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    The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith
    The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith
    The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith

    Written by Thom S. Rainer

    Narrated by Don Reed

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateNov 25, 2008
    ISBN9780310305378
    Author

    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.

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    Reviews for The Unchurched Next Door

    4.5/5

    17 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      An excellent book based on the author's research into the "unchurched" and their varying perspectives.Based upon an engaging survey, the author discovers that many more people are interested in the Gospel than one would expect. The difficulty seems to be more in the lack of presentation of the Gospel by friends and associates than intentionally staying away from the church. The author is quite Evangelical and believes in the sinner's prayer and "faith only." Nevertheless, the research is sound and the conclusions are consistent with evidence on the ground. Very much worth the read.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book