This raises some red flags for the many churches whose battle cry is “ministry is about relationships.” The skeptics are not as enamored of relational bonds as

One other relational approach that drew a surprisingly strong positive response was receiving an in-home visit from the pastor or a church member to discuss the possibility of attending the church.

If churches hope to grow their attendance numbers by discipling new

Roughly one out of every five young adults is an exile who feels lost between church culture and the wider culture he or she feels called to inhabit and influence. Exiles are not anti-Christian or even necessarily anti-church; they are simply individuals who do not fit the typical molds that churches expect or support. They are characterized by wan

Impersonal media efforts are almost guaranteed to be ignored. No skeptics we interviewed said they were “much more likely” to consider attending a church if they received a direct mail solicitation or had exposure to advertising about a nearby church via television, radio, newspapers, or billboards. Fewer than one out of ten skeptics said they migh

One out of every six churchless adults said they would be much more interested in the church if

church activities go. The other thing that has worked is parties—birthday parties, Super Bowl parties—where we invite churched friends and unchurched friends just to connect.

Less than one out of every five unchurched households (18 percent) is a “traditional family”

cohabit. Most of the nation’s unchurched adults are not only churchless but also spouseless.