We are not quite sure how the unchurched evaluate the relevancy of church if they never or rarely attend. But most of the more than 300 unchurched persons we interviewed were happy to give their opinions on this matter.
When we asked the U3s (those who are neutral about faith, with no clear signs of interest but perhaps open to discussion) why many people do not attend church, the responses were revealing.
The revelation to us on the research team was not the factors that received high responses; rather it was the factor that received a relatively low response: Only 14 percent of all the U3s thought church was relevant.
Think about the implications of this one piece of data. Most unchurched people, even those in somewhat resistant postures, do not view the church as irrelevant. They may not be coming to church, but they are giving us other reasons for their unchurched behavior.
Have you ever hesitated to invite someone to church because he or she may think the church would have nothing to do with their lives? Look at the responses of the largest unchurched group in America, the U3s. Only a small number would call the church irrelevant.
 Dr. Thom Rainer, excerpted from "The Unchurched Next Door," Zondervan, 2003.
