The Unchurched Next Door, Thom S. Rainer
The Unchurched Next Door, Thom S. Rainer
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The Unchurched Next Door
Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith

Author: Thom S. Rainer

Narrator: Don Reed

Unabridged: 7 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 11/25/2008


Synopsis

If You Invite Them, They Will Come.It’s true. In a national survey done 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”—levels of responsiveness, prefixed with a “U” for “Unchurched”—that represent your running buddy, your sister-in-law, or your hairdresser:U1 Highly receptive to hearing and believing the Good NewsU2 Receptive to the gospel and churchU3 Neutral, with no clear signs of being interested yet perhaps being open to discussionU4 Resistant to the gospel, but with no antagonistic attitudeU5 Highly antagonistic and even hostile to the gospel“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’ll be amazed at the variables that exist when it comes to how open people are to the Christian message. Once you've recognized which stage your unchurched friends and family are, you can much more effectively connect them with Christ. Open this book, and open your mind and heart to the powerful new possibilities of reaching The Unchurched Next Door.

About Thom S. Rainer

Thom S. Rainer (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee. He was founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and, Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His many books include Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, The Unexpected Journey, and Breakout Churches.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Cody on April 21, 2021

The greatest gift this book provides is that our greatest fears about reaching the unchurched are largely unfounded. The group who is militant against Christianity are the smallest fraction of those whom we will encounter in sharing the gospel. I would guess the militant are going to continue to dim......more

Goodreads review by Carôle on February 13, 2024

This is a GREAT BOOK for those Christians who are hesitant to/reluctant/afraid to witness to or even mention their belief in Jesus Christ to family/friends/colleagues or neighbours. This is a surprising clarion call and an eye opener. This is a book that is worth revisiting time and again (until you......more

Goodreads review by James on October 20, 2024

Target Evangelism For "The Unchurched Next Door," Dr. Thom Rainer interviewed hundreds of unchurched people to find out how they respond to evangelism. He concludes there are five faith stages of the unchurched. Those are: U1 – highly receptive to the Gospel, U2 – receptive to the Gospel and church,......more

Goodreads review by Sophia on August 21, 2020

This is a great book about the different types of people you will encounter during evagelism. It contains lots of data and statistics from an extensive study carried out by the author and his team. In my personal evangelsim experiences, his results ring true and help me to be more bold.......more

Goodreads review by Jared on April 14, 2021

The statistics and testimonials were helpful and thought provoking. However, it felt a bit repetitive. The points could have been made in half the page count.......more