Reading: 2.3—Levels of Commitment

2.3 Levels of Commitment: Moving people toward vision ownership guides them through Levels of Commitment from less committed to more committed to completely committed. This is typically a gradual process that requires short steps from one level to the next over a period of time. X/52 leverages a construct that can generally be applied to creating ownership in any number of scenarios. I’ll incorporate the wide-angle view that considers a person’s journey from being completely outside the orbit of a church’s ministry to being an insider that is fully on board.

1. Observing – The journey begins with observance. A person becomes aware of a church’s presence in a community and simply sees or observes what that church seems to be doing from a distance. Of course, a church that is actively engaged in a community is much more likely to be observed, but that’s a different discussion. Observing by a distant outsider is an extremely low level of commitment on that outsider’s part, but at least a church is on his or her radar screen.

2. Considering – When an observer begins to consider engaging with a church, a deeper level of commitment has been reached. Newcomers don’t mindlessly stumble into a church service or some other offering in a church’s ministry without giving it some degree of thought. So, the fact that a church is on a potential newcomer’s mind is a positive step.

3. Visiting – A still deeper level of commitment is reached when a considering outsider visits a church, moving from complete outsider to newcomer. This is a very significant step and wise church leaders will be prepared to receive such newcomers well. It’s challenging to get someone to visit the first time, but getting someone to return is even more challenging. The newcomer has overcome the fear of the unknown in order to breach the threshold the first time, but now, that newcomer is informed and has experience to draw from. Often, the fear of the unknown is replaced by fear of the known as the first-time visit is not pleasant and doesn’t meet the newcomer’s needs or expectations. Still, that visit marks a deeper dive in commitment.

4. Attending – When the first-time visitor becomes a repeat visitor, at some point he or she moves beyond visiting and steps into being a regular attender. Since churches have differing points of view and different criteria for formal membership, I’m not going to address membership per se. That’s a matter for individual churches and their respective denominations to consider. My focus here is on Levels of Commitment independent of how membership might be handled in a given church. Note that attendance is a leading data point for churches so they tend to be aware of the numbers when it comes to attendance. In fact, attendance might be considered the most important data point in a large percentage of churches. These numbers would incorporate both the Visiting and the Attending levels, but would not take into account Observing or Considering.

5. Connecting – Attending, though important, is essentially a passive posture that is more about spectating than participating. Connecting moves the needle forward. In order for the regular attender to deepen his or her commitment, connection must take place. That connection consists of two elements, people and ministry. To move the regular attender forward, there needs to be a strong connection with several people, such that this attender begins to sense a relational belonging, and there needs to be a strong connection with a ministry area or two that meets his or her needs. When this attender connects with a few special people and connects with a need-meeting ministry, commitment deepens.

6. Serving – The deepest single plunge of commitment for that newcomer turned connected attender is the move from Connecting to Serving. When a person takes on a service responsibility, a mindset shift has taken place that indicates strong commitment. That shift is from spectator to participant and to a sense that this is now “my” church. Ownership is taking root with the sense of belonging maturing into a sense of wanting to be a partner and take on a piece of the ministry workload. Wise church leaders will recognize that this is truly a more significant data point than attendance. Attending only indicates who is showing up. Serving indicates who is participating and growing in ownership. So, the quicker someone can be assimilated from first-time visitor to Serving, the quicker that person’s ownership will take root and grow.

7. Inviting – The deepest Level of Commitment and the highest level of ownership is revealed when someone begins to invite other outsiders into the ministry of the church. Such a person is making a pronouncement to those outside, saying, “This is my church and it should be your church, too.” This is a high risk for those issuing such invitations and only the most bought-in will take such a risk. At one point in my last pastorate, our leaders conducted a study to see what or who had brought folks to our church the first time. It was discovered that one woman was responsible for bringing twenty-two families into our church. That is truly a remarkable example of commitment and ownership.

Church leaders should maintain a consciousness of these Levels of Commitment at all times, tracking as best as possible where a given person is in terms of these levels. This awareness enables leaders to become more and more adept at creating strategies to help people move from one level to another more quickly. People in our culture are prone to relocate often to follow career paths or economic advantage, so the average engagement of a given person with a particular church is shorter than in previous times. That being the case, the quicker a person can be assimilated through the Levels of Commitment, the greater his or her experience and contribution can be before having to make a move. Plus – you’ll be sending a missional participant to a grateful church.

Vision casting to create ownership recognizes that deep levels of commitment in people are developed through a process of moving them from less committed to more committed over time. The primary pivot level is the Level of Serving.