation