You Found Me

Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year

Many bemoan the decline of the church. We hear a steady stream of reports about how droves of people, especially younger generations, are abandoning Christianity. But new research shows that unchurched Americans are surprisingly more receptive and open to the Christian faith than is commonly assumed.

Researcher and practitioner Rick Richardson unveils the findings of the Billy Graham Center Institute's groundbreaking studies on the unchurched. A study of 2000 unchurched people across the country reveals that the unchurched are still remarkably open to faith conversations and the church. Even unchurched "nones" and millennials are quite receptive if they are approached in particular ways.

In this book you will also find best practices from further research into the top ten percent of churches that most effectively reach the unchurched. People who were previously unchurched share what actually moved them to faith and Christian commitment. And the research shows that churches and organizations can be transformed to become places where conversion growth becomes the new normal.

If people tell you "the sky is falling," don't believe them. In today's troubled world, unchurched and unbelieving people are newly receptive to hearing good news. You can lead the change that will help your church reach people—who then reach others.



Rick Richardson is director of the Billy Graham Center Institute and its Church Evangelism Initiative, and professor of evangelism and leadership at Wheaton College Graduate School. He previously served as evangelism and discipleship pastor at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois, and was the evangelism champion who helped launch Willow Creek Community Church's first multisite campus. His books include Reimagining Evangelism and Evangelism Outside the Box.

Foreword by Ed Stetzer


1. Introduction: The Challenge Congregations Face in America
Part 1: Recovering a Missional Imagination for the Unchurched in America


2. Exposing Common Myths About Unchurched Americans


3. Embracing a New Narrative About the Unchurched


4. Engaging the Receptive Millennials, Nones, and Nominals in Your Life


5. Exploring the Conversion Community Equation
Part 2: Developing Missional Leaders


6. Modeling Outreach Others Can Imitate


7. Multiplying Missional Leaders
Part 3: Cultivating a Missional Congregation


8. Belonging to the Broader Community


9. Blessing the World to Reach the World


10. Bringing the Community to Church


11. Building a Community of the Beloved Through Hospitality


12. Conclusion: From a Conversion Community to a Conversion Movement


Acknowledgments


Appendix 1: Billy Graham Center Resources


Appendix 2: Contributing Research Projects


Notes