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Engagement Framework

Jul 10, 2025 | Articles
The Multiply Engagement Framework is a comprehensive tool designed to guide churches in fulfilling their mission to share Christ and impact their communities. It emphasizes a strategic and intentional approach to ministry by focusing on five core principles: Attract, Gather, Assimilate, Grow, and Multiply. Through assessments, contextual analyses, leadership development, and tailored strategies, this framework helps churches evaluate their readiness, understand their unique contexts, and align their ministries for maximum effectiveness. By fostering both spiritual and organizational growth, the framework empowers church leaders to engage their communities meaningfully, promote discipleship, and develop leaders who will extend the church’s mission in transformative ways.

Noonday Multiply Engagement Framework Website

Attract | Gather | Assimilate | Grow | Multiply

Step 1: Multiply Church Assessment

The Multiply Framework Assessment is a valuable tool for church leaders to evaluate their readiness across crucial areas like Attract, Gather, Assimilate, Grow, and Multiply. In this process, leaders assess their preparedness by rating themselves on a scale from 1 to 5 for various statements within each category. Once they submit the assessment, they receive automatic results that highlight specific areas needing attention. These instant insights empower leaders to strategically focus their efforts, streamline their church strategy, and enhance their community impact, making it an essential step in planning and development.

Tier 1 Services: Free

  • The Multiply Assessment
  • Consultation of assessment resultsi

STEP 2: Church / Community contextual Analysis

Once a church has completed the Church/Community Contextual Analysis and developed a working strategy, it has taken the critical first step in understanding the specific needs, opportunities, and challenges of its local context. This analysis provides clarity about the demographics, culture, and spiritual climate of the surrounding community, as well as the church’s own strengths and resources. With this foundation, the church is ready to implement the Multiply Engagement Framework, a dynamic approach designed to bring its unique strategy to life. This framework equips the church to engage its community in meaningful and transformative ways by aligning its ministries, programs, and outreach efforts with the insights gained through analysis. It ensures that every initiative is intentional, targeted, and rooted in the Gospel, maximizing the church’s effectiveness in sharing Christ. By focusing on both contextual understanding and strategic action, the church can fulfill its mission with greater impact and clarity.
There might be some cost to recover. We think you should invest this for your church.

Tier 1 Services: Free

Tier 2 Services: Cost Recovery

  • Full Deep Dive Congregant Analysis in the community
  • Strategic Community Recommendations
  • Strategic Planning based on Church Multipliers

Step 3: Strategic Awareness / Current Reality

Strategic Awareness refers to a church’s ability to understand its mission, values, and current position within the broader context of its community and ministry environment. It involves recognizing internal strengths, weaknesses, and the external opportunities and challenges that influence its effectiveness. By cultivating strategic awareness, a church gains clarity on its purpose, priorities, and direction, allowing it to align resources and efforts toward fulfilling its God-given mission. This clarity minimizes confusion, fosters unity among leaders and members, and ensures that decisions are made with intentionality rather than reaction. When a church operates with strategic awareness, it can communicate its vision more effectively, mobilize its people with a shared sense of purpose, and stay focused on achieving long-term impact for God’s kingdom.
Purpose/ Mission
Point /Vison
Principles/ Values
Processes/ Stategy
People/ Community Contextualize Analisis

Tier 1 Services: Free

  • Review of Mission, Goals, Objectives, and Tactics
  • Review of Overall communication of the vision
  • Understanding the mission and vision as it applies to the context analysis
  • Discovering the unique fit of the church in its local context (Church Unique and Vision Frame)

Tier 2 Services: Paid

  • Leading a staff training to establish Vision, Mission, Values, and Measures
  • Development of comprehensive strategies and tactics to accomplish the vision of the Church (This could and should be the Multiply Framework.)

Strategic Awareness Questions:

  1. What is our mission from the Lord?
  2. What is our vision for our community?
  3. Who are we trying to reach?
  4. How has God uniquely equipped us?
  5. What are the measures of success?

Step 4: Leadership Evaluation and Development

Leadership development is essential in the church to ensure sustainability and mission success because it equips and empowers individuals to step into roles of spiritual and organizational influence. A church cannot thrive on the efforts of a single leader or generation; it must intentionally invest in raising up new leaders who understand and embody its mission. By developing leaders, the church ensures continuity, adapts to changing contexts, and fosters a culture of discipleship and service. Trained and spiritually mature leaders are better prepared to make wise decisions, address challenges, and inspire others to join in the work of ministry. Leadership development also multiplies the church’s impact, as empowered leaders extend the reach of the Gospel, mentor others, and sustain the church’s vision across generations. Without a commitment to leadership development, a church risks stagnation and mission drift, but with it, the mission of Christ flourishes.

Tier 1 Services: Free

  • Leadership Assessment for the Pastors and Staff
  • Leadership Assessment review with the Pastor
  • Leadership development recommendations for the Pastor

Tier 2 Services: Paid

  • Personality Assessments and training
  • Communication training
  • Organizational Chart assessment & development
  • Team Leadership development Lunch and learns
  • Church staff leadership conferences

Key Tools

  2. Pastoral Leadership Development
  3. Leadership Team Development

Step 5: Church Engagement Framework

Multiply Engagement Framework serves as the operating system of every church. All church programs or initiatives run on this operating system. Developed by Eric and Matt and tested by some of the largest churches in the U.S., the Church Engagement Framework explains the five things every church must solve for in order to grow and thrive. (Get = Gather, Assimilate = Keep)

Implementing the Multiply Framework

  • The Church/Community Contextual Analysis focuses primarily on the right side of the Multiply Framework.
  • The Multiply Framework Analysis takes the Church/Community Contextual Analysis and focuses primarily on the left side of the framework.

The Lens of the Church Engagement Framework

  1. Each of the 5 principles of the framework must be viewed through the lens of the Community/Church Contextual Analysis answering the question: Who are we trying to reach.
  2. Each Framework principle should address at least one of characteristic of the Human Flourishing Model.
The Harvard Human Flourishing Model is a comprehensive framework developed to understand and promote human well-being across various dimensions of life. It emphasizes the integration of different aspects of well-being, including happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. The model suggests that flourishing is not merely the absence of disease or distress but involves thriving in multiple areas of life. By focusing on these interconnected domains, the model aims to provide a holistic approach to improving individual and community well-being, encouraging policies and practices that support a balanced and fulfilling life.

The Human Flourishing Program
at Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science
Four Prominent Paths to Flourishing
Family
Work
Education
Religious Community
Five Characteristics of Human Flourishing
Happiness and Life Satisfaction
Physical and Mental Health
Meaning and Purpose
Character and Virtue
Close Social Relationships
Example: Attract: Does your website illustrate the power of the gospel in family through happiness and life satisfaction.
Gloo and Barna have come up with a State of the Church Flourishing Model for church health with five dimensions.

Framework Activity Aspects:

Teaching people to walk in the way of Christ involves a series of movements from consumer to contributor in a local church setting. The Multiply framework is the Operating System from which ALL activities derive. Movement might begin with systems and processes but ultimately is a relational transference from one step to the next. People stand in the gap to move people to the next pillar in the framework.
  1. Spiritual: What do we hope to accomplish for God?
  2. Systems: What systems and processes are needed to accomplish the task?
  3. Service: What resources of time, talent, and treasure are needed for success?
  4. Staffing: Who will champion the process?
  5. Scenarios: What are the desired outcomes?
  6. Solutions: What is the evaluation process for growth and change?

Attract / Awareness:

The ability to make people aware that your church exists.

Noonday Attract Workbook

Every church needs a recognizable brand and persona that identifies with the community it serve. The community should have a clear understanding of who you are, and the unique ways you serve your community.

Tier 1 Services: Free

  • Attract / Awareness Checklist
  • Community involvement Consulting
  • School Engagement Consulting
  • Brand and marketing Checklist and evaluation
  • Website consultation

Tier 2 Services: Paid

  • Rebranding and Market strategy development and implementation
  • Website design and maintenance

Key Thoughts:

  • “Attract simply means making people aware you exist and what comes to mind when people think of your church. What are you known for?” (Swanson, Eric; Engel, Matt . Fourteen Fridays: A story of baseball, church, data & redemption (p. 23). Swengel Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
  • “When people think of your church, what comes to their mind? What is it about your church that typically attracts people?”(Swanson, Eric; Engel, Matt . Fourteen Fridays: A story of baseball, church, data & redemption (p. 24). Swengel Publishing. Kindle Edition.)

Key Strategy:

Find tangible ways to share your message of Christ’s love through serving felt needs and relationship building. Your community should understand that your local church is a vital part in the overall success and wellbeing of your community.
“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile,
and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
(Jeremiah 29:7)

Plan of Action:

  1. Set up a consultation with the pastor / church leader in charge of marketing to discuss the results of the Multiply Church Assessment.
  3. Form a plan based on the Communication Assessment to develop a unique brand for the church.
    1. Logo creation or update.
    2. Brand and Marketing strategy for the Community Mosaic group
      1. Define Your Goals and Objectives
      2. Identify Your Target Audiences
      3. Select/Optimize Communication Channels
      4. Craft Clear and Consistent Messages
      5. Create a Content Calendar
      6. Train Staff and Volunteers
      7. Monitor, Evaluate, and Adjust
    3. Print Marketing for the Mosaic group.
    4. Measure the plan against the Harvard Human Flourishing Model to engage felt needs.
  4. Encourage the development of a team that will champion these efforts.
  5. Church Persona Analysis
    1. How is your church currently perceived by the community
    2. Send out the 3 minute survey to gain community insight.
    3. Develop a strategic plan of ministry action to shape the perception of the church.
  6. Establish local partnerships / ministries that promote the brand and persona of the church.
    1. Local School Engagement (ministry multiplier)
      1. Obtain a copy of the local school improvement plan and help accomplish that plan.
      2. Be the first responder to the needs of the schools in your area as much as possible.
    2. Join and Attend the Chamber of Commerce (ministry multiplier)
    3. Build your church calendar around the community calendar.
  7. Define the people in the gap.
    1. What ministries will you create that causes the community to be aware of your presence?
    2. What systems do you need to support these new ministries?

Key Tools:

Gather / Get:

The ability to gather people in a church setting (weekend services, small groups, or special events).

Noonday Gather Workbook

Tier 1 Services: Free

  • First Impressions evaluation
  • Secret Church Shopper
  • Service Flow and Next Steps evaluation
  • Church Service Evaluation (according to the community mosaic)

Tier 2 Services: Paid

  • Yearly Sermon Series preparation and promotion
  • Internal directional signage
  • Invitation Champaigns

Key Thoughts:

  • Between 85 and 90 percent of folks who visited a church did so because they were simply invited.
  • Research shows that about 70 percent of people say they would visit a church if invited by a friend or family member.

Key Strategy:

God’s expression through creation is to have a people gather unto himself. The full expression of His kingdom is people from every tribe, nation, and tongue gathered around His throne. His local expression is found in the plurality of churches reaching different kinds of people in a community. We affirm the gospel message is the same for all people but recognize that the way we hear, perceive, and interpret that message may differ due to cultural context.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28–29)

Plan of Action:

  • Strategic Gather Assessment
    • Gather with Strategic purpose
    • Gather to guide
    • Gather information
  • Define the people in the gap

Key Tools:

  • Relational Evangelism Campaign
        • Create a system to identify and target potential relationships for the purpose of sharing the gospel message. (Examples: Who’s your one. Impact cards with 3 names on them.)
        • Begin the Campaign by praying for the individuals identified on the card provided to the congregants.
  • Invite, Invite, Invite (ministry multiplier) : Create a culture of inviting friends and family to the church gathering.
    • Provide invite cards with basic gathering information that your congregants can hand out.
    • Create a multitude of onboarding opportunities for people to attend different types of events.
  • Create a Welcoming Environment: Embrace and welcome everyone into the church community, fostering an inclusive and loving environment where all individuals feel valued and respected.
    • Build a culture of love and acceptance of everyone.
    • Engaging the five senses.
  • Create Transcendent Opportunities: Commit to regular and heartfelt gatherings, focusing on the praise and adoration of God, creating a spiritual atmosphere that uplifts and strengthens the faith of the congregation.
  • Build Authentic Community: Creating environments and systems to foster biblical community.
    • Foster Meaningful Relationships: By coming together, church members can form deep, supportive connections that extend beyond weekly services, creating a strong sense of belonging and mutual support.
    • Unite people for greater gospel impact by aligning them with a shared mission, and fostering lasting, supportive relationships.
  • Worship Service Planning & Techniques

Assimilate / Keep:

The ability to retain visitors and start them on their engagement journey.

Tier 1 Services: Free

  • Follow up Plan for first and Second time guest
  • Next Steps Evalution and Flow
  • Small Group / Sunday School Evaluation

Tier 2 Services: Paid

  • Construction and implementation of Assimilation workflows
  • Staff Lunch and Learns for workflows

Key Thoughts:

  • 60 percent of people who visit a church three times make it their home church. The critical time for follow-up could be after the second visit if people actually identified themselves as visitors.
  • If a person lets it be known that they are there for a second time, that second visit serves as a “data signal,” usually signaling this person either:
    • wants to get closer to God,
    • has some questions about life or
    • wants to get involved in a community that is changing the world.
  • 83% of visitors are more likely to join a new members class after attending a dinner with the pastor and his wife. (Swanson, Eric; Engel, Matt . Fourteen Fridays: A story of baseball, church, data & redemption (p. 25). Swengel Publishing. Kindle Edition.)

Key Principles:

  • Collect Guest Information: Collect and record information from guests to understand their needs and preferences, ensuring a welcoming and personalized experience.
  • Make Connections: Facilitate meaningful connections between guests and church members, helping them to build relationships and integrate into the church community.
  • Plan Follow Up: Implement a consistent, comprehensive follow-up process to engage with guests after their initial visit, showing care and inviting them to further involvement.
  • Encourage Involvement: Provide opportunities for guests to participate in church activities and ministries, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose within the church.

Plan of Action:

Create an inclusive and welcoming environment that seamlessly integrates newcomers into the church community. This strategy encompasses several key components: an engaging and informative welcome process, including greeters and information packets; a robust follow-up system that includes personalized communication and invitations to newcomer events; opportunities for involvement in small groups and ministries tailored to diverse interests and needs; and continuous feedback mechanisms to refine the assimilation process. By focusing on these elements, the church can ensure that newcomers feel valued, connected, and equipped to contribute to the life and mission of the church.
The Harvard model of human flourishing emphasizes dimensions such as relationships, purpose, character, mental and physical health, and financial well-being. Applying these to church assimilation can provide a holistic approach to integrating people into the church community.
Here are some key elements and questions you might ask as a church consultant to help a struggling church retain visitors based on the Harvard Human Flourishing Model:
1. Building Meaningful Relationships
• Focus: Cultivate authentic connections and a sense of belonging.
• Questions to Ask:
• How are new visitors intentionally connected with members of the church?
• What opportunities exist for small group involvement or mentoring relationships?
• How are leaders modeling and promoting relational warmth and hospitality?
2. Providing a Sense of Purpose
• Focus: Help people discover their God-given purpose and role within the church body.
• Questions to Ask:
• How are people encouraged to use their gifts and talents in service to the church and community?
• Are there clear pathways for visitors to learn more about the church’s mission and how they can contribute?
3. Cultivating Character and Spiritual Formation
• Focus: Encourage spiritual growth and Christ-like character development.
• Questions to Ask:
• What discipleship pathways are in place for new and existing members?
• How does the church help individuals practically apply Scripture to their daily lives?
4. Nurturing Mental and Emotional Well-being
• Focus: Create a culture of emotional safety and care.
• Questions to Ask:
• What support systems (e.g., counseling, care ministries) does the church offer?
• How does the church address mental health concerns from a biblical perspective?
5. Encouraging Physical and Financial Stewardship
• Focus: Promote holistic well-being, including stewardship of physical and financial resources.
• Questions to Ask:
• Are there ministries or events that encourage healthy living and financial wisdom?
• How does the church equip people to manage their financial resources in God-honoring ways?
6. Measuring Visitor Experience and Engagement
• Focus: Understand the visitor’s journey and engagement level.
• Questions to Ask:
• What follow-up strategies are in place for first-time and repeat visitors?
• How are visitor experiences evaluated and improved upon?
• How do you track and celebrate visitor assimilation into the life of the church?

Key Tools:

  • First Impression Ministry
    • Website presentation
      • Most people visit your website before visiting the church vacillates. So, your first impression usually happens before they ever attend.
      • “Plan my first visit” web page. This allows families to pre-register their kids making the check-in process less time concurring and stressful.
    • Teams: Parking Lot, Guest services, Greeters, Kids Check-in, Service Ushers
  • Information Collection
    • Connection Card (paper, text, QR code)
    • Data Base information Storage.
      • Attendance
      • Distribution and Mailing Lists
      • Workflows: A workflow is a sequence of tasks or steps designed to achieve a specific outcome, often involving the coordinated efforts of multiple people, tools, or systems.
  • Follow Up Process
    • A system of calls, emails, and surveys created to touch and engage people that attend your church with an emphasis on the second and third visit.
    • People standing in the gap that pull people into the ministries of the church.
  • Next Steps Movement
    • Sunday School / Small Group ministry
    • Discipleship Groups
    • Strategic causes that promote human flourishing, purpose, and belonging.

Grow / Disciple:

The ability to move people into a deeper relationship with Christ and become a multiplier in the kingdom of God.

Tier 1 Services: Free

  • Clearly defining inputs and outcomes of Growth

Tier 2 Services: Paid

  • Creation of a Discipleship Pathway
  • Implementation of a discipleship model
  • Mentor training for staff and key leaders

Key Thoughts:

  • Every effective growth model has clearly defined inputs and outcomes.
  • A disciple is one that is following “The Way” of Christ. One that does what Jesus does.
  • Growth occurs when a person becomes dissatisfied with their current situation, has a clear vision of how to change it, and a next step to take toward the new reality. When these combined overcome the current resistance change and growth occurs. See The Change Model

Key Principles:

  • Develop Discipleship: Foster a culture of continual spiritual growth by equipping members with the tools and teachings needed to deepen their faith and live out the principles of discipleship in their daily lives.
  • Develop Leadership: Identify and nurture potential leaders within the church, providing training and opportunities for them to develop their skills and take on active roles in guiding and serving the congregation.
  • Develop a Missional Culture: Encourage and empower the church community to engage in missional activities.
    • Equip and empower people to spread the gospel and serve others both locally and globally, actively participating in outreach and missionary work to fulfill the Great Commission.
  • Develop Generous Stewards: Promote responsible and generous stewardship of time, talents, and resources, teaching the importance of giving and managing God’s blessings to support the church’s mission and ministries.

Key Strategy:

Growth is achieved through a well-defined pathway that can be navigated and assessed by both the student and the mentor. Therefore, the growth strategy should include clearly delineated discipleship and leadership pathways, guiding individuals from being consumers to becoming active contributors within the church.

Key Tools:

Multiply / Reproduction:

The ability to develop leaders who multiply the church’s mission by moving people through the gaps of the first four frameworks.

Tier 1 Services: Free

Tier 2 Services: Paid

Key Thoughts:

  • “Multipliers are qualitatively different from the first four movements because as good as the first four movements are to the framework, they are all about consumption. Multiply is about contribution. So, there is a very big difference between one who is multiplying the mission and one who is a very active consumer.” (Swanson, Eric; Engel, Matt . Fourteen Fridays: A story of baseball, church, data & redemption (p. 29). Swengel Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
  • Multipliers are actively moving people through the framework to produce additional multipliers.

Key Principles:

  • Measurability: Implement clear metrics and regular assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of church activities, ensuring that goals are being met and resources are being utilized efficiently for maximum impact.
  • Reproduction: Focus on multiplying the church’s influence by training and equipping members to plant new churches, start new ministries, and disciple others, thereby extending the reach of the church’s mission.
  • Scalability: Develop programs and structures that can grow and adapt to meet the increasing needs of the congregation and community, allowing the church to expand its impact effectively. 2 Timothy 2:2
  • Profitability: Ensure the church’s financial health by managing resources wisely, fostering a culture of generosity, and creating sustainable funding models to support ongoing ministries and community outreach.

Key Strategy:

  1. Stratigic Multiply Assessment
  2. Movement from Consumer to Contributor
  3. Measureable outcomes for mission and vision.
  4. Reproduction of Gospel Influence
  5. Ensuring Finacial Stability for Stratigic development.
  6. Define the people in the gap

Key Tools:

Multiply Engagement Framework with a dedicated Noonday Church Consultant & Coach