The Unchurched Person

This title has gained a lot of momentum recently, especially in theological worlds. "The Unchurched." What does it mean? A couple centuries ago this term would have been used to describe those the church needed to reach, the uncivilized, the natives, the indigenous, the heathens. Today, this term probably comes closer to representing a group of people that the Church feels it has no need or possibility of reaching.

For me, "the unchurched" hits a little closer to home than most. For me, I was "the unchurched" and I am "the unchurched." I grew up going to church every Sunday, I was confirmed, I did youth group as a kid, and I went to a Christian elementary. So there was always a foundation. However, shortly into jr. high I stopped going to church for the same reasons that many people stop going to church: it was no longer relevant and it no longer represented a place that I wanted to be at on Sunday mornings (God forbid during the week). And I don't regret it.

Instead my church was my bed and my worship time was the dreams I was immersed in. The table I gathered at on Sunday morning wasn't for Eucharist, but cereal. And my ekklessia? The unchurched secular friends I had made in public school. I became one of "the unchurched" people.

Throughout the second half of high school and all of college I lived a secular life. School, high school football, homework, later on, college classes, a bachelors degree, these were all the norm. But my extra time usually included smoking pot, going to concerts and shows, going to bars and meeting new people, hanging out with friends and talking about sports, movies, life, the world, etc. We probably did some things the Church would vehemently disagree with, but we were engaged in the world, we were smart, and we were thriving.

Yeah I made it back to church, and it was wholly by choice. I didn't have a scary "call experience" that made me afraid of the secular world causing me to flee into the sanctuary of stereotypical church life. I discovered my faith again as an adult, and I discovered something miraculous. My faith was in total cohesion with my "unchurched" upbringing. I could still be myself here. Most of what I had assumed was wrong. And, our faith can be very relevant and very authentic to the "unchurched person."

I've been active in church now for 5 years and through that time I have still maintained my relationships and place with the so-called unchurched people. From those that know how active I've been, as well as the fact that I'm at seminary, I have received an array of comments, insights, perspectives, stories, ventings, etc. I think what I find so interesting is that unchurched people are very aware of the Church's presence. And let me tell you, it's not a good perception, most of which, I, and probably we, agree with.

To conclude I want to follow up with two very general comments. One, we all know that mainline churches across the board are in decline. And these churches can no longer rely on disenfranchised churchgoers, shopping for a new church, to keep their numbers up (also, it should never be about the numbers).
The other pool of people that could walk into the doors of a sanctuary are inevitably the unchurched people. In fact, if any mainline denominations are going to stay sustainable, it will be through the uchurched population, and this needs to be recognized.

Second, as I said above, the unchurched person is very aware of the church.They are aware of the crimes that have been done in the name of Christianity, the hypocrisy, the imperialism, exclusivism, etc. Overtime, these have developed into stereotypes the Church holds, and it is these stereotypes that inhibit the unchurched person from walking through our doors. On August 30, Bishop Elect, Elizabeth Eaton was on the MSNBC show, "Morning Joe". When asked what the greatest challenge is for the ELCA, she responded by simply saying that we live in a secular world. Now many in the Church have approached secularism as an impending woe, which will lead to punishment from God. However, we should approach secularism as both an indictment on the Church, as well as an opportunity to ask for forgiveness and move forward through the love of God. Secularism is not necessarily a bad thing, but may very well be the door we have to walk through as the Church.

There will be plenty more I will say about the "unchurched person" throughout my life. I hope to one day write a "Theology of the Unchurched Person." But let me part with this: The Unchurched Person is not something to be feared or avoided, but embraced. We as the Church need to step away from the pre-ordered way of doing things and evolve. We need to admit to and ask for forgiveness for things that have made this world secular, and then embrace the life that is set before us as one people through the love of God.