Marketplace ministry is getting a lot of attention these days and rightly so. Many good studies and books advocate training laity for marketplace evangelism or for developing relationships with the unchurched in the marketplace.
While we would not diminish the importance of marketplace relationships for evangelism, our study of the formerly unchurched found that family member relationships were even more important.
And of the different family members, wives were the ones most often mentioned as important in influencing the formerly unchurched to Christ and the church.
The chart below clearly depicts the importance of family members in leading persons to Christ and to the church. Art R., a Florida native, told us a common story:
"The reason I'm in church today is because of my wife. When I saw the change in her life, I decided to try it out," he said. "Now I'm a Christian and hardly ever miss church."
Art not only told us that family members were the greatest influence in his coming to church, he told us specifically that his wife was the key person God used in the process. We cannot overstate the importance of wives in bringing formerly unchurched persons to Christ and to the church.
