Shatter the Limitations of a Focus on the Religious 'Nones'

Discover What Brings New Believers to Christian Faith and to a Connection with a Christian Congregation

Shatter the Limitations of a Focus on the Religious ‘Nones’

In recent years the number of books, research reports, articles, webinars, and podcasts defining and providing an understanding of the religious “nones,” and those who are “nothing in particular,” seems to have grown exponentially.

In many ways this is good. In other ways this is bad.

It is good because we need to understand this trend, plus the particulars of what is going on with those without a Christian faith and those who are losing faith.

But to use the statement pattern I learned from one of my mentors—Kennon Callahan—a congregation and/or denomination can fix everything that is wrong about its approach to “nones” and “nothing in particular” people, and bring their evangelism, outreach, and new member assimilation efforts right up to neutral.

Meaning, no progress is made.

Don’t let me mislead you. I am a huge consumer of materials on about “nones” and “nothing in particular people.” With my research and church-denomination consulting background, I want to know all I can about these people groups.

But I also know that no matter how much you know, unless you have a proactive, spiritually focused, and strategically effective strategy to authentically address the spiritual needs of preChristian, unchurched, underchurched and dechurched people, what you know in worthless.

You may know a lot and do little or nothing. You may be depressed about the lack of effectiveness in reaching these people groups but do nothing to discover effective ways to connect with people who need a new or renewed spiritual relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

In addition to the current research filling our inbox, we need more research on what is working to bring new believers to Christian faith and to a connection with a Christian congregation.

Or what was said about one of the 1970s contemporary congregation launches: We need to know more about how to help irreligious people become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Over the next couple of months, I am going to write more on this subject, and offer some of those positives alternatives.

In the interim, if you want to dive deeper into the latest research on religious “nones” here are links to the most recent Pew research report, and some articles written to share and comment on this study.

Research Report and Follow-Up Articles

• Religious ‘Nones’ in America: Who They Are and What They Believe

• Five Ways to Communicate to the ‘None”—Who Aren’t Listening

• A Closer Look at America’s Nones

• Who are the ‘nones’? New Pew study debunks myths about America’s nonreligious

• Here’s what I’m learning about the ‘nones’

• Religious 'Nones' are now the largest single group in the U.S.