Reaching the formerly churched by meeting their core needs

Reaching the formerly churched by meeting their core needs
Rebecca Barnes, editor

What if everyone who had ever attended your church was still there today? If that seems impractical, what if two-thirds of everyone who ever attended was still there? Well, what would you do if you knew many of those people who left were open to coming back?

New findings from LifeWay Research indicate that a large majority of adults who regularly attended a Protestant church in the past but no longer do so would be interested in returning. Some 62 percent of these "dechurched" adults are not actively looking for a church, but are open to the idea of again attending church regularly.

"The small portion (28 percent) who are 'unlikely to consider' returning should be encouraging when you think about the three out of four who are willing to give it another try," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research.

Most formerly churched people say they just got too busy for church. Why did they stop prioritizing involvement? More than 80 percent of the formerly churched say they do not have a strong belief in God. That explains a lot. It also underscores the need the formerly churched adults feel to return to church: to fill a gap (34 percent) and to move closer to God (46 percent). So what are most of these formerly churched folks waiting for? * An invitation from a friend: 41 percent

* A feeling that it's time to return to church: 58 percent

* Feeling God's call to visit a church: 31 percent

* Assurance that there will be people like them there: 35 percent

Church members and formerly churched people are alike in their deep-seated yearnings, according to respected theologian John Stott. He told Christianity Today this month that even in a secular (perhaps we could say formerly churched) culture, people are still looking for three things: 1) transcendence-something beyond, i.e. worship and the reality of God; 2) significance-identity, perspective; and 3) community-love and fellowship that puts "skin" on an invisible God.

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians something similar in 1 Corinthians 13:13: "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (HCSB)

Loving people back to church may not be as difficult as it sounds-if we consider the church as something broader thanthe weekend worship service. I don't think many people are interested in tacking anything else to their crowded calendars as an obligation. However, if church is instead a place to find faith and to:

* Practice it-in small groups, in outreach, in missions and community projects;

* Find hope-in teaching and discipleship that educates people about who they are in relation to God and the world;

* Find love-from people who genuinely want to be family...

then few will be leaving for any reason. The point of reaching out to the disillusioned isn't about increasing the worship attendance. It's about deepening the ministry of your congregation to meet the needs of people who want faith (transcendence) hope (significance) and love (community).