This book was a quick read, mostly because I’m all-too-familiar with the content. While I’m not sure if he’s the original father of this idea, Searcy writes of strategies such as frequent free gifts for visitors, gathering information repeatedly through connection cards, repeated contact through letters, and regular follow-through in order to turn first-time guests into fully engaged members. From my experience with this model, it’s about coercion through gifts, attention that borders on harassment, and it robs Christ of his role in building his church by keeping tabs on people through a database more elaborate than the Secret Service. This model might “work” in other parts of the world, but I’m not sure that it’s partnering with God so much as setting up a system that renders him unneeded.

Finding a way to see your first time visitors return to church week after week and become life-giving members can be a difficult thing to do. To this problem we find the writings of Nelson Searcy.

Fusion aims to take pastors and church leaders from the state of surviving with visitors to seeing visitors turn into members and become those who are involved in the service itself. Nelson takes the readers through incremental stages and offers great insight into why people don’t return and how we can take a step to be more inviting and welcoming for them. Things like give aways, proper training (or choosing) of volunteers, and what to do in various seasons.

I found the book engaging though at times it seemed like a sales pitch for his various materials. However looking into these resources adds to the ability for those who read the book to see their church walk in proper assimilation techniques.

Readers should know that not all models are transferable to every church, use wisdom in application. But if you are looking to learn a new method or grow in what you already use, I recommend you pick up this book.

*I received this book free from the publisher through Baker Books blogging program in exchange for an honest review. These are my personal thoughts.