Christianity continues to decline – how do you reach the unchurched in this new reality?

Nelson Searcy
Lead Pastor
The Journey Church

Dear Pastor,

Early on in my ministry, I started working in highly “unchurched” areas. When I walked down the streets of Orange County, California, I was struck by how many people would admit their religious NON-affiliation — that they either used to be a Christian, grew up Christian or they didn’t go to church at all.

Since then all The Journey Church locations I’ve planted have been in highly unchurched areas, like New York City, San Francisco and South Florida. And today about 90 percent of those we baptize come out of previously unaffiliated status.

But a new trend is emerging in other parts of the country — places that traditionally have been more religious are now starting to resemble New York and California. You’ve probably experienced this trend for yourself and seen evidence in your own community.

The religious landscape in America is changing.

And recent studies from Pew Research Center confirm this decline of Christianity and the increasing secularization of our society. Their research also shows an 12% decline in the number of Christians from a decade ago.

This is serious stuff.

Add to that, the fastest growing "religious" group in America is now those who have NO religious affiliation whatsoever. In fact, about three-in-ten Americans (29%) no longer associates with any religious denomination. When asked, “what is your religious affiliation, they simply choose “None.”

All of this points to the fact that we are living in less of a Christian culture today. This is the new reality that we face as church leaders — and we have to face it head-on.

So the big question becomes: How do we reach people who more and more are willing to say they are religiously unaffiliated?

Simply put, in this increasingly secular society, we have to change our approach to reaching the unchurched.

When we talk about reaching the unchurched, we are talking about someone who is not actively engaged and has no desire to grow as a member in a local church.

Today I want to dive into this with you and share the latest insights into how we can best engage with the unchurched in our community — specifically those who claim no religious affiliation, those in our community who are lost.

The Christian awareness in our culture has diminished. So through pastoring The Journey Church and working with hundreds of other churches that I’ve coached in evangelism, I’ve identified and laid out specific ways you can reach the unchurched in this new reality.

Reaching the Unchurched is a brand new, extremely practical resource that is filled with insights and action ideas that can be used immediately in your church and with much success.

In this high-level training, recorded live at one of my private coaching events, I’ll share with you what’s working NOW for local church evangelism.

You’ll learn the proven strategies and systems that will help you revamp your evangelism system, create a culture of evangelism in your church, and ultimately reach more people for Christ!

Complete Pastor’s Kit including Audio Training, Leader’s Guide, Listener’s Guide, Transcript and More!

Complete Pastor’s Kit including Audio Training, Leader’s Guide, Listener’s Guide, Transcript and More!

In this new practical toolkit for reaching the unchurched, you will discover:

• How to define and identify the unchurched — and the unique challenges you face today in reaching them
• Where to start immediately if you want to increase the evangelistic temperature of your church
• One of the most powerful ways to refocus your church outwardly and jump-start your evangelism system (this MUST be on your church calendar!)
• Where responsibility ultimately starts in connecting with the lost
• What many unchurched people are lacking , even seeking, that you can provide (in large amounts!)
• An obscure yet essential tool for charting the journey of a new believer — and what it reveals about the strategies needed to reach them
• Why and where language matters most (the unchurched may need more explanation here)
• A personal evangelism method that is critical to maximizing with your team
• The actual ABCs of planning an effective evangelistic event
• The best seasons and days during the year to go all out in reaching your community (including when people are most receptive)
• The 3 “T’s” you need to know in order to understand “when people are most likely to come to church”
• A surprising yet effective tool to mobilize large groups of people for evangelism
• Proven methods for people to connect with their unchurched friends
• One of the easiest groups to reach and when you should be ready to reach out — every time
• 4 practical ways you can use others’ stories to connect with the unchurched who come through your doors
• How to equip your people to share the Gospel
• XX% of unchurched Americans that do not mind when a friend shares their faith (it’s a pretty high number); translation – big opportunity!
• 5 event opportunities for inviting the unchurched
• The most important system to develop for local church evangelism (in 3 easy steps)
• Ways to “give them something to talk about” that will grab the attention of the unchurched in YOUR community!
• What you should NEVER deny those who have the gift of evangelism
• Breaking down the decision to come to faith in Christ (how many touches does it take today?)
• How to stop wasting energy in lackluster evangelism efforts — because you’re missing this critical component
• One of the most underutilized parts of your worship service that you can fix now (ignoring this opportunity WILL jeopardize your ability to reach more unchurched)
• How to cooperate with God and receive His blessing on your efforts to reach the unchurched
• 4 important times your people can and should make more of an effort to invite others to church (the return on this time investment is exponential!)
• The key to reaching more unchurched tomorrow than you reached today (hint: it does involve some risk)

It’s time to recognize that as more and more people are checking that “None” box — and not associating with any religion whatsoever — we have to adjust our approach in how we reach the unchurched.

I’d like to help you do exactly that — because the cost of doing nothing is just too great.

Will you join me today in changing up your evangelism efforts to face this new reality? Let’s overcome this challenge together for the Kingdom!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson Searcy

SPECIAL ONE-TIME BONUSES - OVER $139.90

Plus when you pick up this resource you will also immediately receive these bonus resources:

IMMEDIATE BONUS #1:
Evangelism Sermon Series - $99.95 Value – Yours FREE!

These are the exact sermons I have used to mobilize my people to share their faith with the unchurched. This collection of six sermons will show you people how to invite their friends to church. Includes topics like Going Public with my Faith, Invest and Invite, and How Do I Show My Faith @ Work? Also includes messages and a bonus DVD that effectively challenges those not yet Christians to make a decision to follow Jesus.

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IMMEDIATE BONUS #2:
Updated and Expanded: Reaching Your Community through Servant Evangelism - $39.95 Value – Yours FREE!

In this 60-minute updated and expanded resource, you’ll discover how to use simple acts of service to spread the Gospel in your community! From my two decades of leading Servant Evangelism projects, I’ll show you why it works and how to launch your own. Includes proven, fun examples of effective projects and sample invite cards and flyers.

INCLUDES:

Almost 2 Hours of Audio Training on MP3 that you can transfer to your iTunes, MP3 player or listen online.

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Complete Transcript of the training that you can save onto your computer or tablet and read in more depth after going through the audio training.

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Student Guide with fill-in-the-blank notes in a convenient PDF format that you can print and use to follow along, or simply view on your computer or tablet for easy reference.

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A Complete Leader’s Guide so that you can take this workshop and train your staff, key leaders and volunteers. You'll have everything you need to lead this workshop in your church!