Who are the unchurched and why aren’t they there?

Here are some statistics about our mission field

Source: Surprising Insights from the Unchurched by Thom S. Rainer , Zondervan Press 2001 
 

• The growing ranks of the unchurched are not due to problems limited to certain geographical areas
• Over 80% of Americans say religious faith is very important to their lives and yet less than half go to church.
• Less than 30% of the New Homesteaders are in church on Sunday  
   

  (1990 survey)

• Church people are cold and unfriendly
• Going to church is a guilt trip
• We’re too busy; going to church is a waste of time.

  (1975 survey)

• Churches are always asking for money, yet nothing of personal value seems to happen with the funds
• Church services are boring and lifeless
• Church services are predictable
• Sermons are irrelevant to daily life in the “real world”
• The pastor makes people feel guilty and ignorant, so people leave church feeling worse than when they arrived

  (Source: Inside the mind of unchurched harry and mary by Lee Strobel , Zondervan Press 1993) 

 As you can see none of the reasons that people who don’t attend church are due to basic theology or Christian foundation issues. Instead it is generally that they have a preconceived idea of what “church” means. We must break out of that shell before they will be ready to listen. We must not be “couch potato Christians” and wait for the Holy Spirit to bring them to us. We need to get out there and get our hands dirty. After all isn’t that exactly what Jesus did. Let’s follow his lead.