fresh & practical ideas for your journey to the summit

Stage, Altar, or Table?
Together, we stood firm against cultural forces that undermined the precious things God cares about in people’s lives.
But now? Now that we’re advancing from the margins, now that spiritual hunger is rising again… well, here we go again.
We’re back to the old game.
The “come to us, we’re the real Christians” game

Sherpa Lesson from Italy #3
Because of actors like Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool, breaking the fourth wall has gone the next level in movies because of the way it makes the audience an “insider” with the cast. Two people who served us in Florence Italy broke that wall with us in a way that suggests 3 tips for doing the same with first time guests.

Sherpa lesson from Italy #2
It was a rough beginning to an otherwise creepy subterranean tour in Rome. Though the it was more than fascinating, for us, it was one and done.
It reminded me of something about how guests experience our churches and the one thing that will guarantee a guest won’t return. Here’s what it is…and how to prevent it.

Post-Easter Sherpa lesson from Italy #1
There is something specific I am calling all Sherpas and their teams to do at their churches beginning the first weekend after Easter and the 2 to 3 weekends after that. It will sharpen and enhance the capacity of your teams to not only welcome guests, but create great return experiences for the ones who came on Easter. I learned it on my recent Italy trip so you know it's a good one!

Insights from a 100% volunteer sign-up in our One Program
By now, most of you have heard that after years of offering a 4-week assimilation program called Next Steps, we launched a 1 week version of this program called First Step that concludes by inviting people to serve on a ministry team.
But what you may not have heard is that the results were less than what we wanted to see for the first 7 months.

My encouragement to you for day 2, 3 and 4 of a New Year
My New Year Encouragement to you in 3 words: Clear, Focus, & Fill. Here’s how.

Christmas “Time” Hack
One chapter in Chip and Dan Heath's book The Power of Moments blew my mind.
They discuss why time seems to go faster as you get older.
Here's what they said (and why it's a great thing to be mindful of this Christmas).

The Need for Speed (Part Two)
Like climbing Everest, the lack of appropriate speed can create a cold or even hostile environment for guests. I'll share 2 things to know about a 1-wk One Program, 2 reasons to rethink your first ask, and 8 things I'm learning and recommending right now.

The Need for Speed (Part One)
Whether it’s going online the moment Taylor Swift tickets go on sale or camping out at an electronics store before Black Friday kicks in… we live in a world where being too slow to buy reserved seats for a movie can determine whether you can go or not.
It shouldn’t surprise us that there is a need to act quickly when it comes to important aspects of life and ministry as well.
In other words, there is a need for speed.

The only 2 things to concern yourself with this Easter
This Easter, the only thing that matters is getting people connected to God and each other. In a guest’s journey, your efforts as a Sherpa to lead them there should be focused and unencumbered. Here are the only two things you need to be focused on.

The value of knowing what to expect
Everybody needs a Sherpa when we enter the unfamiliar. It is extremely valuable to know what to expect when you step into something new. Here are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your guests know what to expect.

The easiest way to retain (and disciple) volunteers
10-15 minutes a week can help you recruit, retain, and develop volunteers more than nearly anything else you do regularly.
Here’s how to start ASAP.

Christmas Devotional for you (& your team)
Stay connected with Jesus during this intense ministry season, and help your team do the same using this Christmas prayer experience.

The Lazy River Effect on your church’s engagement pathway
Your guests are experiencing your church like a lazy river — not like a backyard pool. And believe it or not, the difference will make or break their experience.

Sailing the Spiritual Leadership Seas
The skills needed to be a great pastor are not the same skills needed to be a great leader. And more than likely you were left on your own to figure out how to lead people effectively.
Helping people reach the summit of full connection with God and others requires both sets of skills - that’s why we asked our friend Steve Curran (retired Navy chief, former Pastor, and current Leadership Coach) to give us some insight on developing both.

Volunteers are evaporating: here are 4 fixes
Churches everywhere are in a drought when it comes to volunteers. The post-COVID mentality of church involvement has altered just about everything when it comes to serving. Here are three things that are helping in my context that could really help you as well.

You'll connect more people if you plant one of these (hint: not a church)
I have been contemplating a radical thought that could change how you and I do church much less how we connect people. Inspired by the far away island of Iona Scotland, read on to find a powerful way of reaching and engaging others.
![What to do when things don't go as expected [Lessons from Italy, Pt. 3/3]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/551d997ee4b0277cf3856ee6/1686007206531-5NC7GVYUNDYW5TRCCLAO/GettyImages-1224211714.jpg)
What to do when things don't go as expected [Lessons from Italy, Pt. 3/3]
Traveling in Italy isn’t always peaceful and easy, especially when you’ve checked out of your Airbnb and dragged your luggage to the train station only to find our that your train has been cancelled due to a railroad strike. Here’s what I learned and what I make of it as Sherpa Leaders for our churches now:
![Four moments of PURE hospitality to inspire your teams [Lessons from Italy, Pt. 2/3]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/551d997ee4b0277cf3856ee6/1685513236893-GPQZKKWRRRRFU9BKMVED/IMG_4770.jpg)
Four moments of PURE hospitality to inspire your teams [Lessons from Italy, Pt. 2/3]
When was the last time you were “wowed” when you went somewhere new? When it happens to you, you never forget it. While I was in Italy, I experienced something like that multiple times. I want to share four of them here that not only blew me away, but have some obvious application to how we serve guests at our churches.
![3 lessons for Guest Services I learned from our Airbnb hosts in Italy [Lessons from Italy, Pt. 1/3]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/551d997ee4b0277cf3856ee6/1685445328624-OJ49QXSHA4ZZPH4Q4ROM/IMG_7094.jpg)
3 lessons for Guest Services I learned from our Airbnb hosts in Italy [Lessons from Italy, Pt. 1/3]
Here are 3 powerful things to do with your guests that I learned from our Airbnb hosts on Italy. These 3 things not only made the trip for us, but made us want to return to the same Airbnbs on our next trip (the same feeling we all want the guests at our church to feel when they visit for the first time).
Ready to speed up your progress?
Is it time for you to take building (or rebuilding) your Assimilation System seriously with the CTA Video Course (especially before your next big weekend)?
Do you need one-on-one help with one of our results-driven coaching packages? (we’ll join you in the weeds and do the work with you)
Or are you ready for total staff-wide alignment — the fastest move you can make toward strong walls and open gates? Then Base Camp is for you.
What about a full audit of the walls and gates that you are (or maybe aren’t) presenting to your guests every Sunday with a Secret Sunday Guest Review?