Churchless Ross Hoagland

All graphics in this presentation have been shamelessly stolen from BARNA.ORG.

© Barna Group

What is the Bible? View of the BibleChurchedUnchurched The actual Word of God; it should be taken literally, word for word 33%12% The inspired Word of God; it has no errors, although some verses are meant to be symbolic rather than literal 39%17% The Inspired Word of God; it has some factual or historical errors 14%17% Not inspired by God, but tells how the writers of the Bible understood the ways and principles of God 5%13% Just another book of teachings written by men that contains stories and advice 4%32% Some other view of the Bible1%2% Not sure3%8%

To many unchurched people, attending a church looks like becoming an active participant in a club or organization whose central purpose is to celebrate and promote a leader who has never visited the group and is not alive; that is based on a life philosophy that was written thousands of years ago in a very different culture; and whose core values are often misunderstood or even ignored by other members. How difficult, with these assumptions, to see how belonging to a local church is desirable or even reasonable.

In the research…..our team discovered that 84% of young non-Christians say they know a Christian personally, yet only 15% say the lifestyles of those believers are noticeably different in a good way.

AND 7 in 10 believe that our faith is out of touch with reality

Is there truth in these perceptions? What, if anything, should we do about it?

Characteristics of people ages They want a unique and personal journey in life Relationships are their driving force Are irreverent and blunt Are skeptical of institutions, leaders and products They reject what “doesn’t work for them” Expect to participate in the process Journey is more important than the destination

Raised in a market drenched world they are quick to sniff out real motivations and superficialities Are pragmatic Tend to focus on current experiences

CLASS CHALLENGE 1 Take an interest in someone you don’t know well or tend to avoid by asking them 5 questions about themselves 2 Listen to someone’s opinion (that you disagree with) about some topic, affirm that you heard them, agree with what you can, but offer no contrary opinion until another conversation

3 As you casually interact with people, try to make eye contact, smile or greet them, note something you like about them, then say a quick silent prayer for them 4 Admit a failing or weakness of yours to someone you don’t know very well

5 Stop and talk with and offer assistance to a homeless person (apart from giving them money) 6 Greet and engage someone you only know casually 7 Show a specific kindness to or greet someone you don’t like very much

8 Compliment someone at the moment that you feel competitive with them 9 Thank God for 10 different things every day for a week 10 Say a prayer out loud (not when you are with them) for someone who annoys you

11 Call an old friend for no reason other than to ask how they are 12 Go through one day without complaining 13 Go through one day without gossiping

14 Bless that moron child of God who cut you off in traffic 15 Engage someone who is socially awkward or is difficult for you to be around 16 Do a kindness for someone for no reason, offer no explanation, and accept nothing in return

17 Say please and thank you to the server at the restaurant and leave a bigger tip than you normally would 18 Give a gift to someone who is not in your family for no holiday reason

19 Turn a lustfull thought towards someone into a prayer for them 20 Give away something you own that is meaningful to you to someone you know that would also like to have it 21 Talk to someone from a younger generation about their opinion about a subject and acknowledge their insight and wisdom as you honestly can

For some time now, the hands and feet of the body of Christ have been amputated, and we’ve been pretty much reduced to a big mouth. We talk far more than we do. It’s time to reattach the limbs and let the church be the church in the 21 st century. -Rick Warren