Who Are The “Unchurched?”

I appreciate the positive comments I received on the lesson Sunday morning on the church being a hospital for sinners. I have long been convinced there are many people who really want God in their lives but for many various reasons just don’t get around to it. They and others who don’t attend any religious services have been termed the “unchurched”, that is, they just don’t go to church.

Let me share with you some thoughts by Jack English, a long-time friend of mine who preaches for the Center Street church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He writes:

“Tom S. Reiner is the president of Church Central (http://www.churchcentral.com/) and Rainer Group Church consulting. He specializes in researching the hearts and mind-set of the unchurched and why they choose to not be involved with a local church. Some of his findings have been surprising and defy the conventional wisdom many Christians have about the unchurched.

“The following ‘surprises’ were published in a recent report that I believe will be very helpful as we attempt to evangelize our community. They are not listed in any particular order.

“Surprise #1: Most of the unchurched prefer to attend church on Sunday morning if they attend. It is assumed they responded this way because that is the time they have always heard church should be. A very distant preference was a weeknight service other than Friday night.

“Surprise #2: Most of the unchurched feel guilty about not attending church. These guilty feelings were especially prevalent among adults who had children living at home.

“Surprise #3: Ninety-six percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if they are invited. This may be the most important part of the study. If we invite them, they will come.

“Surprise #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. If Christians do not invite them to church, we cannot be surprised if they do not share the gospel with or influence the unchurched.

“Surprise #5: Most of the unchurched have a positive view of preachers, ministers and the church. For the vast majority of the unchurched, the church is still relevant today. If this is true, why are they still unchurched? Some of the unchurched have visited churches, but had a negative experience. But more importantly, most of the unchurched have never been invited to church.

“The main point is this - the unchurched must be invited to church!”

Amen! Do we get the point? God reached out because He cares. Let’s do the same.

See you when the saints meet, Lord willing.

Love, Tony