Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them. B and H Books, 2009.
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Referenced in: Generational Issues in Churches
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is one of several resources on the younger generations produced by LifeWay Research, a ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention. While Essential Church focuses on the de-churched, those who dropout between the ages of 18-22, Lost and Found looks more closely at the unchurched, those ages 18-29 who do not go to church. They also study the characteristics of churches that are actually successful in reaching this age group. Another LifeWay resource by Thom and Jess Rainer, The Millennials, which is a broad, comprehensive demographic picture of the younger population as a whole.
The authors describe the purpose of the book:
“This is a book about who the younger unchurched are and how to reach them. Yes, that may be a little old school. Many authors and speakers want to focus on fascinating and important questions like what is wrong with our belief system, how can we do this differently, and what will the future look like for churches? I have asked questions like that myself, and I will do more of that in my next book. But, in this book, Richie, Jason, and I are asking one simple question: Who are the young unchurched and how can they be reached with the good news of Jesus Christ? (OK, that’s two questions.) ” (3)
In terms of research, it is based on interviews with 1,000 statistically selected 18-29 year olds from diverse populations.
Here are a few of the key insights:
- This generation is very spiritual. They think about many of the big issues such as God, Jesus, eternity, making a difference, etc. They are more spiritual and are more likely than the over-30 population to believe in God. But they are really bugged by Christians and the churches they represent.
- The four big things they want in life generally, and would hope to find in churches, is community, depth, responsibility, and connection. Surprisingly, the vast majority of churches that are effective in reaching this generation provide cross-generational connections.
- The churches that reach these young people as diverse as the population. Some of them are alternative types, but many are traditional churches that have capitalized on intergenerational ministry.
- There are four categories of the younger unchurched: 1) Always unchurched, 2) Dechurched, 3) Friendly unchurched , 4) Hostile unchurched. This means those who wish to reach them must vary their approaches depending on their predisposition.
This is an outstanding book. It is not a how-to, but is a rich resource to help congregations see real possibilities in reaching the young unchurched.
From the Publisher
Lost and Found by Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley and Jason Hayes, takes a close look at who young unchurched are, and how can they be reached with the good news of Jesus Christ.
In a poll result highlighted by CNN Headline News and USA Today, nearly half of nonchurchgoers between the ages of twenty and twenty-nine agreed with the statement, “Christians get on my nerves.” Now, researchers behind the larger study present Lost and Found, a blend of dynamic hard data and modern day parable that tells the real story of an unchurched generation that is actually quite spiritual and yet circumspect, open to Jesus but not the church.
As such, Lost and Found is written to the church, using often-surprising results from the copious research here to strike another nerve and break some long established assumptions about how to effectively engage the lost. Leading missiologist Ed Stetzer and his associates first offer a detailed investigation of the four younger unchurched types. With a better understanding of their unique experiences, they next clarify the importance each type places on community, depth of content, social responsibility, and making cross-generational connections in relation to spiritual matters.
Most valuably, Lost and Found finds the churches that have learned to reach unchurched young adults by paying close attention to those key markers vetted by the research. Their exciting stories will make it clear how your church can bring searching souls from this culture to authentic faith in Christ.
Those who are lost can indeed be found. Come take a closer look.
About the Authors
Ed Stetzer is director of LifeWay Research and missiologist in residence at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee. He holds two masters and doctoral degrees and has written dozens of respected articles and books including Planting Missional Churches, Breaking the Missional Code, Compelled by Love, and Comeback Churches.
Richie Stanley is team leader at the North American Mission Board’s Center for Missional Research in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Jason Hayes is the young adult ministry specialist at LifeWay Christian Resources where he serves as a leading voice and face of Threads, the company’s young adult initiative.
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