Our motivation in researching the formerly unchurched was to discover what God had used to bring them into the church. The more than 350 men and women who gave us their time and shared their hearts taught us much. Indeed, the formerly unchurched themselves shattered some myths about reaching the unchurched population. In the next few articles I will share nine of those myths.
Myth #1: Most unchurched think and act like Anglo, middle-class suburbanites with no church background.
Most people who read this article will acknowledge that the unchurched come from a variety of backgrounds. Yet most church strategies for intentionally reaching the unchurched in a particular community seem to be cookie-cutter approaches originating in areas that may have little in common with the church's community.
William B. is a 23-year-old African-American man with little church background. His grandmother, when asked by William what she wanted for her birthday, said simply, "I want you to go to church with me next Sunday." Reluctantly and seemingly trapped, William agreed.
William was pleasantly surprised. The Memphis-area Baptist church was alive with the hearty singing of black gospel music. The pastor was a great communicator who seemed to know how to speak to the African-American male. He pulled no punches on issues of sin, responsibility and commitment.
No one had to invite William back to church, although several did. He asked his grandmother questions about God, Christ, and the Gospel, and she patiently explained to him how he could become a Christian. He then became involved in various church ministries and programs.
William B. is not the stereotypical unchurched person conveyed in books and at conferences. He prefers black gospel music. Direct and confrontational preaching challenges him, and sermons of an hour in length do not bother him. In fact, many of the unchurched "rules" were broken by the Memphis church when William visited the first time. But he loved every minute of it, and he returned.
One of my favorite books on the unchurched is "Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary," by Lee Strobel. Strobel was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He was also an atheist. But through the ministry of Willow Creek Community Church in a Chicago suburb, Strobel met Christ. He eventually became a teaching pastor at Willow Creek, where he stayed for many years before accepting a similar position at Saddleback Church in Southern California. The book is a fascinating account of Strobel's conversion and how Willow Creek did many things well to reach him. His primary thesis is that the church must understand the context in which unchurched people live.
Unfortunately, numerous church leaders have decided that it is the methodological model of Willow Creek that reached Strobel rather than a philosophical commitment to reach the unchurched in their context. The methods used to reach Strobel probably would have proven highly effective in any context of Anglo, middle-class, suburbanites. But they may have been ineffective with William B. in Memphis.
Our study has reminded us with no equivocation that the unchurched are not a monolithic group. The next myth is but one example of this reality.
Myth # 2: The unchurched are turned off by a denomination in the church name.
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises in our study was that the name of the church had very little influence on reaching the unchurched. For the most part, neither the presence nor the absence of a denominational name influenced the formerly unchurched's decision to join a church.
When we asked straightforwardly, "Did the name of the church influence your decision to join?" we often heard pauses, as if the interviewee were unclear about the question. The pause would often be followed with comments like, "I don't understand" or "What do you mean?" After we explained the question again, the respondent would express surprise at the nature of the inquiry.
Mark R. is a 39-year-old, formerly unchurched man from upstate New York. His response is representative of many of the interviews we conducted.
"The name of the church never really entered my mind," Mark told us. "I didn't have a clue what a Wesleyan church was, but that's not what got me interested in the church."
Mark's primary influence in coming to the church was his sister and her husband. "After all," Mark reflected, "I really don't choose a store because of its name. What does Wal-Mart mean anyway?"
Over 80 percent of the formerly unchurched told us that the church name had little or no influence upon their joining a particular church. Seven of ten people who transferred their church membership said the same.
A further element of this surprise came when we asked follow-up questions of the formerly unchurched who said the church name did affect their decision-making process. Nearly two-thirds of those respondents indicated that the denominational name had a positive influence on their decision.
After we factor in the reasons for "yes" responses to our question, the results are perhaps even more amazing. Only 4 percent of the formerly unchurched indicated that a denominational name had a negative influence on them as they sought a church home. The vast majority, 84 percent, hardly considered the church name in their deliberations. And 1 out of 8 formerly unchurched told us that a denominational name actually influenced them positively.
So what about the numerous surveys typically conducted by local churches that indicate certain denominational names are perceived negatively in the eyes of the unchurched?
I don't know. However, our research and questions were asked of the formerly unchurched, not the unchurched. The formerly unchurched provide us insights that we have not previously heard.
The formerly unchurched, once some person or event triggers within them a desire to go to church, focus on matters other than the church name. Evelyn F., for example, said that the name "Evangelical Free Church" might have engendered a negative response earlier in her life. But once certain crises in her life prompted her to seek a church home, "I could have cared less what the name of the church was. I was lonely and hurting and needed to find a community that cared."
I hope you have been, and will continue to be, challenged and encouraged by our findings.
