In PyroMarketing, Greg Stielstra lays out a powerful four-step strategy for sparking word-of-mouth momentum by identifying the most receptive audience, creating compelling experiences, equipping people to share, and sustaining long-term engagement. Though written for marketers, the principles mirror the way Jesus launched His movement and align surprisingly well with the church’s mission. At Christian Life Center (CLC), we’re drawing on these key ideas to sharpen how we live out our calling as Messengers of Hope. By applying Stielstra’s fire-building model to our discipleship and outreach efforts, we’re turning everyday believers into passionate kingdom advocates who ignite change in their homes, workplaces, and communities.

It started with a fire.

Not a literal one, but the kind Greg Stielstra describes in his book PyroMarketing. He compares great marketing to building a fire: you don’t light a soaked log and hope for flames. You find the driest tinder. You strike the match. You fan the flames. And you save the coals.

That model, crafted for business growth, turns out to mirror something much bigger: the way Jesus launched the Church.

It’s also shaping how Christian Life Center (CLC) is reigniting its mission to be Messengers of Hope. Not just as a church brand, but as a way of life.

Why This Marketing Model Feels So… Biblical

Stielstra argues that mass marketing is dying, and what’s replacing it is personal: people who’ve been transformed, telling others about what changed them.

Sound familiar?

Jesus didn’t go straight to the masses. He started with twelve. He healed the hurting, ate with outsiders, and changed lives in small, powerful ways. Those twelve told others. Those others told others. Before long, the Gospel spread across the Roman Empire, without a billboard or mass mailer in sight.

At CLC, we believe transformation still spreads like that: life to life, story to story. That’s why we’re drawing from PyroMarketing to help us focus less on church promotion and more on kingdom multiplication. Much more! 

Here’s how we’re doing it.

Step 1: Find the Driest Tinder.

Start where the fire is easiest to catch.

In Stielstra’s terms, the “driest tinder” are the people most ready to engage, and eager to share. At CLC, they’re already in motion:

School of Discipleship (SOD) Graduates: Over 800 people have completed our School of Discipleship. Many of them lead ministries, mentor others, and are hungry for more impact.

Life Group Leaders: These aren’t just facilitators. They’re shepherds. Trusted, relational, and deeply embedded in their networks.

iServe Volunteers: Week after week, they show up to love people through action. You’ll find them in the parking lot, behind cameras, in classrooms, serving with purpose.

Encounter Weekend Alumni: These individuals often walk away from the retreat saying, “I feel new.” That moment of encounter often opens them to mission.

I remember talking with Carlos, one of our SOD grads. After his Encounter Weekend, he came back with tears in his eyes and said, “I can’t keep this to myself anymore. I want others to know what I found.” That’s dry tinder. That’s someone ready to ignite others.

Rather than trying to mobilize 100% of the church at once, we’re focusing first on those most ready to carry the flame.

Step 2: Touch It with the Match.

Let people experience transformation, not just hear about it.

Stielstra says if you want people to laugh, don’t say you’re funny, tell a joke. The same goes for the gospel. Transformation isn’t taught as much as it’s experienced.

That’s why we don’t just talk about discipleship, we create encounters:

Encounter Weekends are emotional and spiritual turning points. People meet God in ways they’ve never experienced before.

Life Groups aren’t just weekly meetups, they’re families. My own Life Group became my anchor during a tough season, checking in on me, praying for me, showing up unannounced with dinner.

Service projects allow people to feel useful, gifted, and empowered.

Missional Months give us a taste of what it means to be Jesus’ hands and feet in real, practical ways.

We’ve found that when someone joins a short-term outreach, like serving at our Thanksgiving outreach or helping at a neighborhood clean-up, they often walk away saying, “This felt like church in real life.”

Instead of just inviting people to join a Life Group, what if we invited them to a Life Group Experience? A one-time evening with food, connection, and a look inside what biblical community really feels like. 

That’s striking the match.

Step 3: Fan the Flames.

Equip people to share what they’ve experienced.

Here’s the truth: most people want to talk about what changed their life, they just don’t know how.

That’s where we come in.

We’re working to give our community tools that make sharing Jesus simple and natural:

Testimony templates help people frame their story: “Before Christ → Meeting Christ → Life after.”

Social media graphics and invites give them easy, attractive ways to share events or stories.

Conversation starters help them bring up spiritual topics at work, at the gym, or in line at Starbucks.

Next-step tools help them walk with someone beyond the first conversation.

I think of Angela, a nurse and Life Group leader. She told me once, “I’m not a preacher. I’m not even super confident talking theology. But I can tell people what Jesus did for me.” And she does. At work, in her group, on social media. She’s led multiple coworkers to visit CLC simply by being open and prepared.

That’s what fanning the flames looks like. It’s helping people turn passion into action.

Step 4: Save the Coals.

Don’t let spiritual sparks fade, nurture them.

Stielstra’s final step is about sustainability. Once someone’s been touched by the fire, we keep them warm, connected, and growing.

Right now, we use Community Church Builder (CCB) to track involvement. But imagine expanding that to include:

A spiritual conversation tracker. Encouraging 3 personal faith conversations per member each month.

Interest-level mapping. Knowing who’s just curious vs. ready for next steps. 

Relational network mapping. Helping us understand who influences whom.

Automated follow-up systems so people don’t fall through the cracks after a powerful weekend or event.

It’s easy to see evangelism as a one-time win: someone raised their hand, someone joined a group. But kingdom impact is relational equity over time.

When we invest in follow-up, we’re saving the coals for what God wants to spark next.

A Church That Looks Like the Early Church

What’s striking is how this whole strategy echoes Acts 2:42–47.

Teaching gives us the compelling message.

Fellowship builds the relational trust to share it.

Breaking bread creates shared life.

Prayer fuels it all with power.

This isn’t a business plan pasted onto a church. It’s a systematized version of what Jesus started 2,000 years ago.

So, What’s the Plan?

We’re moving forward in four clear phases:

Phase 1: Train the Tinder.

We’re investing in our most committed leaders. SOD grads, Life Group leaders, iServe teams. Helping them sharpen their testimony, lead conversations, and follow up with purpose.

Phase 2: Design Experiences.

We’re crafting “sample” encounters for people to taste what we’re about. A no-pressure Life Group night. A weekend service-and-worship combo. A mini-Encounter event.

Phase 3: Create the Tools.

We’re building an ecosystem of digital and print resources. Graphics, cards, guides, and conversation prompts, that put outreach tools right in people’s hands.

Phase 4: Track and Grow.

We’re enhancing CCB and other systems to monitor what matters: conversations, conversions, relationships, and growth. We don’t just want to count heads, we want to track hearts.

Measuring the Movement

We’ll know it’s working when we see:

More spiritual conversations happening regularly.

Higher conversion from experience to commitment.

More new members becoming active evangelists.

Deeper network penetration as people reach their relational circles.

These aren’t vanity metrics… they’re kingdom pulse points!

From Customers to Co-Laborers

Stielstra says marketing isn’t a cost, it’s an investment. Every transformed life adds equity to your mission. In the same way, every changed heart at CLC becomes part of the fuel for reaching more.

We’re not just building a bigger church.

We’re building a movement of Messengers of Hope. People who’ve met Jesus and now carry His message into homes, offices, schools, and neighborhoods across South Florida and beyond.

The fire has started.

Let it spread.