How Many Unchurched People Live Near Your Church? Now You Can Know Exactly (And Their Receptivity!)

Most church leaders know there are unchurched people in their community. But how many are there? And how receptive are they to the church? Now you can know exactly how many unchurched adults live within any specified drive time from your church location. 

The Church Answers Unchurched Receptivity Report is brand new and an excellent resource for any church. In fact, we believe every church in America should know the number of unchurched adults in their community and their receptivity levels. 

In a national study, Church Answers compared people who attend church regularly with those who attend rarely or never. The findings challenged several assumptions. In fact, 63% of unchurched respondents reported attending church regularly as children. Nearly six in ten unchurched adults agreed that churches are generally good for their communities. Many still believe the church is relevant. More than half said the church could be a good place to make friends. Yet trust is low, local connection is weak, and many feel intimidated by the idea of visiting alone. 

The unchurched are also not a monolithic group. One mistake a church can make is treating every unchurched person the same. Some are ready to attend next Sunday. Others are open but cautious. Many are neither interested nor hostile. Still others carry significant distrust or resistance. 

The Unchurched Receptivity Scale helps church leaders understand these differences.

U1 adults are highly receptive. They may be interested in returning to church, exploring faith, or finding a congregation, but they have not yet taken the first step. A sincere invitation from someone they trust may be all they need. 

U2 adults are receptive but cautious. They are open to attending, but they want to know what to expect. They may be concerned about whether they will fit in, whether their children will be comfortable, or whether they will be pressured. Relationships, hospitality, and low-pressure entry points matter greatly for this group. 

U3 adults are neutral. They are not opposed to church; they simply do not see church as relevant to their current lives. This is often the largest segment of the unchurched population. Their barrier is not hostility but indifference. They are busy, distracted, and accustomed to living without church. Large campaigns rarely move them, but relationships, consistent community presence, and genuine care can. 

U4 adults are resistant. Some carry negative assumptions about churches. Others have experienced disappointment, conflict, hypocrisy, or hurt. They are unlikely to respond immediately to a traditional invitation. Listening, service, patience, and trust-building are the better starting points. 

U5 adults are highly resistant. They may be firmly opposed to organized religion or have deeply rooted intellectual, emotional, or relational barriers. Reaching them usually requires long-term relationships, faithful Christian witness, prayer, and compassion. 

National baseline data suggest that the U1 and U2 groups together represent a substantial immediate opportunity, while U3 represents the largest long-term mission field. The exact proportions vary from community to community, so national averages alone are not sufficient. 

Your church needs to know its local opportunity. Imagine knowing approximately how many unchurched adults live within a 10-, 15-, or 20-minute drive of your church. Then imagine knowing how many are likely to be highly receptive, receptive, neutral, resistant, or highly resistant. The chart below shows the unchurched in the community around my church, West Bradenton Baptist. It’s just one of many figures in the Unchurched Receptivity Report.

This information shifts the conversation. Instead of saying, “People around here are not interested in church,” leaders can ask better questions:

• • How many people may respond to a personal invitation?
  • How many need a lower-pressure first step?
  • How many need to see the church serving before they will consider attending?
  • How many require patient trust-building rather than another event?

The Church Answers Unchurched Receptivity Report is designed to answer those questions. Using a proprietary analytical process, the report estimates the number of unchurched adults in a church’s defined ministry area and categorizes them across the five levels of receptivity. It then translates those findings into practical outreach priorities. 

The report focuses on adults because the underlying attendance and receptivity measures reflect adult attitudes and decisions. Children’s participation is generally shaped by parents or guardians, so including children in the same receptivity model would create a misleading picture. The goal is not merely to produce another set of statistics. The goal is to help leaders see their mission field more clearly. 

The research offers real reasons for optimism. Many unchurched adults are not angry at the church. They are disconnected. Many are not rejecting Christianity. They are waiting for a relationship, an invitation, a clearer explanation, or evidence that the church cares about the community. 

You may have more receptive people around your church than you realize. The question is not simply, “How many unchurched people live near us?” The better question is, “Who are they, how receptive are they, and how should we reach them?” The Unchurched Receptivity Report gives your church a clearer answer.

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