Yeah, it is "interesting" how so much of evangelism assumes a worldview that no longer exists...
Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 30, 2016, at 12:47, BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical > Centrist Community <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Evangelism Using Death, Heaven, Hell Talk Don't Work on 'Unchurched' > Americans, Survey Finds > > www.christianpost.com > > By Brandon Showalter , CP Reporter > July 29, 2016|3:40 pm > > > Non-church-attending Americans are generally open to talking about faith but > few wonder about life after death – which is the tactic many Christians are > taught to begin conversations, a new LifeWay Research study commissioned by > the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College finds. > > Nashville-based LifeWay Research published a study Thursday that examines the > types of church activities that "unchurched" Americans are interested in as > well as how open they are to talking about faith. By "unchurched" the > researchers mean "those who have not attended a worship service in the last > six months, outside of a holiday or special occasion like a wedding." > Surprisingly, the survey found that more than half of Americans who don't go > to church self-identify as Christians. > > The online survey of 2,000 unchurched Americans finds that: > > about two-thirds (62 percent) would attend a meeting at a church about > neighborhood safety; > half would participate in a community service event (51 percent); > nearly half would go to a concert (45 percent); > nearly half would join a sports or fitness program (46 percent); > nearly half would go to a neighborhood gathering (46 percent). > The survey also finds that 66 percent of respondents said they were either > "unlikely" or "extremely unlikely" to attend a worship service if invited. > Even more respondents, 74 percent, were "unlikely" or "extremely" to attend a > "small group for people curious about God." > > Why Is There Such an Aversion to Church? > > Earlier this month, The Christian Post interviewed Preston Ulmer who started > an unconventional group called "The Doubter's Club" in Denver-area coffee > shops to engage skeptics and atheists with the Gospel. CP reached out to him > for comments on this survey's findings, asking him what drives distaste for > churches, particularly among young people. > > "Millennials pride themselves on two big ideas: making social impact and > genuine relationships," Ulmer said. He added, "and by genuine I literally > mean no facade whatsoever." > > "I believe the reason they are leaving the church is because both of these > issues are not at the forefront of most American churches." > > Ulmer further noted that the lack of community in many churches has only fed > the individualism millennials are known for and that's why they enjoy > conversing about spirituality. > > "At first, things are talked about with a sense of certainty. After > challenges, friendships with believers, and genuine relationships, they > change their individual belief to line up with the truth. That is what I've > seen, anyway." > > Such would explain the findings that many are interested in church activities > related to community connectedness. > > The popular Alpha Course, which was hatched out of Holy Trinity-Brompton > Anglican Church in London, and is sometimes described as "evangelism gone > dialogue," is a ten-week Christianity 101 course built around a series of > talks introducing curious people to the basics of the Gospel and is often > conducted inside and outside the church. > > > > CP asked John Wentz, ministry director and member of the Lead Team at Alpha > USA, what drives distaste for the church such that so many (evidenced by the > LifeWay survey) unchurched would not consider going. And what makes the Alpha > approach different from traditional church settings? > > "Alpha focuses on hospitality, on creating a safe place to explore faith, ask > questions and have discussions," Wentz said in an email to CP, emphasizing > that the premise is "no question is off limits, and no point of view is out > of line." > > "We want to encourage those attending Alpha to feel comfortable to ask > questions and to have conversations that they may feel they can't have in > other places," Wentz continued. > > "We know that this doesn't take place in one conversation or even two. Having > a real relationship where we can talk about the most important things in life > takes time," he said. > > A Conversation About Faith > > Such an intentionally conversational approach to faith dovetails with perhaps > the most interesting result the LifeWay study uncovered: Unchurched Americans > are not put off by their Christian friends talking to them about matters of > faith. > > Close to half (47 percent) of respondents said that they discuss religion > freely if the topic comes up. And about a third (31 percent) say they listen > without responding, while 11 percent change the subject. > > "Unchurched Americans aren't hostile to faith," says LifeWay Executive > Director Scott McConnell in a statement, "they just don't think church is for > them." > > But Christians should be prepared to change their evangelism approach as many > unchurched Americans say they never (43 percent) or are not sure of the last > time the question came to mind (20 percent) of "If I were to die today, do I > know for sure that I would go to heaven?" > > McConnell observes, "If the only benefit of being a Christian is that you get > to go to heaven, most unchurched people don't care. It can't be the only way > of talking about faith." > > The LifeWay Research/Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College > survey was conducted May 23 to June 1, 2016, with a sample of 2,000 surveys > with a +/- 2.7 percent margin of error > > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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