Shawn is friendly, well mannered, and industrious. But like many others in his suburban neighborhood, he has no relationship with Christ. On Sunday mornings, Shawn is usually busy maintaining his lawn or actively involved in recreational pursuits. It's not that he's opposed to Christianity, but it simply has no place in his life. Nor is it something he considers to be important. He's busy with other priorities and he considers himself to be a good person. Superficially, it doesn't seem as if he needs what the church offers. Still he's not antagonistic, argumentative, or even apathetic.

Statistics show that there are an increasing number of Shawns across the United States today. But what can we do to reach them? Are there points of connection? How can we identify and address their felt and unfelt needs? Is there a way to contextualize our ministry to a rapidly changing and largely unchurched culture? Fortunately, there are good answers to these vital questions.

It's important to realize that many people are open to church attendance if they're asked. And that simple effort may help them make the initial step toward a decision for Christ. Certainly people come to faith in Christ without ever having stepped into a church. But it's much easier to plant, water, and cultivate in the context of community.

So, why don't many people come to our churches and consider the claims of Christ? The North American Mission Board's Center for Missional Research studied the attitudes and perceptions of the unchurched regarding Southern Baptists. The results of this study provided insights into the mindset of those outside our churches. Based upon their attendance at a church—but not necessarily Southern Baptist—service within the past six months, respondents were asked their impression of Southern Baptists (Favorable, Unfavorable, or Not Familiar).

The chart below shows that people who attended a church service in the past six months had a more favorable impression of Southern Baptists than those who had not attended (41% versus 19%). Surprisingly, over 40 percent of those who'd attended a service were not familiar enough with Southern Baptists to have an impression. And over half (55%) of the people who had not attended a service were unfamiliar with Southern Baptists. So, although it might burst our ego bubble, almost half of those surveyed just have no familiarity with who we are. They are not at home thinking good or bad thoughts about Southern Baptists, they are just ignoring us. Of those who have an impression, churchgoers tend to be positive—but the unchurched, well, not as much.

Vague positive or negative feeling about Southern Baptists is interesting, but it may be more helpful to ask about the impact on behavior. The second chart, "Impact of Knowing a Church is Southern Baptist on Decision to Visit or Join, by Attendance," gives additional insights by asking how their perceptions would impact their actions—particularly visiting a Southern Baptist church. Twenty-two percent of those who attended a church service within the past six months said they would be more likely to visit or join a church if they knew it was Southern Baptist. Those who didn't attend a Christian service within the past six months were less favorable (11%) about visiting or joining a church if they knew it was Southern Baptist. However, even those who reported attending a service still have more negative than positive reactions to knowing a church is Southern Baptist. Among the unchurched people who expressed an opinion, almost three times as many said it would have a negative impact.
 

Furthermore, when we break that down by region, there are some surprising results—albeit it's with a smaller sample and, thus, less definitive conclusions. Although the positive perception of Southern Baptists in the South was the highest for any region, the negative impressions were actually higher than the positive. In other words, the surveyed unchurched in the South who have an opinion about Southern Baptists were more negative than positive.

Impressions of Southern Baptists Among the Unchurched, by Region

 
We also examined the survey results by age and willingness to "visit or join" a church. The same pattern was found from the last study—younger adults were substantially less willing to visit and join a church if they knew it was an SBC church.

Our CMR studies clearly indicate that we have a challenge among the unchurched, particularly with unchurched younger adults (see also our last study we reported on in CMR Insights). Since a significant percentage of people in these groups hold a negative opinion of who we are, it will not be easy or automatic to engage them in our churches. As such, it may be more difficult to engage them in church based evangelism. It will require us to build relationships with them in order to break the negative image they hold before many will consider the claims of Christ. But in spite of this, the opportunities are great. Many recent studies have shown that the unchurched are willing to listen and consider the claims of the gospel. They can be reached, and are being reached.

The era of the unchurched coming "to us" is past, at least in any meaningful numbers. It is hard to do "attractional" ministry when the unchurched are not attracted to our churches. Instead, we must encounter people in the flow of life to have an impact. We must think incarnationally and not just attractionally to reach the unchurched today. And the way to do that is to get outside our church facilities where the people are, and bring them inside where we are.

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Ed Stetzer is the Missiologist and Senior Director of the Center for Missional Research.