Assimilation System
ASSIMILATION SYSTEM OVERVIEW
PURPOSE: The purpose of the Assimilation System is to be a guideline for how we
retain visitors, and how we help them grow from simply attending service, to
being discipled, and reaching their ministry potential. This lines up with our core
value of “growing people”.
FIVE KEY STRATEGIES: There are five key strategies to our assimilation system.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
First Impressions
Follow Up
Connect Groups
Big Events
Growth Track
THE NORTHWOOD COMPASS
The Northwood Compass is our road map for the assimilation system. There are
four quadrants to the Northwood Compass. The assimilation system is how we
help people move from one quadrant to the next. The four quadrants are:
1. Attend
2. Connect
3. Serve
4. Lead
THE NORTHWOOD COMPASS
ATTEND
The “Attend” quadrant of the compass includes first or second time guests. It also
includes people who have been attending longer, but have not joined a connect
group or started the Northwood Growth Track. We use all five5 of the key
strategies – First Impressions, Follow Up, Connect Groups, Big Events and Growth
Track - to help move people from the “Attend” quadrant to the “Connect”
quadrant.
CONNECT
People in the “Connect” quadrant are those who are either in a connect group,
are going through the Northwood Growth Track or both. The primary strategies
we use to move people from the “Connect” quadrant to the “Serve” quadrant are
Big Events and Growth Track.
SERVE
The “Serve” quadrant is made up of those who are volunteering regularly during
weekend services or other Northwood events. Our primary strategies for moving
people from the “Serve” quadrant to the “Lead” quadrant is the Growth Track.
LEAD
The “Lead” quadrant consists of staff members and anyone leading a department,
ministry team, connect group, or event. Those in the “Lead” quadrant should be
actively involved in helping others move through the other quadrants.
THE FIVE KEY STRATEGIES
I. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Statistics tell us that most guests will decide in their first 7 minutes at Northwood
if they will return. First Impressions is one of the primary responsibilities of the
Frontline team. There are four key components to First Impressions: preparation,
greeting, direction and hospitality. These are discussed in greater detail in
Frontline training and manuals.
Preparation – We want to create a welcoming and safe environment. This
includes things like: building maintenance, parking lot cleanup, signage, and
Frontline being in place on time.
Greeting – From the parking lot to the sanctuary, we want to greet people in a
way that says, “We are nice people and we are glad you are here”. Smile!
Direction – It needs to be easy to find things like child check-in and restrooms.
This includes signage and having people easy to spot who can give direction.
Hospitality – Treat guests like they are special. This includes things like the coffee
team, personal introductions, and ushers helping guests to find a great seat.
II. FOLLOW UP
The key to our follow up strategy is the connection card. The connection card
needs to be presented as a benefit to guests. We need to communicate that we
want to do something for them, not get something from them. The key benefits
we want to communicate to them are: prayer, a free gift and must have
information.
 Prayer – We want to let every guest know that we are committed to
praying for them. Prayer is the single greatest form of follow up that we can
do. Names from the connection cards need to be sent to the prayer team
every week.
 Free gift – This is a continuation of the hospitality we demonstrated in First
Impressions. Connect card information needs to be sent on Monday to the
person sending out the free gift. The free gift needs to arrive within 36
hours of receiving the connection card.
 Must have information – We don’t want to just promise them information,
but we want to promise them information that they will actually want. We
want to let them know that there are things happening at Northwood that
they will want to know about. Filling out a connection card will help them
get the “must have” information on upcoming events so that they don’t
miss out.
III. CONNECT GROUPS
Our connect group strategy is discussed in detail in our Connect Group System.
For the purpose of the assimilation system, connect groups are all about building
relationships with people that make them want to stick around. Connect groups
that are an effective part of the assimilation system are: advertised, easy to join,
inclusive, active and have a start and end date.
Effective connect groups are:
 Advertised - New people need to be hearing about connect groups several
times every week. They need to hear about them from the pulpit, from the
Frontline team and from personal invitations from leaders or members of
connect groups. Information on all connect groups should be readily
available every week at the connection table.
 Easy to join – Once someone hears about a connect group they would like
to attend, it needs to be very easy and obvious how to join. Again, this info
should be readily available at the connection table.
 Inclusive – Connect groups should include as many people as possible. Look
for ways to include, not exclude. We do not have closed groups at
Northwood.
 Active – We don’t want a guest to select a connect group and then find out
it no longer exists, or is not meeting for 3 weeks because the leader is out
of town. Group lists need to be kept up to date. Connect groups need to
meet often enough to get new people in quickly and to build strong
relationships. Most groups will meet weekly.
IV. BIG EVENTS
Much like connect groups, the purpose of big events as they pertain to the
assimilation system, is building relationships with people that make them want to
stick around. People are also more likely to stick around if they feel needed. Big
events allow us to both build relationships and make people feel needed. Big
events mainly fall into 3 categories: fun events, service events and worship
events.
 Fun events – Fun events are events that are built around the idea of…well,
having fun! A fun event could be something like an 80’s night, movie night,
etc. People are looking for fun things to do. Why not let them do it with us
and build relationships in the process. Fun events also create easy
opportunities to serve in a very relaxed atmosphere.
 Service events – Service events are built around serving people. Service
events could include things like a single moms outreach or going to
Fairhaven children’s home. Service events, obviously, are to help those we
are serving. However, for the assimilation system, they are a way to help
people feel needed and relevant by giving them opportunities to use their
gifts and talents.
 Worship events – These include things like a night of worship, Christmas
Eve service, etc. Worship events help us build deeper relationships. Always
try to extend personal invitations to new people to worship events.
V. Growth Track
Our growth track is a series of specific steps we can give people to take as they
move through the assimilation system. When someone wants to know, “What’s
the next step?” the Growth Track often gives us the answer. The steps in the
Growth Track are: dessert social, Northwood 101, Dsicovery 201, Purple Book,
ministry team, ministry leader, and leadership training.
(Note: It is not specifically required to complete the previous step before doing a
step.)
 Step 1 - Dessert social – The dessert social is a relaxed environment where
new people get to meet our staff and ask any questions they want. At the
dessert social, new people will hear about the vision of Northwood, where
we have come from and where we are going.
 Step 2 – Northwood 101 – At Northwood 101 new people will learn about:
our core values, what we believe, our church structure, what the next steps
for them are and what it means to be an “owner” at Northwood.
 Step 3 - Discovery 201 – Discovery is generally one week after 101 so that
they can be attended in succession. In Discovery 201 the DISC test is given.
This helps attendees to discover things about their personalities, their
spiritual gifts and their passions. After the test and evaluation, attendees
schedule an interview with the Ministry Coordinator to help them figure
out the best way to use their gifts at Northwood.
 Step 4 – Purple Book – The Purple Book teaches Biblical foundations in a
connect group setting. Everyone at Northwood is encouraged to go through
a Purple Book. It is required for all department heads or ministry team
leaders.
 Step 5 – Ministry team – Following 201, the Ministry Coordinator will assist
those who have not already done so with finding and joining a ministry
team. The team approach to ministry creates more opportunities to serve,
helps things flow smoothly and allows new people to have support when
they first begin to serve. Getting people into ministry teams is at the heart
of the assimilation process. Helping people grow to be like Christ means
helping them grow to a point where they are servant leaders.
 Step 6 – Ministry leader - Ministry teams have their own growth track from
volunteer to leader. This is discussed in more detail in the Northwood
Ministry System.
 Step 7 - Leadership training – Growth is ongoing at Northwood. Even those
who have moved to the “Lead” quadrant can still grow. Leadership training
consists of things like: Leadership Summit, one on one discipleship,
suggested reading, conferences, etc. Leadership training is discussed in
more detail in the Northwood Leadership System.