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Dropping Eggs from a Helicopter…

March 17th, 2008

As we reminisce about our two short years in existence there are several major events that stand out; spontaneously baptizing 426 over two Sundays, putting up a football field size tent for 2,300 people to worship under at one time for our capital campaign, our one year anniversary live CD recording and the list goes on and on.Â

But the one that we get asked about the most about was our ambitious effort to create an Easter event unlike anything the city of Charlotte had ever seen…

Dropping thousands of eggs from a helicopter may have started as a joke, but it quickly turned into reality. We aggressively planned a strategy to bless the city and get our name into the community. The outcome could not have been scripted any better. The day was picture perfect day with over 2,000 people in attendance. To better appreciate the magnitude of what was pulled off you need to know that we were less than a few months old as a church, had around 150 people in attendance and we basically emptied the checking account to make it happen.

Because we did an unthinkable “egg drop,â€? numerous churches from around the country were inspired to do their own egg drop. Throughout the year, we receive a large number of calls asking for more information and now with Easter quickly approaching, we receive even more. Because of this, we want to link you to a helpful “Egg Drop Manualâ€?. It was created by a good friend of Elevation as they pulled off their egg drop. It will give you everything you need to know about how to host an egg drop from minute details to scheduling of the day.Â

We’ve also included a few key principles to keep in mind when planning:
Don’t expect people to show up because you drop eggs – We did not expect anyone to show up on Sunday mornings because of the egg drop and that’s exactly what happened. The benefit comes in name recognition. We now have people showing up that attended the egg drop but that’s because the name recognition has been reinforced through a personal invitation from a friend or family member who has visited Elevation.
Prizes bring the people – If you want people to show up you have to give away great prizes. We advertised x-boxes, ipods, and a large screen TV. It cost a ton of money, but it was worth every cent.
Don’t bait and switch – Be a blessing to your city. Don’t ask all these people to come out expecting a great event and give them a church service. Know your audience and give them what you promise.
Simple – Do an egg drop with excellence and have a few ancillary activities. Start on time and keep it short and sweet.Â
Don’t be cheap – To do it right you’re going to have to spend some money.
Be different – Thousands of churches and communities do an egg hunt. How can your event be an “Are you kidding me?!â€? event… something so big and outrageous people stop and notice?Â

Larry Brey, Assimilation Pastor

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Start with the end in mind…

March 12th, 2008

The end product of assimilation process is that new people are added into the mix…to end in the right place means you need to start off in the right direction. If you are a growing church with new people walking through your doors there is a reality that you must understand….you can’t assimilate what you don’t know. I don’t care who you are, you can’t get around this simple fact….you can’t assimilate a nameless person.Â

One of the basic building blocks of church growth, at least at Elevation Church, is to figure out who is showing up.The life line of our data collection process is our Connection Card.Â

As a part of our worship guide we have a perforated tear out card called the Connection Card. Our Sunday morning experience is centered on our guests and creating such an overwhelming experience there is an increased likelihood they will fill one out.Â

For instance, we have designated parking for first time guests. We have a volunteer team called the First Time Guest team whose sole responsibility is to connect with our guests in a meaningful way and put a gift in their hands as a way of expressing our gratitude for worshipping with us.Â

We even design our worship experiences with our guests in mind. We want them to understand everything that happens so they don’t feel out of place or like an outsider. In every worship experience we have some form of announcements where we invite our guests to fill out the “connection card� and encourage them to turn it in at the first time guest area where we put the free gift in their hands.

Our goal in making people feel welcome, relaxed and free from distractions, ultimately puts them in a place where they are more likely to respond to the gospel and hear the voice of God. Because we go the extra mile to make people feel like we are glad they showed up, they are more likely to give us their information on a Connection Card.Â

Obtaining a guest’s information is significant. It means they trust you enough and enjoyed the experience enough to let you know there were there. It means that you are now ready to begin the follow up process and send them strategic communications to increase the likelihood they will come back.

As you think through this somewhat simple process, you will see the profound impact it can have on your church.Â

How do you go about obtaining your guests information?Â
What message do you communicate in the process of gaining the information?Â
Is your Sunday morning experience guest friendly?Â

As you wrestle with these questions you’ll soon begin to see how to make it easier for your guests to give you their information; ultimately increasing the likelihood they will return a second time.

Larry Brey, Assimilation Pastor Â

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The Backdoor

March 4th, 2008

Buzzwords come and go in every industry or line of business. The church world has not only embraced this philosophy, it has overdosed on it. A concept is thrown out there and it takes off like wild fire. People start claiming the new tag line and running with it. Churches will implement a statement without ever really understanding the principles behind it. The most effective thing you as a church leader can do is to burrow the principle and develop your own practices. Gain an understanding of the “why” and than develop your own “what”.

Let me give you an example. A big buzz word in the assimilation world is to “close the backdoor.” It’s a series of practices developed around the premise of how we can keep people. Retention is a great philosophy, but the way in which the “close the backdoor” philosophy is applied is anything by a great practice. In many ways it can actually be an extremely devastating practice in church wreaking havoc on its culture. This theory states that you should have a big front door and a small back door in an attempt to keep everyone who shows up on Sunday mornings. At Elevation we don’t want all people who walk through our doors to join the team; we want the “right” people to join the team. When I say “right” people, I mean those that line up with our philosophy of ministry, those who believe that being a part of a church means rolling up your sleeves and engaging in the life of the church. The “right” people are those looking to put their faith into action and become part of a body of believers who labor to create an experience where those who are far can be filled with life in Christ.

Don’t get me wrong we have a huge, I mean gargantuan, front door for those who need to experience Christ. That’s the mission of Elevation!!! That’s why we’ve seen over 1,300 people give their lives to Christ in the past year. But when it comes to allowing people to become a part of the ministry through actively participating in the life of the church, we have a small door because it’s not for everyone. It’s for those who whole heartedly believe in the vision of Elevation and desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. People who want to show up every week and take up a seat and “get fed” will fall by the wayside.Â

Our philosophy is - the best way to close the back door is to keep some people from getting in the front door.

As you evaluate your own church and assimilation strategy ask yourself a few questions.Â

What is the vision of your church? What do you want the culture of your church to look like? What does it mean to be a part of your church? Who does Sunday morning exist for, is it for the exhortation of the believer or is it for those who are far from God? Based upon how you answer the questions will tell you a lot about what your doors need to look like. Don’t just burrow a practice, understand the principles behind it and develop your own practices. So what ever you do with your doors be intentional, become what God has called your church to be.

Larry Brey, Assimilation Pastor

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The loving side of Guest Services

January 24th, 2008

Each week hundreds of volunteers labor in guest services to create an experience where people are welcomed in a way that makes them feel accepted and loved so that by the time they sit in the auditorium they are freed from distractions. We work so hard because we want people relaxed so that their entire focus is on the gospel being preached. It is accomplished through smiling greeters who are actually glad people show up, parking guys who are the first face of Christ for many and our ushers helping people find the seat where their life has the potential to be changed. I truly believe our volunteers get the connection between what they do and people coming to faith in Christ. They see the fruit of their labors when hands go up in response to an invitation or when they hear a story of someone’s life that was changed through Elevation.Â

One of the areas where guest services become a little sticky is in our auditorium. It’s the place where our ushers seat people so they can enjoy our worship experiences. There is a mind set in many who have a history in church that they can sit anywhere they want on a Sunday morning. There’s an expectation that they shouldn’t have to sit next to anyone.Â

Well that’s the exact opposite of our philosophy at Elevation. We sit people from the front of the room to the back squeezing everyone toward the middle. Our goal is to have as few as open seats as possible to create a level of excitement in the room.Â

Along with that we do allow children in the auditorium, but if they are under the age of 5 they need to sit toward the back in reserved rows and if they become a distraction they will be asked to leave.Â

Lastly, if someone gets up from their seat and leaves the auditorium during the sermon they will not be allowed to return to their seat. They will be graciously escorted to sit in a seat in the back of the auditorium when they return.

Sounds kind of harsh doesn’t it? The fact that we don’t let people sit anywhere they want or if someone leaves during the sermon we don’t let them return to their seat can sound down right mean, but it’s actually the most loving thing we can do. All it takes is one crying child for someone who needs Christ to be distracted. All it takes is one person walking down the isle for someone’s focus to be taken off of the gospel. The most loving thing we can do is to remove all distractions and allow people to experience the love of Christ. Most churches wouldn’t dare do some of the things we do because they don’t want to offend anyone. At Elevation, the most offensive thing we could do would be to see someone far from God come to a worship experience and leave unaffected because of the distractions going on around them.

Most of the people who are offended by what we do in the auditorium are people who have grown up in church because they have never seen it done our way. The people who are far from God usually have no problem with way we do because they don’t have a history entrenched in churchianity and are used to concerts where you’re assigned a seat not expecting much elbow room.Â

The most loving thing we can do on Sunday morning is to passionately and uncompromisingly run after our vision of seeing people far from God filled with life in Christ. Who are you loving on Sunday mornings and how are you loving them? For Elevation it’s simple, we’ll always be more concerned with who we’re trying to reach than who we’re trying to keep.

Larry Brey, Assimilation Pastor

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