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Adult Class

Being An Influence For Christ Class 2

December 2007-February 2008

 

            A comprehensive, long-term national study by Dr. Thom Rainer shows that 59% of Americans are not affiliated with any church group. They attend church sporadically, and typically visit different groups. No matter what we might think about such people, there are some characteristics these people share. Rainer has identified nine characteristics—I’ve added a tenth that I believe he has assumed.

 

  1. They’re all different kinds of people. That may seem obvious, but we’ve used methods that are geared toward reaching one kind of people, typically. Consider Paul’s approach in Athens in Acts 17:16-23: he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, but discussed in the marketplace with the Gentiles. He used different approaches with different groups.
  2. They are completely uninterested in the church name. Rainer’s research directly contradicts earlier research by George Barna and others, who suggested that people unaffiliated with a church group are distracted or put off by denominational labels. In fact, many people think nothing at all of the name on the sign in front of the building.
  3. They attend churches from time to time. It’s not that these people never go to a worship service—they can actually be more regular in attendance than “members”! The difference is that they are not aligned with any particular group—so they attend many different groups.
  4. They can sometimes by reached by direct evangelism. Remember that different people respond differently. Some need a gradual attraction to the gospel; others can hear it once and seize it eagerly. Consider Paul’s experience in Acts 18:5-8 in which some responded rapidly.
  5. They’re not looking for a dynamic, polished and entertaining preacher. Few people can develop commitment to Christ when they are attracted by entertainment-oriented services. Paul pointed out to the Corinthians that they were not attracted by polished rhetoric, but by the power of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 2:1. Most people are better reached by genuineness than by flashy style.
  6. They can accept and deal with deep truths. It’s a mistake to assume that people outside the church are not interested in challenging concepts. Paul struck at a key presupposition in the Gentiles when he taught the idea of resurrection to the philosophers in Acts 17:29-34. However, they engaged with him over that idea. People today can and will struggle with us over challenging ideas.
  7. Sunday school is an effective tool in attracting people outside the church. There is a need for relationships and a need for important thinking in people. The small group atmosphere of the Bible class can provide both.
  8. Family and friends are the most important in reaching people. In March 5:19-20, Jesus told the man freed from demons to tell his family. When the man did that, the gospel could be heard in that area. The single most influential relationship in bringing people to Christ is that of a faithful wife bringing her husband to gospel obedience.
  9. People outside any church are often concerned about others. This works in two ways. First, they are concerned about the welfare of people who are struggling in life for one reason or another, just as Cornelius gave gifts to the poor in Acts 10:1-2. Second, they are concerned about the spiritual health of those closest to them—especially the moral upbringing of their children and the friends of their children. For that reason, they often strongly support spiritual teaching to the members of their family—just as Cornelius assembled his whole household to hear the message from Peter in Acts 10:24, 33.
  10. People outside the church are spiritually hungry—but they may not realize that’s what they are experiencing. When Jesus encountered the woman at the well, He knew her thirst was far more than water (John 4:13-18). What she most needed was a passionate relationship with God. All her life, though, she had tried to fill that void with something—or someone—else. We encounter people who have serious problems based on a famine of spiritual teaching. However, it may be very difficult for them to see that their problems stem from that same famine.

 

            It is important to remember that people outside the church are not cruel, wicked or moronic. For the most part, they are decent people who are doing the best they can to cope with life. And nobody has ever told them that their heart’s desire is bound up in submission to Jesus of Nazareth as the Lord of their lives.

            If they were to hear that message and understand what it means . . .