The Unchurched Next Door – Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith
The Unchurched Next Door Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith
This award-winning national interview survey of unchurched people sheds insight on who the unchurched next door are, what objections they raise, and how to connect with them, taking into account their various faith stages based on the Rainer scale with rankings from U5 to U1.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Generally Helpful
This book provides a helpful introduction to near-neighbor evangelism which is lacking among many Christians, myself included. The main points are that not all unchurched people are at the same place on their faith journey, and that many will come to church if they are invited, which unfortunately seldom happens.
I think a couple of weaknesses should be noted. There seems to be an underlying assumption that there is a clear path between someone coming to church and their becoming a disciple of Jesus. Rainer doesn't really help us see what that path is. The second weakness is that conversion is seen as occuring when someone pray's "the sinners prayer," "invites Jesus into their hearts," or "accepts Jesus as their personal Savior." Biblical conversion is more complex.
4 Stars Plea to invite the unchurched
I recently finished reading The Unchurched Next Door by Thom Rainer. I had previously read his books Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Simple Church, and I found his research to be very illuminating in those books. The same is true of this book.
For this project, Rainer had a team of interviewers conduct extensive one-on-one surveys with unchurched Americans from a wide variety of backgrounds. Rainer classifies them into five categories of unchurched. These are classified on the "Rainer scale" from a U5 (highly resistant and antogonistic to the gospel) to a U1 (high receptive to the gospel.) His researchers found that only 5% of Americans were U5's (antogonistic), and that among the remaining 95% of the unchurched, the majority would likely come to church if somebody they knew invited them and offered to go with them into the building. Here was the most interesting statistic in the book– Answers to the question, would you be likely to go to church if invited:
U5 (antogonistic): 0% very likely, 20% somewhat likely, for a total of 20%
U4 (resistant but not antagonistic): 17% very likely, 45% somewhat likely, for a total of 62%
U3 (neutral): 23% very likely, 63% somewhat likely, for a total of 86%
U2 (receptive): 46% very likely, 51% somewhat likely, for a total of 97%
U1 (highly receptive): 52% very likely, 45% somewhat likely, for a total of 97%
Over and over again, Rainer pleads in this book for Christians to invite their friends to church. His plea needs to be heard.
5 Stars The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith
Extremely helpful to read before going on mission doing surveys and witnessing door to door. Helped to understand where people are in the process of receiving a witness about Jesus Christ, and to not feel discouraged when they "rejected" our offer to hear the gospel. It helped us know how to pray for certain people knowing that they are either resistant, neutral, seeker, or just waiting to hear the gospel.
3 Stars Are we bringing people to church or Jesus?
I think we need to stay mindful here that as we share Christ with those who don't know Him, they are real people, much of whom are very open to God and His Word, but are disillusioned with the church. Let us as His ambassadors not get mixed up into thinking we need to invite them to church (which is a gathering of believers), and rather invite them into our home, build a relationship and 'show' Jesus to them…it's not all about church growth; it's about growing the Kingdom of God through growing disciples!!!
4 Stars The Unchurhed Next Door
This is a good book. Even from a reformed background you realize that you can't just lock yourself up in your little church and expect that people are going to come in and ask how to be saved. you have to go out and talk to people. it is a great book.
Related posts:
- Radically Unchurched Who They Are How to Reach Them
- Spiritual But Not Religious – Understanding Unchurched America
- Reframing Spiritual Formation Discipleship in an Unchurched Culture
- Sharing Christ's Priesthood – A Bible Study for Catholics
- Biocentrism – How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe
- Fasting – Opening the door to a deeper more intimate more powerful relationship with God
- Open the Door – A Journey to the True Self
- The Spirit of the Disciplines – Understanding How God Changes Lives
- Creating Community Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture
- What is Reformed Theology – Understanding the Basics
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great book , great read !