Thom Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched: And Proven Ways to Reach Them, Zondervan, 2008.
Referenced in:
- Guides to the Practice of Evangelism – Effective Evangelistic Churches
- Research and Case Studies on Effective Churches
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is the result of one of the most extensive studies ever conducted on the unchurched population. In this case, the “formerly unchurched” themselves were asked to give feedback on what was and was not influential in their conversions. The research was a very responsible, independently evaluated, qualitative study.
The following is a description of how the research was conducted. Over a six year period, Rainer’s group studied over 2,000 “effective evangelistic churches,” defined as those having 26 conversions per year and a conversion ratio (membership/annual conversion) of less than 20:1 (national norm for American churches is 85:1). Less than 4 percent of American churches met the criteria. They interviewed (by phone and in person) 353 of the “formerly unchurched” who had been reached by these churches. “Formerly unchurched” defined as those who had not been in church, except sporadically, for at least ten years (most for a lifetime), but had recently become active in a church. These persons represented seven different denominations as well as independent Christian churches, independent Baptist churches, community churches, and other nondenominational churches. In addition, interviews were conducted with 350 longer-term Christians who had recently moved from one church to another, the “transfer churched.” Throughout these interviews, they discovered what a vitally important role the preacher plays in reaching the unchurched. Desiring to find out more about what makes these preachers tick, they interviewed 101 ministers of effective evangelistic churches, and compared them to 101 ministers of “comparison churches” (i.e. did not meet the criteria of 26 conversions and conversion ratio of 20:1), in an effort to discern why one group is more successful than the other in evangelizing.
The results were surprising. For example, when asked what attracted them to the church that was instrumental in their conversion, by far the most influential factor was the preacher (90%) and that the preaching was communicated with clarity and conviction. The second factor (88%) was “doctrinal preaching,” communicated in a didactic, expository style. The third factor (49%) was the friendliness of members. Interestingly, only 11% designated “worship style” as a factor. These are among the thirteen factors discussed at length. In addition, their research debunks common myths about evangelism. One is the myth that unchurched people are turned off by official denominational nomenclatures. Other common myths are that the unchurched are turned off by preaching deep and complex truths, and that the most effective evangelism occurs in the marketplace. In addition, they did an extensive comparison between the preachers of these unchurched-reaching churches and preachers of less effective churches. The differences were remarkable. For example, effective evangelistic preachers spend the vast majority of their work week in sermon preparation, but the comparison preachers emphasize pastoral care over preaching.
Rainer’s Surprising Insights is a definitive landmark study about what is and is not important in reaching the unchurched. This not only helps churches target their efforts to be as effective as possible, but it informs that debates within churches as to whether a practice really is important in evangelism. Church leaders will be both challenged and encouraged by this book.
From the Publisher
We’ve read all the hot books on evangelism, we’ve attended scores of seminars—-and still we’re not reaching the unchurched. Eighty to ninety percent of churchless Americans will never enter our culturally relevant, seeker-sensitive doors. What are we missing? Maybe we’ve been asking the wrong people. Instead of consulting the unchurched masses, it’s time we heard what the small but important minority who have recently begun attending a church have to say. What made the difference for them? What critical factors helped spark their faith in Jesus and drew them into the community of believers? Thom Rainer shares results and conclusions of this groundbreaking survey of the formerly unchurched. At last, here are proven insights into what evangelistically effective churches are doing right. Filled with charts, graphs, and other visual aids, plus an abundance of true-life accounts, this book explodes myths about the unchurched. You will discover:
- Why pastors and doctrinal preaching are critical
- The enormous influence of family and relationships
- Which things matter more than we thought, and which matter less
- The traits of unchurched-reaching leaders
- How to become a church for the unchurched
About the Author
Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the largest Christian resource companies in the world. He has consulted with more than five hundred churches, served as pastor of four churches and interim pastor in seven churches, and spoken in hundreds of venues worldwide. Among his publications are hundreds of articles and nineteen books including the national bestseller Simple Church as well as Essential Church?, Raising Dad, and The Bridger Generation. Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, have three grown sons and live in Nashville, Tennessee.
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