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Identifying and Acting on Next Steps

Overview

Opportunities in Nurture help you identify where someone is ready to take a next step.

While Alerts highlight who needs care, Opportunities highlight where someone can grow.

This allows your team to not only respond to needs but to actively guide people toward deeper engagement.

What Are Opportunities?

Opportunities are indicators that a congregant is ready for a next step in their journey.

They are based on engagement patterns and highlight areas where someone could:

• Get more connected
• Take a step of growth
• Become more involved

Types of Opportunities

You’ll see opportunities for:

• New → Someone who is participating for the first time
• Potential → Someone who is active in one category but shows room for growth in another

Examples of Opportunities

You may see opportunities like:

• A first time attender
• A first time giver
• Someone attending regularly but not serving
• Someone serving but not in a group
• Someone engaged in one area but not others

Each opportunity represents a moment to help someone move forward.

Why Opportunities Matter

Opportunities help your church:

• Be proactive instead of reactive
• Guide people into deeper connection
• Create intentional pathways for growth

Instead of asking:
👉 “Who needs help?”

You’re also asking:
👉 “Who is ready for their next step?”

How to Identify Ministry Opportunities

Using the Opportunities Tab

1. Navigate to the Opportunities tab
2. Select an engagement category (Attendance, Serving, Groups, etc.)
3. Review the congregants listed

Each person shown has a clear opportunity for growth in that category.

What to Look For

1. Gaps in Engagement

Look for people who are:

• New in a category
• Active in one area but not another
• Attending but not serving
• Connected but not in community

These gaps often reveal the next step.

2. Consistent Participation

People who are consistently showing up are often ready for more.

For example:

• Regular attenders → Invite to serve
• Active volunteers → Invite into leadership
• Group members → Invite into deeper community

3. Potential Status

Individuals marked as Potential are especially important. They’ve started engaging but haven’t fully connected yet. This is one of the most important moments to guide someone forward.

Here is a guide to how individuals are marked as potentials:

• Attendance  → Active in Serving and/or Groups but no attendance activity
• Serving  → Active in Attendance but not currently serving
• Groups → Active in Attendance and/or Serving but not participating in a group
• Giving → Active in Attendance and/or Serving but has never give

Turning Opportunities Into Action

Opportunities should always lead to:

• A conversation
• A relationship step
• A clear next action

The goal is not just to observe but to respond intentionally.

Assigning Opportunities

Why Assignment Matters

Assigning opportunities ensures:

• Clear ownership
• Consistent follow-up
• No missed connections

Without assignment, opportunities can be seen but not acted on.

How to Assign an Opportunity

1. Locate the congregant in the Opportunities tab
2. Click Assign
3. Select a user

This creates an assignment and places it on the user’s dashboard.

Taking Action After Assignment

Once assigned, the user should:

• Reach out with a touchpoint (text, call, email, meeting)
• Invite the person into their next step
• Log the interaction in Nurture

Examples of Follow-Up

• Invite someone to join a group
• Encourage someone to start serving
• Connect someone to a ministry leader
• Help someone take a next step in their faith journey

Best Practices for Opportunities

1. Act Quickly

Opportunities are time-sensitive.

When someone is ready, don’t delay.

2. Make the Next Step Clear

Avoid vague outreach.

Instead of:
“Let me know if you’re interested…”

Say:
“I’d love to help you get connected to a group this week.”

3. Keep It Personal

Opportunities are relational not transactional.

Focus on people, not just process.

4. Assign Strategically

Match the right person to follow up:

• Campus leaders
• Group leaders
• Ministry leaders

5. Track Follow-Up

Log all touchpoints so your team:

• Stays aligned
• Avoids duplication
• Builds on previous conversations

Why This Matters

Without Opportunities:

• Growth is left to chance
• People stay disconnected
• Ministry becomes passive

With Opportunities:

• You guide people intentionally
• Engagement deepens
• Your church becomes more connected

Final Thought

Alerts help you care for people in need.

Opportunities help you guide people forward.

And together, they allow your church to:shepherd people not just through challenges but into growth