Keys to Reaching Secular People

When individuals join an organization -- be it a workplace, a service club, or a health club -- they want to know what is expected of them. People who join religious congregations are no different. Most members in American congregations think they know the expectations of membership, but one in three congregation members may have doubts.

Gallup has discovered that there are 12 items that best measure congregational engagement, an actionable key component of spiritual health. Albert L. Winseman, Gallup's Global Practice Leader for Faith Communities, continues his congregational engagement series with a look at the item, "The spiritual leaders in my congregation seem to care about me as a person."

Despite the turbulence of war and ongoing economic struggles last year, it appears that faith communities continue to serve as a source of stability in many Americans' lives. Results from Gallup's third annual National Congregational Engagement Index indicate that members of American faith communities are engaged in their own religious congregations at about the same level they were the previous year.

Gallup’s annual survey of congregational engagement shows that by and large, most congregation members are satisfied with the leadership of their faith communities. A closer look at these results reveals that members’ trust in their spiritual leaders and their confidence in the future of their congregations vary widely according to their level of engagement with the congregation

Americans' Satisfaction With Their Personal Lives

2003 Dec 11-14
(sorted by "highly satisfied")
Highly satisfied(9-10) Mostly satisfied(6-8)
% %
Family 62 27
Friends 47 38
Where you live 46 33
Religion or
spirituality 46 31
Romance 42 24
Health 40 41
Career
(based on
employed
adults) 26 52
Personal growth 26 53
Fun and
recreation 23 44
Money 14 45

This brings us to the question at the top of the congregational engagement pyramid: "How can we grow?" To arrive at this question, the more basic questions of congregation members have already been answered.

from Church Toolbox

The early church was highly evangelistic, bring the good news of Jesus Christ to those near them, and eventually spreading the gospel throughout the world. We are a faith that seeks to grow, baptizing new believers. At the same time, in the United States, our culture has become increasingly secularized and church membership has dropped. As a society we no longer have any expectation that people will automatically attend church. In fact, only about 40% of the country does. While this has caused a crisis in many mainline denominations due to lost membership and declining financial strength, it also presents a new opportunity for evangelism. Evangelism today means speaking to a culture that is increasingly secular. Here we seek to identify keys to reaching secular people, or rather, God's children, living in a secular culture, waiting to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

1.Bring the gospel to the culture. Do not expect the culture to understand the gospel.

We Christians enjoy our little world. In church, we are surrounded by people who believe as we do and share our vocabulary. Even those on opposite ends of the political spectrum in the church can both enjoy singing the same hymn! It is not so with those who have no church background. For someone not brought up in church, words like "lectionary", "stewardship", "theology" and "diocese" have little if no meaning. More and more, individuals are completely unaware of even the basics of the gospel message. This leaves us with a choice. We can hope that these people come to our churches, willing to learn our language and our customs. On the other hand, we can start with what they know and understand and help them learn about what we know and love.

A church I attended on a vacation did this wonderfully. A sermon title for one Sunday was, "What would Jesus say to the World Wrestling Federation?" This church knew something. They knew secular people, unfortunately, know much more about professional wrestling than they do about Jesus Christ. This church decided to start with the culture and move to Jesus. In my opinion, preachers should know at least a little about Brittany Spears, Jerry Springer, the Super Bowl, the TV show "Survivor", MTV, video games and whatever else is popular in the culture. That can be a start to move people toward Jesus. We cannot transform the culture if we have no understanding of it.

2. Be Ready to Educate

As a Pastor at churches that have consistently attracted lapsed or unchurched people, I have had to make major readjustments in my assumptions about peoples' knowledge of Christian basics. We must assume that people have almost no knowledge of Christianity or church customs.

In our teaching, we must be ready to explain the basics of the gospel message. I personally use my Christmas and Easter sermons to present a simple three step outline of the gospel targeted at those whoonly attend of these occasions. For those who join our churches, we should be ready to teach doctrines such as the Trinity, sin and redemption, resurrection, etc. in very basic terms.

In our worship, we should be as "user-friendly" (to use a secular term) as possible. Permanent pamphlets in the pews explaining the worship service will reduce anxiety. Expalantions of events such as baptism and communion help people to feel more comfortable. In my own church I removed Latin words common in Episcopal worship and changed "Sanctus" to "Holy, Holy, Holy".
Latin for someone with no church background is simply one more barrier to participation.

3. Present the Deep Meaning Inherent in the Christian World View

Since the 1600's, rationalism has gripped the western world, emphasizing science and a rational approach to the universe. Things like faith have tended to be subjected to subtle ridicule, or at best made to seem irrelevant in the real world. While science has brought us many benefits, it has not answered such basic questions humans have always asked. Science does not tell us how the world came to be, who created us or what will happen after we die.

Secular people, like many Christians, view the world in rational scientific terms. However, secular people do not experience the answers to the "big questions" of life, and this produces anxiety in many. Many of those who come to our churches are seeking answers to deeper questions they have for their life.

There is a great opportunity for Christians if we can understand and respect the scientific world view, and yet be aware of its limitations. At the same time, we should be articulate enough to assert the Christian world view. We have answers that modern science cannot provide.

4. Christian Community - a Precious Commodity

As technology has advanced, community HAS DECLINED. People in our culture have become busier, and many have ironically become more lonely at the same time. As the earliest chapters of Genesis tell us, it is not good for humans to be alone. Chat rooms on the Internet are a sad substitute for connecting with a community that loves us and cares for us.

Churches have within their midst a precious commodity: Events where people can get together, make friends and deepen relationships that are rare in our culture. Churches have always specialized in this. Do not underestimate the power that even simple community events can have. Potluck suppers, spaghetti dinners and cookouts can provide life-changing connections for lonely people.

5. Meet the Community in Non-Church Settings

Some people will attend a church, even if they have never been, or have not attended in many years. Others simply will not attend a regular church service. However, there are possibilities for meeting such people HALFWAY!

Consider holding "non-church" church events. A good example of what I mean by this is the service of the Blessing of the Animals. This is a religious ceremony but is usually held outside, not in the church building. Secular people who attend can get a taste of what church is like, but in a much safer environment. This of course would need to be promoted and advertised to the community. There is a church that is experimenting with a "clown fest" event, held in church, but on a Sunday afternoon, with little formality.

Hopefully this will provide some helpful suggestions and turn on your creative juices for reaching secular people in our world. We have a great opportunity as Christians to reach those who do not yet know God's love, but we must take steps to ensure that they feel comfortable and safe as they enter our communities.