Over 80 percent of the formerly unchurched we interviewed told us the church name had little or no influence on their decision to join a particular church. Taking it a step further, we asked follow-up questions of the 11 percent who said the name did influence their decision.
After we factored in the reasons for "yes" responses to our question, the results were amazing. Only four out of 100 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 one out of eight formerly unchurched told us that a denominational name actually influenced them positively.
Readers may ask regarding our findings, "What about the numerous surveys typically conducted by local churches that indicate certain denominational names were perceived negatively in the eyes of the unchurched?"
My first response to the anticipated question is, "I don't know." My second response is that our research and questions were asked of the formerly unchurched, not the unchurched.
A third response is that 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.
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