| Assimilation
NAD Missionaries Conference
June 9, 2014
Purpose of this presentation - Provide a forum to discuss problems and solutions to assimilation in our own ministry context.
Memorial: NAD2014 Assimilation
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#1 Our district spans a huge amount of land and culture. Therefore ministry styles are going to be different. Our hope is that you can simply see what we do and maybe take some ideas home with you that might be helpful in your context.
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#2 We are far from perfect examples of this.
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Whereas our youth confirmands are leaving about as fast as we can confirm them,
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Whereas we get around 100-150 first time visitors a year but our Adult confirmations are only a small portion of that.
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Whereas if all the WELS people in NYC came to our church on a Sunday we would have hundreds of people in church every week.
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Therefore be it resolved . . . we have to do something. We have to show them that not only God’s Word is important for their lives, but so is church.
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AND Therefore be it resolved that we have to show them that not only is church important for their lives but they are important for the church.
Respectfully submitted:
Rev. Dan Olson
Rev. Tim Bourman
Getting Started
Share with the group your church’s assimilation statistics? (Assimilation Ration: Number of new members divided by number of first time visitors)
What problems have you experienced with assimilation?
Vision 2014 (toward engaged members)
From First Sight to Engaged Membership:
The Steps
Step One: First Response Team and CRM
Group Discussion:
What improvements would you like to see within your congregation’s first response to visitors?
Are you content with your congregation’s CRM?
Suggested Resources:
Fusion
Welcoming Worship
Prospect Management: Its Getting Easier
Step Two: The Pastoral Visit
Step Three: Evangelism Team
Group Discussion:
What do you like/dislike about Sure Foundation’s approach?
What are some useful strategies for an evangelism meeting, which result in more personal visits being made by the pastor and lay people?
Step Four: Small Groups
Their history at Sure Foundation
Their purpose at Sure Foundation
Group Discussion:
Is a small group ministry worth looking into within your context?
How can you make your own education program more relevant, exciting, and aimed at assimilation?
Suggested Resources:
Sticky Church
Bible Class Commercials from Sure Foundation
Here We Stand
Canonicity
Step Five: Role of BIC
Group Discussion:
What does BIC look like for you?
How do you invite people into membership?
Step Six: Sure Foundation Orientation
Group Discussion:
Should membership have a higher bar?
Should we transfer WELS people if they are not fully engaged members?
Suggested Resources:
Sure Foundation Orientation Materials
Step Seven: Elders Program
Group Discussion:
How does your own elders program compare?
Assimilation flow chart for the WELS Transfer:
Worship visitor – First Response Team – Pastoral Visit – Evangelism Team – Small Groups / Bible Study – Orientation – Service – Reception as fully engaged member - Elders
Assimilation flow chart for unchurched:
Worship visitor – First Response Team – Pastoral Visit – BIC / Evangelism Team – Small Group / Bible Study – Orientation – Service – Reception as fully engaged member – Elders
Group Discussion – Take Aways
What assimilation ideas mentioned would work in your ministry context?
What other ideas are worth mentioning to the group?
What three ideas will each of you take to your congregation to help with assimilation?
How do these ideas help with the struggles you wrote down at the beginning of the presentation?
NAD Missionaries Conference | June 9, 2014
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