Simply put, a person has to pass three tests to be a triple none. Behavior. They never attend church.  Belief. They have no beliefs about God other than they doubt or deny his existence. In other words, they are agnostics or atheists. Belonging. They claim no religious affiliation or preference. The most notable data Burge produced in this aspect was the number of Americans that fit all three categories.

I remember my surprise at the response to a book I wrote in 2001, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched. The fact that I remember something that took place almost a quarter of a century ago is a testament to its indelible mark on my memory.

My research team studied the formerly unchurched, persons who had been out of the church for a long time (or their entire lives) and later became a part of a local congregation. Because of our large number of surveys and because our research team interviewed many of them in person, we ended up with a treasure trove of insights. We learned so much about why people who had rejected the church decided to come to a local congregation.

But my surprise occurred when the book started selling well, and I got more speaking requests than I could ever handle. Church leaders were fascinated by this research. That fascination of why people attend or leave church continues today.

But it is the latest research that should garner a lot of attention.

The Burge Factor

Ryan Burge is my favorite religion researcher. We are thrilled to have his insights and fun personality on the Church Answers team.

What Burge does that is unique is that he researches research. He looks at the massive amounts of data other major firms produce and discerns patterns and trends. His regular content is aptly named Graphs about Religion.

Burge points out that many church leaders regularly assume they know the precise definitions of terms related to religion.

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