AssessMe.org is 100% committed to helping ministries around the world to effectively equip and mobilize their people for ministry. However, a common question we receive from pastors is, “how do I begin?” This brief article is intended to communicate the strategy we have most often communicated to pastors responsible for ministry mobilization within their church.

Recommendation #1 – Use the AssessMe.org Portal in Your Website

            While there are numerous means by which your people can access your assessment center to take the assessments, the website portal is the ideal integration format. Using the website portal option enables your people to NEVER leave your ministry website. The benefits of this format include:

• Because all activity occurs right in your church website, your people will feel more secure about sharing their personal information and taking the assessments.
• It is nearly impossible for people to get lost by navigating to an unrelated web page.
• The speed and convenience offered by the portal, ensures that your ministry will receive the maximum potential numbers of registrants.

A sample portal is displayed below:

Recommendation #2 – Resist Using the Registration Code Key Option   

            Activate the registration key code option for your assessment center portal only as a last option in cases of severe assessment center abuse. The registration code key will restrict user registrations unless they input the access code, and so limit the number of people who register with your ministry. Most ministries are reporting less than 1% of the people who have registered with their ministry do not directly belong to their ministry.

Recommendation #3 – Train Mobilization Counselors

            Before promoting your online assessment center to your congregation, it would be wise to have sufficient numbers of counselors trained to assist your people in interpreting and applying their assessment results. These counselors should have at least taken our online training webinar found at http://www.assessme.org/about/webinar/ . Alternatively, David Posthuma is available to meet with your leadership and conduct appropriate training on site. (See http://blogs.echurchnetwork.net/assessme/category/Consulting%20And%20Training.aspx.)

Recommendation #4 – Promote Your Assessment Center on Sundays

Many pastors have found it very helpful to offer their congregations a mini-sermon series that explores the biblical teaching involving:

• Why God Made Us? Focus: We were made to love and serve God, as well as to love and serve others. Introduce the concept of “ministry temperament”, that each one of us was designed by God intentionally for a unique ministry function.
• God Made Us for Intentional Influence Focus: Every person has an influence on every other person within their lives. When we understand how God designed us to positively influence others, we are then able to focus our influencing efforts and so maximize our ministry impact. Introduce the concept of “leadership style”.
• God Made Use To Reveal His Glory Through Us Focus: God bestows to each and every Christ Follower specific spiritual gifts. Introduce the concept of “many parts, but one body”.

Each week, following the teaching time, display your church website on a large screen and demonstrate to your people where the Assessment Center is located on your website, and how easy it is to register and take the assessments.

Recommendation #5 – Promote Your Assessment Center via Email

Send a personalized email from the senior pastor, to each attendee of your church, requesting the attendee to visit your church website and letting them know that your ministry is offering FREE assessments that will help them better understand their God ordained nature and purposes. Be sure to include a link or button in the email that will take the recipient directly to your Assessment Center web-page.

Recommendation #6 – Offer Testimonials on Your Assessment Center Web-Page

Provide pictures of people in your church, along with their reference quotations, regarding their positive experience in taking the assessments, and how the assessments helped them better understand their true ministry calling.

Recommendation #7 – Provide a Privacy Policy Statement on Your Assessment Center Page

Privacy is a huge issue for many people today. For many young adults, they may be reticent to share their personal information even with your church, unless they are assured that the information will be handles responsibly and appropriately. For an example of a privacy statement, CLICK HERE.

Conclusion:

These seven strategies commonly result in a very high percentage of church members and attendees registering with your Assessment Center, and completing the online assessments.