Talk:Unchurched

Reaching Your Unchurched Community the New Testament Way by Daryl R. Eldridge

Do you want your church to be a New Testament church?

Most people would unequivocally say yes. If so, then after which New Testament church would you like to model your church? The one in Ephesus? Corinth? Galatia? What about the church of the Thessalonians?

early church had its challenges.

The early churches also had difficulty assimilating new members

Conflict among church leaders occurred on a regular basis. In many ways, things haven't changed in two thousand years.

People and churches still experience the same problems the early church encountered.

When we say we want to be a New Testament church, I believe we mean this: we desire for our church to be characterized by a vibrant, evangelistic spirit that witnesses the power of God transforming lives. What would your church look like if it patterned its ministry after churches in the New Testament? Should we not expect God to transform those who are enslaved to immorality, addicted to drugs, or enmeshed in difficult relationships? Or does God only work in the lives of good people who just need a little "tweaking"? If ours is to be a healthy church, a New Testament church then it will include dysfunctional people who are being transformed through God's grace.

Pray for the unchurched.

Commit to develop relationships with the unchurched.

Find interests you share and can enjoy together.

Spend time getting acquainted.

Winning the lost and assimilating them into the body of Christ is not a quick-strike operation; it requires a long-term commitment to relationships.

Become a hospital for the spiritually wounded.

Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. . . . I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:12-13). Churches that reach their communities embody the doctrine of grace. People's lives have been changed and they share that good news with others who are seeking hope, help, and healing.

Examine your Sunday School and church records. Are you only baptizing your own, or is your church reaching unchurched families and adults for Christ?

Recognize That Ministry Can Be Messy Reaching the unchurched is messy. The unchurched are not familiar with the language or acceptable behaviors of Christians. Unfortunately, many churches follow this formula: Behave, Believe, and then Belong. With this thinking we are implicitly saying, "First, you must behave the way we behave. You must talk and dress like us. Then, once you behave like us, you must believe what we believe. Then, if you believe what we believe, you can belong to our church."

To reach the unchurched we must reverse that formula. Postmoderns are looking for a community in which to belong. Once they feel accepted for who they are, they begin to change their values and beliefs. After they understand what God is calling them to be and do, they will change their behavior. Focus your Sunday School on developing an open-group strategy in which everyone feels that they belong.

Their concerns are more pragmatic.

dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.

One out of three will struggle with finances. The issues in their lives are to find a well-paying job, meet the mortgage payment, put food on the table, get out of debt, and maintain job security. Unchurched adults often are concerned about personal health issues.

Family matters occupy their attention. They want help with child-rearing: discipline, school events, dating, and allowances. Single parents worry about how to carry the parenting load alone. Unchurched adults want close personal friendships and a clear purpose for living. Median adults are concerned with the challenges of meeting the needs of aging parents. Most of the unchurched are drowning in the whirlpool of life's realities and don't believe the church has anything that can help them.

Bible study must go beyond what happened thousands of years ago among a group of nomads wandering in the desert. Bible study must be directed toward life application so that God's transforming work can take place in people's lives. Do your teachers apply Scripture to everyday life? Are lives being changed by applying the truth from God's Word?

Tell the Unchurched How Jesus Makes a Difference

Consider starting community family groups that meet in apartment buildings or in homes. Use these groups to address life issues from a biblical perspective. Provide parenting tools and seminars in community clubhouses or conference centers. The unchurched are more open to meeting at a neutral site until they get to know members of your church.

Be willing to change.

What traditions in your church are keeping you from reaching the lost? What true changes (not superficial ones for the sake of change) do you need to make to reach the unchurched?

The pastor and key Sunday School leaders must be committed to change.

What specific things will you do to cast a vision for reaching the lost? What will you do personally to share your faith?

Make specific and strategic plans to be a New Testament church that reaches the unchurched for Christ's glory.

Daryl R. Eldridge is President and co-founder of Rockbridge Seminary.

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Most unchurched have some church background.

Most unchurched got out of the habit of churchgoing.

One-third of the unchurched have plans to go to church in the future.

The unchurched are very open to a gospel conversation.

If you invite them, they will come.

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church fights back with survey that says they need to offer service at other times and days Need to invite people to church. Offer comforting social relationships and support for them and their children. Offer youth activities for the well-being of their children.

most unchurched quit church because they got out of the habit of churchgoing.

The unchurched are very open to a gospel conversation. .