Most churches miss this front door, not because of a lack of awareness but because of a lack of effort. Over half of the unchurched believe church could be a great place to make friends, but nearly 60% say it’s too intimidating to visit alone. That’s a huge opportunity. Today’s episode highlights how friendship, follow-up, and one key ingredient—an invitation—can lower the barrier and open the door for gospel conversations. Thom and Sam discuss some key takeaways from their new research.

1. Don’t just invite—offer to sit with them.
2. Make your church more relational than institutional.
3. Hospitality teams should focus on emotional comfort, not just logistics.
4. Friendship often precedes faith; prioritize connection over conversion.

Resources:

Upward Running

Rooted

“Opening the front door: Worship and church growth” by James Emery White (affiliate link)

“Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them” by Thom S. Rainer (affiliate link)

Brown Church Development Group

Church Growth Services: Get your free campaign capacity analysis!

Church Answers Platinum Membership

FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

The Hope Initiative

Episode Sponsors:

Upward Running for Adults: Your Church’s Next Step in Outreach

Offer a 5K Challenge: Inspire your congregation and engage your community with a meaningful running ministry. Upward provides:
- Tailored training plans to help your runner or walkers move from the couch to completing a 5k.
- Access to the new RunClub app for tracking progress and building community.
- A fully customizable program that fits your church’s timeline — all led by your run coach who will be fully equipped with the Upward Running materials to lead.
Simple to Start: With just one passionate leader and no facility needed, your church parking lot can become the starting line for life transformation.
Build Stronger Connections: Use running to foster relationships, promote healthy habits, and grow spiritually while expanding your church’s impact.
Upward is Here for You: Ready to bring Upward Running to your church? Visit Upward.org/Runcoach to get started today!

The Rooted experience can help you create a discipleship culture that connects your people and leads to ongoing life change in Jesus. Rooted is…
- A proven plan for helping people connect to God, their church, and their purpose
- A sustainable way to launch groups
- An approach to discipleship that helps people step out of their comfort zones and experience life-changing rhythms of discipleship
- An opportunity to change the culture of your church
Visit experiencerooted.com/churchanswers for free resources to help you learn more, including the What is Rooted? video and a free download of the Rooted experience framework and Rooted Workbook sample.

The post The Big Front Door for Guests Just About Every Church Misses appeared first on Church Answers.

Surprising Insights from the Unchurched

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 0 episodes

The AI-powered Podcast Player