building for your neighbors

In Breakout Churches, Thom Rainer identifies the VIP (Vision Intersection Profile) factor. It is where the pastor's passions, the congregation's passions, and the community's needs overlap. Churches that break out of the eroding church model are very often those who write their vision and mission in that small cross-section.

And we know that from Kevin Ford's Transforming Church, (and abundant experience) that a ministry building is the outer-most visual representation of that ministry. A church facility should show its community what kind of church this is, and serve the congregation as they serve their neighbors.

Which is why Barna's new study is both interesting and applicable.

American adults have been redefining "church." There are new (however correct or incorrect) ideas of what it means to be the church, to "go to church," and to know God. With these new opinions in mind, it is becoming difficult to assess church health, so Barna is redefining some standards. Instead of "churched" and "unchurched," the Barna group is suggesting:

Unattached - People who have not attended a church or organic church community in the past year.

Intermittents, or "under-churched" - People who have attended a church or organic church community in the past year, but not in the past month.

Homebodies - People who have not attended a traditional church in the past month, but have attended a home church.

Blenders - People who have attended a traditional church and a home church during the past month.

Conventionals - People who have attended a traditional church in the past month, but not a house church.

It's not as clear as "churched" and "unchurched" anymore. The people in your community have a wide variety of experiences and expectations that they're bringing into your church when they visit.

Some characteristics of the "unattached:"

• More likely to be stressed out
• Less likely to feel they are making a difference in the world
• Less optimistic about the future
• More likely to define their sociopolitical views as "mostly liberal"
• Much more likely to believe the holy texts of different world religions teach basically the same things

How is your church building allowing you to serve or minister to these people? How is it helping to attract these people?