Editor's Note: The Rainer Scale identifies five "faith stages," or levels of responsiveness, among the unchurched: U1 - highly receptive to hearing and believing the Good News; U2 - receptive to the gospel and church; U3 - neutral, with no clear signs of being interested yet perhaps open to discussion; U4 - resistant to the gospel, but with no antagonistic attitude; and U5 - highly antagonistic and even hostile to the gospel.

When surveyed, just over half (56 percent) of all the unchurched people indicated a daytime service on Sunday was the most preferred time to attend church services. Even more of the unchurched who also indicated they were highly receptive to hearing and believing the Good News, the group Rainer labels U1, indicated they preferred a Sunday service (68 percent).

Even for other levels of unchurched, from U2-receptive to U4-resistant, a Sunday service was the clear choice. The only day and time that is worth noting is a weekday evening service time. Some 17 percent of both U3s and U4s preferred that time, as did 26 percent of U5s.

However, 26 percent of U5s also indicated a preference for a Sunday service and 33 percent of U5s preferred not to go at all or to go some other time not listed on the survey. The unchurched indicated their least popular time for church was Friday evening. Saturday services during the day were also unpopular, with only 4 percent of all unchurched preferring that time.

Saturday evening services were preferred slightly more overall, by 7 percent, with 16 percent of U1s indicating that time as their preference. Only 9 percent of the unchurched preferred Sunday evening services, although 13 percent of U2s indicated they preferred the Sunday evening time.

-- from Thom S. Rainer's book “The Unchurched Next Door”