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.