Podcast Summary: Clarity Is Kindness: Simplifying Next Steps in a Growing Church with Ashley Lentz
Podcast: unSeminary Podcast
Host: Rich Birch
Guest: Ashley Lentz (Connections Pastor, Lutheran Church of Hope, Iowa)
Date: September 18, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode centers on the theme of clarity and simplicity in helping people take their next steps in a rapidly growing, multisite church environment. Rich Birch and Ashley Lentz explore practical strategies for connecting new and existing attenders to community, service opportunities, and discipleship pathways—with a strong emphasis on relational connection and reducing complexity in ministry offerings.
Ashley draws from her experience at Lutheran Church of Hope, one of the fastest-growing multi-campus churches in the US, to highlight best practices and lessons learned for churches of all sizes seeking to increase engagement, connection, and clarity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Understanding the Hope Context
- Background: Lutheran Church of Hope (Hope) is a multi-site mega church centered in Des Moines, Iowa, with ~7,000 attendees weekly at the West Des Moines campus and a robust network of campuses and local sites.
- Ashley’s Role: As Connections Pastor, Ashley helps people find their next faith steps, making a large congregation feel intimate. (03:13)
- Culture at Hope: The church meets people "where they are" in their faith journeys—aiming to foster both belonging and connection, not just attendance.
2. The Challenge of Connecting at Scale
- Communication Complexity: With numerous ministries operating daily (many volunteer-led), clear communication is a core challenge.
- Ashley: “It's easy to say, hey, check out the website… but really quickly people get overwhelmed by that.” (05:52)
- Importance of Personal Touch: While some prefer digital exploration, many require relational guidance to take action.
3. The Hope Circle: Internal Discipleship Pathway
- The Model: The "Hope Circle" is an internal discipleship tool with four stages:
- Seeker: Exploring Christianity and the church.
- Believer: New to faith and looking for growth.
- Follower: Deeply committed, seeking transformation.
- Servant Leader: Helping others and serving, both inside and beyond the church walls.
- Ashley: “Our secret sauce here at Hope is we love volunteers... as we move people around the Hope Circle, we want to equip people to lead.” (09:32–10:22)
- Note: The Hope Circle is used more for staff guidance than direct communication to attendees.
4. On-Ramps & Self-Identification Pathways
- Alpha Course: A primary entry point for seekers, believers, and followers; provides foundational teaching and community.
- Ashley: “Alpha does such a beautiful job… If you are a follower… Alpha is a great place to brush up on the basics but also get plugged into community.” (10:43)
- Foundations Class: New, three-week class covering “What’s my Bible”, “How do I pray”, and “Identity—what God says about you.”
- Variety of Classes: From spiritual disciplines to comprehensive Bible overviews, offered in short timeframes for better retention and engagement.
- Personal Invites: Emphasized above all—most effective way for deep connection remains direct relationship and invitation. (13:46)
- “It is our congregation that does that for one another.” (13:46)
5. Creating Personal Connections at Scale
- Volunteer Teams: Core strategy for scaling personal touch.
- “You can't mess up the vest”— Volunteers at “New to Hope” areas wear bright orange vests for visibility and approachability. (14:10)
- Clear On-Ramps: Newcomers greeted by volunteers, fill out connection cards (paper or digital), and offered a free t-shirt (incentivizing first engagement).
- Personal Tours: Staff and volunteers are empowered to give tours and answer questions in real time, helping people feel seen. (16:22–19:01)
- “[If] you cross my path on a Sunday morning, I'm going to say hi to you because I'm truly glad that people are here.” (18:41)
- Follow-Up System: Automated emails (with personalized elements) and text follow-ups, allowing for two-way communication if the attendee replies. (19:22)
6. Teams vs. Groups: Engagement Pathways
- Volunteering as a Primary Path: Service participation (café team, hospitality, communion servers, etc.) often leads to natural community and ongoing engagement.
- Ashley: “Discipleship will happen in the context of volunteer teams without me ever teaching a class. It will just happen naturally.” (23:37)
- Integration with Groups: While involvement in both teams and small groups is the goal, offering service as an accessible first step is strategic, especially for those already attending worship regularly.
- Rich: “Particularly post-COVID, there [has] been a stronger emphasis… move people towards serving opportunities as a first step.” (24:44)
7. Metrics and Adaptability
- Drop-Off Awareness: Realistic about attendance drop-off:
- 20% drop from signup to show-up.
- Further 40% attrition by week four of a class.
- Ashley: “By week four you’re gonna lose half your class anyway…We have great intentions with six or eight week classes…” (26:14–26:39)
- Shorter Classes: Most offerings now in 3-4 week blocks to maximize participation and retention.
8. Clarity Is Kindness: Reducing the “White Noise”
- Clarity as a Value: “Be clear about what you’re asking people to do… or where you want them to get plugged in. Clarity is kindness.” (28:09)
- Action Steps: Regularly review and streamline programming. Where possible, consolidate offerings into cycles (e.g., Foundations > Alpha > Bible/Prayer Classes > Small Groups).
- Rich: “I feel like we cleaned up our schedule is Des Moines nice for…we cut a bunch of stuff.” (30:31)
- Ashley: “We did get rid of some things…moved some things online…But let’s be really clear about what we want people to jump into.” (31:11)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Clarity is Kindness. Be clear about what you're asking people to do or where you want them to get plugged in.”
— Ashley Lentz [28:09] - “The best way you're going to make a large place feel small is by a conversation with someone.”
— Ashley Lentz [15:39] - “What people undermine in service opportunities… discipleship will happen in the context of volunteer teams without me ever teaching a class. It will just happen naturally.”
— Ashley Lentz [23:37] - “By week four you're gonna lose half your class anyway. So to do things in three or four week chunks is really, really helpful.”
— Ashley Lentz [26:39] - “It's our congregation that does that for one another. And that is super beautiful.”
— Ashley Lentz [13:46] - “If you see me on a Sunday morning, I'm going to say hi to you because I'm truly glad that people are here and I want them to know that.”
— Ashley Lentz [18:41]
Timestamps of Key Segments
- [03:13] - Ashley describes Hope and her role as Connections Pastor
- [05:52] - The challenge of communicating effectively at scale
- [08:04] - Introduction to the Hope Circle (Discipleship pathway)
- [10:43] - How people identify their place in the Hope Circle and on-ramps like Alpha
- [13:46] - The irreplaceable impact of personal relationships and invitations
- [14:10] - Volunteer teams and the New to Hope welcome area
- [16:22] - Step-by-step experience for a first-time guest
- [19:22] - Automated but relational email and text follow-up
- [22:14-24:44] - Teams vs. groups: which comes first and why
- [25:47-27:23] - Metrics and attrition in classes and groups, adapting to shorter cycles
- [28:09] - Clarity as a foundational value (“Clarity is Kindness”)
- [31:11] - Practical steps to streamline, clean up, and clarify next-step opportunities
Final Encouragement
- Ashley’s closing advice: Keep listening to your people, clarify next steps, and “what you’re doing is great—keep going!” (32:10)
- Get Connected: Learn more at lutheranchurchofhope.org, or contact Ashley directly via the staff page or ashley.lentz@hopewdm.org.
For Ministry Leaders
This episode provides a playbook for any church leader aiming to make engagement, connection, and discipleship simpler—even at scale. The recurring themes are: build relational bridges, ruthlessly pursue clarity, and keep adapting your on-ramps for shifting attendance realities.
Remember: Clarity truly is kindness—especially as you shepherd people deeper into faith and community.
