I used to be an 80% guy. I used to think that when our auditorium was 80% full we were essentially at capacity and needed to either add services or add seats. Now I’m more of a 105% guy. I think people are attracted to the crowds. I know. Not everyone is. But generally speaking crowds attract crowds. Don’t believe me? Think about the wait at your favorite restaurant or coffee shop or club.

That said, the 80% rule really doesn’t work, in my opinion, because it doesn’t factor in the non-optimal service times that necessarily have to be added when the one at 10:oo am on Sunday morning fills up. In other words, a win at 8:00 am on Sunday or 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon looks a lot different than a win at 10:00 am on Sunday. You can try as hard as you want with incentives and coaching, but people generally think if they’re going to head to church, especially first-time guests, it should happen on Sunday morning. Maybe that will change over the time. Maybe our DVR generation will usher in a new normal.

In the mean time, I’ve started looking at the ratio of attendance to seats to determine how close we are to capacity. For us, based on our current self-imposed limitations (like service length, no services on Saturdays, etc.), that maximum ratio seems to be right around 3.25. When the total attendance (including kids) divided by seats at any campus equals 3.25 or more, we probably are close to capacity.

That said, I initiated a little survey on my site a few days ago. Here’s a summary of the results:

• 48 church leaders responded
• Average church surveyed had an attendance of 1,635 people and 696 seats available for a 2.35 ratio
• Median ratio was 1.64
• Of the 48 responses, only 9 churches had a ratio higher than 3.25
• Only 2 of those 48 churches had ratios higher than 3.25 while not having any services on Saturdays
• Highest ratio of attendance to seats was 6.3. That church has 6 services on Saturday at 5:00 and 6:30 pm and Sunday at 9:00, 10:30, 11:55 am and 6:30 pm
• Next highest ratio was 4.38. That church has 5 services on Sundays at 9:00 and 10:30 am and 12:00, 5:00 and 6:30 pm
• The highest ratio for a church with only 3 services was 3.38. That church has services on Sundays at 9:00, 10:15 and 11:30

In case you’re curious, our Greenville campus is currently at 1.77 and our Anderson campus is at 3.25. We believe we have room to grow in Greenville (though they’re growing fast), and we need space in Anderson (and it’s coming soon).

What are your thoughts? Questions about the results? I’d love to hear your feedback.

In case you haven’t had a chance to get down to visit the NewSpring campus in Florence, SC, I thought I’d bring some of the action to you. Here are some pictures from the opening Sunday. The Florence Campus meets for two Sunday services at Francis Marion University.

I’m excited about Sunday. We’re launching a new series about marriage relationships. It’s called iwantanewmarriage.com. As you probably guessed, we’ll be looking at a biblical perspective of the marriage relationship.

Unlike the typical Sunday service at NewSpring (if there is such a thing), we have a few surprises up our sleeves. Perry Noble may be in Kenya, but he’s going to be very involved in this first message of the series. And, we have some other elements that are going to probably really mess with your mind when it comes to how you view marriage. I can’t wait!

We’ll launch the series on Sunday in Greenville and Anderson. We’ll start the following Sunday in Florence. And, if you’re not close to any of these locations, you can join us on the Web Campus. We’ll have two Web services on Sunday at 11:15 am and 6:00 pm EST.

This is one of those series that your friends will want to check out. If they’re unwilling to come to a physical location, have them check out the Web Campus. Either way, they probably want a new marriage too, so let them know about iwantanewmarriage.com.

Brad contacted me yesterday and invited me to lunch. Turns out I have to work for it though.

I’m joining Los and Bobby to offer a VIP luncheon panel at the Catalyst One Day event in a couple of weeks. The event is on February 26 at North Point Church. I get a free lunch. I also get to hear Craig Groeschel and Andy Stanley.

You should join me. Today is the last day to get the cheap seats, so act quickly. Price goes up tomorrow.

By the way, my plan of attack is just to divert the panel questions to Los and Bobby and listen to their wisdom. They know stuff.

I’m just the cheap guy that Brad didn’t have to pay to fly into Atlanta. In fact, my lunch may not be free. He really never clarified that.

I better pack my lunch just in case.

My friend Joe is going to Springcreek Church in Garland, TX to teach a financial seminar on Sunday. The guys at Springcreek put together this clever video to promote the seminar. It’s pretty funny.

Joe was broke and now he’s not. He’d like to help you too. Visit JosephSangl.com to learn more.

Is it a secular song? Is it a spiritual song? Doesn’t matter. It was the perfect song to lead into Perry’s message this past Sunday on forgiveness. Here’s RoseAngela singing Hurt by Christina Aguilera.

Phase 1 = Take our information. (I estimate 90% or more of church websites.)

Phase 2 = Taste our experience. (I estimate 10% or less of church websites.)

Phase 3 = Create our story. (I estimate 0% of church websites.)

We need to move to Phase 3.

I just want to save you all the frustration right now. I’ve experienced it a few times in my life. I’ve watched others confirm it in their lives.

It takes 12 months in any new job to figure out the role.

I’m talking about leadership roles here. If you are a widget-fabricator, maybe it’s different for you. For those of us that transition into new leadership positions, though, it always takes a full year to find out what we were really hired to do.

In those 12 months, we get to figure out what the unspoken expectations are. We have the opportunity to determine how our uniqueness fits into the unique organization that now provides our paycheck. We have the chance to see how we relate and work beside the people on our team. It takes 12 months. Until then, we aren’t really adding true value. We’re just trying to survive.

This is why finding the right people before you offer the job is so important. This is why finding the right employer before accepting the job is so important. This is why keeping the right people in your organization is so important. Every time the position opens, we lose 12 months.

By the way, the corollary to this principle is that you can also hide for 12 months. That’s why I never really trust anyone that hops from job to job…even if it appears they’re moving up the career ladder. If they haven’t proven themselves in one organization for a period of time, I assume they never really made an impact.

That groan you just heard was from the guys on my team that just realized they still have several months to go.

Just wanted to take a second to thank all the sponsors. They’re a great group of organizations that include:

Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries

Collision Media – a creative design studio that provides web design and other media related services for churches and businesses

Lasting Impressions – the latest book by Mark Waltz from Group Publishing

Fellowship Technologies – offers Fellowship One, the fastest growing, 100% web-based, church management software

faithHighway – develops cost-effective, cutting-edge websites to reach the unchurched

Lightbulb Creative – offers custom sermon series packages and website and identity design services

Deeper – the new album from Integrity Music featuring 21 of today’s most passionate and intimate worship songs

Echo Church Media Conference – a conference for church leaders that love using media, technology and the internet to be more effective in sharing God’s story

And, if you’re interested, we still have advertising spots available for your organization. Email me for more details.

Yesterday we shared some big news regarding Unleash 2009. Because we’ve received confirmation that our new student ministry building will be open and ready in time for the event, we’re now able to combine the Greenville participants with the Anderson participants and host everyone on the same campus in Anderson. That’s a big win for everyone.

So, here are the current details:

• 1 day on March 12
• 2 main sessions with Perry Noble
• 2 breakout sessions with 17 topics to choose from
• 2 live bands in 2 packed auditoriums
• early bird deadline on February 11 (only $59 before then)
• surprise content that you don’t know about (I love surprises!)
• 500 NewSpring staff and volunteers will be ready to serve you

Here’s the deal. We already have close to 1,900 people registered. There are only 2,500 total spots available. We have a couple of big groups who are yet to register. I’m not going to be surprised if we sell out before the early bird deadline next week. If you’re thinking about joining us, I highly recommend you register immediately.

Interested in being an exhibitor, we still have a few spots available. Details are available on the conference website.

This is going to get crazy! I can’t wait! I hope you’re prepared to bring your A-game.