Churches are losing people "out the back door" at a higher rate than ever before. People are visiting churches and leaving without being noticed, and those who make an effort to join are often not looked after and "assimilated" into the congregational family.

New members make up the future of the church and must be carefully nurtured in the faith by pastors, elders, and individual mem bers of the congregation. So when people begin to show interest i your church, the question to ask yourself is this:

How do you follow up on visitors and infrequent churchgoers in order to "bring them into the fold" of your congregation? In New Member Assimilation, author Joel Heck builds on basic principles of evangelism to present assimilation as a necessary process for every church to prevent backdoor losses.

Assimilation must become a vital part of every church ministry in the years to come if churches plan to act on the growing number of people leaving the church. New Member Assimilation gives pastors, elders, and other church officers important insight into the problem. and helpful hints on how to involve and inspire the next generation of the church.

Joel Heck has served as a pastor, professor, and evangelism leader, and is the author of Make Disciples. In New Member Assim-ilation, Heck combines the latest research with personal experience to offer practical helps and suggestions for churches.