Thom Rainer shares some surprises that a recent study conducted by Lifeway found related to those who are not connected to a church.

Our research project involved 308 men and women in the United States and Canada. Every person interviewed was deemed to be both unchurched and non-Christian. While we asked some pre-determined objective questions, we also let the unchurched person speak freely. Some of the best interviews we had went off our planned script. And it was in those contexts that we often discovered some surprises. The surprises below are not listed in any particular order.

• Surprise #1: Most of the unchurched prefer to attend church on Sunday morning if they attend.

• Surprise #2: Most of the unchurched feel guilty about not attending church.

• Surprise #3: Ninety-six percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if they are invited.

• Surprise #4: Very few of the unchurched had someone share with them how to become a Christian.

• Surprise #5: Most of the unchurched have a positive view of pastors, ministers and the church.

I'd encourage you to read the article linked above from some of Rainer's conclusions from this study. They're deeply challenging for any church or Christian.