The Unchurched Next Door

Download or read book The Unchurched Next Door written by Thom S. Rainer and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a national survey conducted by author Thom Rainer and his staff, eight out of ten unchurched men and women said they would come to church—if only someone would invite them. When and how is the next big question. Rainer helps you figure out where your neighbors, friends, and coworkers are in their spiritual quest, and how you can know who among the unchurched people in your life are receptive to Christ.In this fascinating book, Rainer identifies five “faith stages” that represent your running buddy, your sister-in-law, or your hairdresser. “A discovery we made is that reaching lost and unchurched people is not always best accomplished with some cookie-cutter strategy,” Rainer writes. “The unchurched are different in how they respond to the gospel.” How different? You will be amazed at the variables that exist when it comes to how open people are to the Christian message. Open this book, and open your mind and heart to the powerful new possibilities of reaching The Unchurched Next Door.

Download or read book Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them written by Thom S. Rainer and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2009-08-08 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We’ve read all the hot books on evangelism, we’ve attended scores of seminars—and still we’re not reaching the unchurched. Eighty to ninety percent of churchless Americans will never darken our culturally relevant, seeker-sensitive doors. What are we missing?Maybe we’ve been asking the wrong people. Instead of consulting the unchurched masses, it’s time we heard what the small but important minority who have recently begun attending a church have to say. What made the difference for them? What critical factors helped spark their faith in Jesus and drew them into the community of believers?Thom S. Rainer, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth, shares the results and conclusions of his school’s groundbreaking survey of the formerly unchurched. At last, here are proven insights into what evangelistically effective churches are doing right. Flying in the face of much contemporary wisdom, the answers will surprise you.This is truly one of the most valuable resources you can own as a church leader. Filled with charts, graphs, and other visual aids, plus an abundance of true-life accounts, this book explodes common myths about the unchurched. You’ll discoverWhy pastors and doctrinal preaching are criticalThe enormous influence of family and relationships Which things matter more than we’d thought, and which matter lessWhat causes visitors to returnThe traits of unchurched-reaching leadersHow to preach effectively to the unchurchedHow to become a church for the unchurchedAnd much, much moreThis eye-opening compendium of information includes reproducible appendices that can help you fine-tune or even restructure your church. From one of the nations foremost authorities on evangelism and church growth, here are insights and tools that will change the way you think of and deal with--and win--unchurched men and women who long to connect with God.Photocopyable material includesUnchurched-Reaching Readiness InventoryChurch Health Survey

Download or read book High Expectations written by Thom S. Rainer and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 1999-02-15 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over a quarter of a century the problem of losing church members has progressively increased. Today the situation is so bad that less than one-third of the members in some churches attend worship services. Church leaders are crying for help.In an effort to help church leaders, the Billy Graham School of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary conducted a massive research project involving nearly 287 churches. The most revealing aspect of the study was that the higher expectations placed on members, the greater the likelihood that the members would stay and be involved with the church. Using the data gathered from this project, Thom Rainer presents the first-ever comprehensive study about 'closing the back door.' Rainer looks at why people are leaving the church and how church leaders can keep the members.

Download or read book Strangers Next Door written by J. D. Payne and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2012-08-02 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christians in the West are living among some of the least-reached people groups in the world and have the unprecedented opportunity to share the gospel with them. Here J. D. Payne introduces the phenomenon of human migration to the West and discusses how the Western church ought to respond.

Download or read book Stained written by Jennifer Richard Jacobson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-05-11 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jocelyn has two boys in her life. And a priest. Gabe has shared fourteen years of growing up next door. He's "a golden boy, an all-star." Yet now, in the spring of 1975, he's missing, disappeared on the brink of senior year at Weaver High. The whole town is set to go searching for him. Benny has only been in New Hampshire since January, yet for Joss, he's the answer to a long-held prayer to be someone in somebody's eyes. She loves them both. Father Warren--hair turning white and "kind of cool in his black clothes"--is the link between the three of them. Or a wedge. Or a threat. For Joss, the priest holds the power over her sense of self; for Benny, power over his soul; for Gabe, so mysterious and alluring, he holds the power of destiny. In a story shot with suspense, these four characters, and the lives of others they've touched in their small town, intermingle with unforgettable force.

Download or read book Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary written by Lee Strobel and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2010-08-03 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who Are Unchurched Harry and Mary?He or she could be the neighbor who is perfectly happy without God.Or the coworker who scoffs at Christianity.Or the supervisor who uses Jesus’ name only as profanity.Or the family member who can’t understand why religion is so important.Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary isn’t a book of theory. It’s an action plan to help you relate the message of Christ to the people you work around, live with, and call your friends.Using personal experiences, humor, compelling stories, biblical illustrations, and the latest research, Lee Strobel helps you understand non-Christians and what motivates them. The book includes:* 15 key insights into why people steer clear of God and the church* A look at Christianity and its message through the eyes of a former atheist* Practical, inspirational strategies for building relationships with non-Christians* Firsthand advice on surviving marriage to an unbelieving spouse

Download or read book Breakout Churches written by Thom S. Rainer and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-01-10 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is the story of thirteen churches and the leaders who moved them from stagnancy to growth and from mediocrity to greatness. Drawing on one of the most comprehensive studies ever on the church, this book reveals the process of becoming a "breakout" church and the factors that lead to this spiritual metamorphosis."--The Publisher description.