By unSeminary: Welcome to this week’s unSeminary podcast! This week I’m chatting with a repeat guest, Danny Franks, Pastor of Guest Services at The Summit Church. The Summit Church has twelve locations around North Carolina and the heart of the church is set on sending. They continually want their people to be asking: how does God want to use me and send me?

As a church grows, it’s not uncommon for the culture and DNA to get watered down. The Summit Church realized that as they launched more campuses and moved to a central model, the guest experience looked drastically different from one campus to another. Listen in as Danny shares how to examine your church’s DNA and replicate it by developing high-capacity volunteers that will in turn invest in others.

We can’t send people that we don’t keep. // In order to be a good sending church, we first need to learn how to be a good receiving church. For The Summit Church this meant taking a good look at their guest services experience at each of their campuses. Guest services covers a person’s visit from the street to the seat and everything in between. It’s about making sure the church is doing everything it can to help its guests know that they’ve been expected, planned for, and that the church is excited to have them return.What is your DNA? // To create a uniform guest services experience at each of your campuses, first ask: What is our DNA when it comes to caring for guests? It will be a process to talk through who the church is and what it looks like to welcome guests well and help them take their next step toward the gospel. After a lot of prayer and discussion through these questions, Danny developed a High-Capacity Volunteer Cohort to help communicate the church’s DNA surrounding guest services clearly to all the campuses.Identify your high-capacity volunteers. // The High-Capacity Volunteer Cohort is an eight-month journey where a small group of two to five volunteers from each campus come together. At The Summit Church there are about thirty volunteers that are a part of the Cohort at one time. They meet each month for an hour and a half to discuss books and principles that help everyone understand what the church’s DNA is. The books cover a wide swath of topics and serve as a springboard for the monthly conversation and there is always a practical component to what they teach. Ultimately the goal of the Cohort is to equip volunteers to be better leaders.Invest and Influence. // As the Pastor of Guest Services, Danny has a dotted line relationship with the Guest Services Directors at each campus. They report directly to the campus pastor and may be responsible for guest services as well as things like small groups and membership. Sometimes all of their responsibilities feel like an impossible task but when they are identifying high-capacity volunteers who are in turn trained, they are replicating themselves in a smaller group that can then go on to invest in and influence others. The Cohort process has allowed the Directors to be more like shepherds and less like administrators. And it’s empowered volunteers to find areas of need where they can pitch in and help with specific problems.Where to begin? // You don’t have to be a multisite church or a mega church to start a High-Capacity Volunteer Cohort. Any leader should be looking for who their high-capacity people are and invest in them. The first question to ask as a leader is what’s the win? What are you trying to accomplish with this cohort? What is your timeframe? Your cohort doesn’t have to last 8 months – you can do a smaller, focused version over six weeks. Next define the parts of that DNA that you want to clearly communicate. If you have trouble identifying who your high-capacity volunteers are, that may indicate there is a problem with your leadership pipeline. Something needs to shift to make sure you are regularly identifying and bringing in those potential high-capacity people. Also be aware of not having a clear end goal in sight. For more tips on how to begin, download this PDF: High-Capacity Volunteer Cohort: A How-To Guide.Resources for your cohort. // Danny has a wealth of resources on his website, including articles, workshops, training events, a coaching network and more, that you can access by visiting dfranks.com. In addition, a great book to read with your cohort would be “People are the Mission: How Churches Can Welcome Guests Without Compromising the Gospel“. In it Danny shows churches how to take a balanced approach to hospitality by developing ministries that are guest-friendly from the outset and gospel-centric to their core. Churches will learn not only how to effectively bring people in and convince them to stay, but also why our hospitality to honor the stranger doesn’t stand in opposition to honoring the Savior. Lastly, download this PDF for an overview of The Summit Church’s High-Capacity Volunteer Cohort: Guest Services 2020.

To connect with Danny Franks, reach out to him on Twitter @letmebefranks, and learn more about The Summit Church by visiting their website.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

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Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe

Is your church ready? Are you re-opening? Ready to welcome MORE people to worship and grow with your church? Are you out of space or are your interiors dated and needing improvement?

The architecture and design team at Risepointe want to help you align your facility with the mission and vision that God has given your church. That’s why Risepointe developed The Needs Analysis. The Needs Analysis is a comprehensive look at your site to seat experience through the lens of your first time guests. Learn more by visiting www.theneedsanalysis.com. Let them know you heard about The Needs Analysis on unSeminary for $500 off!

Source: Practical Strategy for Developing High-Capacity Volunteers with Danny Franks

The post Practical Strategy for Developing High-Capacity Volunteers with Danny Franks appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By NewChurches.com: In Episode 538 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss why it is important to be an equipper who develops equippers.

“My team is full of doers, not equippers. What do I do?”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Where to start in shifting from doing to equipping
The difference between A players and B players

 Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“You reproduce what you are. So if you are a doer, you are going to reproduce doers.” – @toddadkins
“Audit your story of what your church is about and what your specific ministry is about and how you develop people.” – @toddadkins
“People have to have a heart shift as much as a mind shift.” – @toddadkins
“It’s up to them to think about who they are recruiting and they have to put a plan together for themselves on their own personal development.” – @toddadkins
“Understand what the competencies are of an A player and get working on that.” – @toddadkins
“The first step is recognizing that and saying what is my development plan in light of that.” – @danielsangi
“People don’t quit organizations, they quit leaders.” – @toddadkins

Recommended Resources:

Listen to Episode 534: Rebuilding Culture After COVID
Listen to Episode 536: Raising Up Coaches

Help us Multiply the Mission:

Please subscribe
Leave a rating and review on iTunes
Ask a question by clicking Send Voicemail on the right hand side of NewChurches.com
If you’re on a phone or a tablet, then go to www.speakpipe.com/newchurches to download the app and record your message
When you’re recording, introduce yourself and your context in about 15 seconds and then record your question for 30 seconds

The post Episode 538: Creating Equippers appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 538: Creating Equippers

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By Justin Gravitt: The future is coming. If you look closely toward the horizon you can see a hint of light pushing against the darkness. As the future rises now is the time to seize the day! Though we currently sit in the darkness of the in-between, a new day is dawning.

For church leaders the transition from now to next has already been dizzying. Even the most experienced pastors are on a steep learning curve. Instead of a ministry marked by the incarnational presence of Jesus, their ministry is marked by technology. Life on life has been replaced by life to screen. Their connection to the flock has been disrupted. Even regular rituals such as weddings and funerals barely recognizable.

The dawn of what’s next for the culture and the church isn’t comfortable, but it shouldn’t intimidate us. After all, we are God’s people. Jesus himself, promised that the forces of evil would not conquer us (Matt. 16:18). Still, in order to thrive in the future churches must adjust their methods while adhering to the mission.

The time is coming for churches to shift their focus from surviving to thriving. During this in-between season, they have leaned into practices that have allowed the past to continue into the present. As churches think through the new landscape, there are four focus shifts that will help churches make disciples who make disciples in the days to come.

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1. Shift from a Content Focus to a Connection Focus

Most churches have responded to the pandemic by producing more content than ever before. I get it. Pastors miss interacting with their people. They wonder how they are doing and want to communicate the importance of faith during this time. Too much content muddies the water of what’s important. The answer to separation is connection, not content.

Disconnection was a problem even before the pandemic. Consumerism teaches us to solve our problems with information rather than connection. It’s the reason we ask Alexa instead of a neighbor. Our true problems are solved by connection, not content. Consumerism isn’t going away, so churches that want to thrive in the future will focus on ministering to people by fostering meaningful connection to one another and to God.

2. Shift from a Digital Focus to a Tribal Focus

There’s no doubt that digital is here to stay. Online experiences allow people an easy way to connect and to test the waters before getting in. For churches, an online presence is helpful, but only if it leads to deeper engagement and connection. Too often an online experience has replaced offline connection. In other words, the means have replaced the end.

Instead of a digital focus measured by clicks, views, and comments churches of the future will measure emerging tribes. In tribes, people know they belong to one another and out of that belonging develops a way of being. In other words, a common culture. It’s the mindset that says, “people like us do things like this.” As churches move into the future, instead of optimizing for eyes, we must cultivate a sense of being through connection and culture. When connection only happens online a common culture IRL (in real life) isn’t possible.

3. Shift from an Entertainment Focus to an Equipping Focus

One of the biggest challenges churches face is getting people to engage the mission of Christ. Many churches work hard to make their services entertaining. The result is some come, while most don’t. Even the best attractional churches lose the entertainment game to the likes of Netflix and Amazon. In the future, churches who focus on entertaining people at the expense of equipping them will simply not survive.

Entertainment is nice for consumers looking for a show, but soldiers, athletes, and farmers (2 Tim 2:1–13) prefer to be equipped for the task at hand. The thriving church of the future not only connects people to one another, but they also connect people to the mission of Jesus. Instead of focusing on entertaining, they focus on equipping. As people see the important role God has for them, they will find tribes of people who are committed to that mission and who can help train them for success. The church of the future is smaller, but mightier.

4. Shift from a Focus on Breadth to a Focus on Depth

The last shift is almost required if the first three are to take place. It’s a shift that has already occurred in many segments of society. Books, tv shows, and movies are made for a segment of society rather than everyone. In doing so, niches have emerged that allow people to go down deep rather than out wide.

Churches that make this shift are comfortable saying, “we do this not that,” and “we must grow, not just go (and vice versa).” A focus on depth is a commitment to individual and tribal development that’s at least as strong as global development.

Churches who commit to fleshing out the details of these shifts will be poised to thrive as the future comes. These focus shifts allow disciple making to thrive in a future that could be very challenging to our past models of church. Which focus shifts will you and your team make NOW?

By Justin Gravitt

The post The Future of Disciple Making: Four Focus Shifts Churches Must Make NOW appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: The Future of Disciple Making: Four Focus Shifts Churches Must Make NOW

The post The Future of Disciple Making: Four Focus Shifts Churches Must Make NOW appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by NewChurches.com: In Episode 428 of the NewChurches Q&A Podcast, Daniel and Todd discuss how planning for the future requires prayer and more.

“The future and how God will provide needed future leaders and funds keeps me up at night.”

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Why prayer is important in future planning
What needs to happen after prayer

Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches):

“You need to be saturating your ministry in prayer and praying for impact on your city, but it can’t stop there.” – @danielsangi
“Pray like it all depends on God and act like it depends on you.” – @toddadkins
“Prayer is not an excuse not to plan and prayer is not an excuse not to produce.” – @toddadkins
“Our church is incredibly generous, but that is to sustain the ministry for today. If we want to multiply, we need more leaders and we need more funds.” – @danielsangi
“We are focusing on developing a culture of equipping.” – @danielsangi
“You need constructs to develop leaders that not only lead themselves but know how to lead others.” – @danielsangi
“Don’t just wait until you need a lot of money and do a capital campaign.” – @danielsangi
“Create a culture of generosity in your church.” – @danielsangi

Additional Resources:

Read Designed to Lead by Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck
Listen to the Ask Me Anything podcast

Help us Multiply the Mission:

Please subscribe
Leave a rating and review on iTunes
Ask a question by clicking Send Voicemail on the right hand side of NewChurches.com
If you’re on a phone or a tablet, then go to www.speakpipe.com/newchurches to download the app and record your message
When you’re recording, introduce yourself and your context in about 15 seconds and then record your question for 30 seconds

This Episode’s Sponsor: Every church must be equipped to respond well in the initial stages of learning about instances of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. That is why the Southern Baptist Convention, LifeWay, and ERLC partnered together to create Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused. This training curriculum of a handbook and 13 videos brings together top experts from various fields to help volunteers and leaders understand and implement the best practices for handling the variety of abuse scenarios at church, school, or ministry. You can access this free training at ChurchCares.com.

The post Episode 428: Planning for the Future appeared first on NewChurches.com – Church Planting, Multisite, and Multiplication.

Source: Episode 428: Planning for the Future

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