As an American culture, we are becoming more and more "spiritual" but less and less involved in the church. It is therefore important that we understand the mind of those around us who would rather play golf and watch TV on Sunday mornings. Someone passed on to me an article about the unchurched that you might find interesting.
Keep in mind, there is a difference between the unchurched and the never churched. The unchurched could be believers who have given up on the church. The never churched would typically be unbelievers who have never attended a church.
Dr. Thom Rainer wrote the article for Christianitytoday.com entitled Ten Surprises About the Unchurched based on three years of research. His team covered the entire United States and Canada and interviewed a number of ethnic groups. The results of the survey may surprise you:
1. Most of the unchurched prefer to attend church on Sunday morning if they attend at all.
2. Most of the unchurched feel guilty about not attending church.
3. Ninety-six percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if they are invited.
4. Very few of the unchurched had someone share with them how to become a Christian. And Christians have not been particularly influential in their lives.
5. Most of the unchurched have a positive view of pastors, ministers, and the church.
6. Many of the unchurched have a church background.
7. Some types of "cold calls" (door knocking) are effective. Most are not.
8. The unchurched would like to develop a real and sincere relationship with a Christian.
9. The attitudes of the unchurched are not correlated to where they live, their ethnic or racial background, or their gender.
10. Many of the unchurched are far more concerned about the spiritual well-being of their children than themselves.
I recently led a group of believers in a discussion about reaching the lost. We realized that we have friends who are unsaved and, as Rainer's research suggests, willing to hear from us.
I trust that this "surprising" research will give us all increased boldness to befriend those who are still "without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).
