101 Ways to Find The Unchurched  

1. List unchurched families from Vacation Bible School records.
2. Conduct an inside census.
3. Locate newcomers by calling all new listings in phone directory.
4. Update a former community survey.
5. Identify homes where children are playing in the yards on Sunday morning.
6. Ask youth to survey blocks in which they live.
7. Compare church recreation participants to Sunday School rolls.
8. Subscribe to newcomer service for information on prospects.
9. Locate homebound by publishing lists and asking for update.
10. Use telephone directory to survey and entire telephone exchange.
11. Subscribe to local Legal News for information on new homeowners.
12. Canvass university dormitories for unchurched.
13. Check with BSU leaders for unenlisted students.
14. Survey apartments adjacent to campus for student prospects.
15. Check college admissions office for church preferences of students.
16. Confer with student housing office for names of students.
17. Check with workers at day care centers near colleges.
18. Confer with workers providing nurseries near colleges.
19. Confer with workers at college infirmaries.
20. Confer with workers at kindergartens provided near colleges.
21. Request information on prospects of mobile home park managers.
22. Ask neighborhood ice cream routeman where children live.
23. Request religious affiliation of students from college registrars.
24. Call college placement offices for newly employed.
25. Enlist help of diaper service rout man for prospect information.
26. Check with receptionists in doctors’ offices.
27. Check with receptionists in dentists’ offices.
28. Confer with instructors in trade schools.
29. Enlist the help of school guidance counselors.
30. Contact administration of commercial trade schools for information.
31. Identify shift workers through church survey.
32. Ask shift workers to identify colleagues who are prospects.
33. Gather information on those who work in hospitals.
34. Survey membership for those who are food service workers.
35. Survey membership for those who are hotel and motel employees.
36. List church members who work on Sunday.
37. Ask Sunday workers to provide names of colleagues with whom they work.
38. Contact international clubs for information on foreign students.
39. Talk to labor unions for information on migrant workers.
40. Confer with military base chaplains for unchurched families.
41. Inquire of seamen’s service for information on internationals.
42. Secure cooperation of associational office on any prospects.
43. Use the door-to-door survey to locate unchurched people.
44. Request business people to identify associates who are unchurched.
45. Request church members to identify neighbors who are unchurched.
46. Identify unenrolled parents of children enrolled in Sunday School.
47. Find unchurched parents from day care centers enrolments.
48. Identify unchurched parents of children enrolled in church day schools.
49. Identify unchurched parents of children enrolled in church kindergarten.
50. Request mail response from radio audience.
51. Secure names from Dial-a-Devotional service.
52. Survey by phone newcomers listed by utilities turn-ons.
53. Contact moving companies for newcomers.
54. Use tip prospect cards in pew racks.
55. Use “I Know a Prospect” cards throughout the  church.
56. Follow up on information received from Sunday School visitors.
57. Follow up on information received from church worship visitors.
58. Check with base chaplain for those with special Bible study needs.
59. Request information on newcomers from real estate agents.
60. Report the unchurched attending Bible Study Fellowships near military bases.
61. Use military base phone directories to take telephone survey.
62. Locate deaf by checking with community institutions.
63. Locate blind by checking with community institutions.
64. Check with public health service for names of handicapped persons.
65. Locate mentally retarded through mental Retardation Association.
66. Secure information on the families of mentally retarded.
67. Check church roll against Sunday School roll for Bible study prospects.
68. Identify unchurched persons in one’s vocation, discipline, and/or professional club.
69. Request union members to identify unchurched work associates.
70. Talk to nursing home personnel for information on patients.
71. Request personnel at retirement center for prospect information.
72. Locate persons in correctional institutions desiring Bible study.
73. Enlist help of institutional doctors to identify prospects.
74. Enlist help of institutional chaplains to identify prospects.
75. Secure assistance of relatives of institutionalized persons.
76. Enlist help of institutional managers in finding person to whom church can minister.
77. Enlist help of employees at institutions for providing prospect information.
78. Glean local newspaper for information on newlyweds.
79. Check the hospital reports in newspapers for names of new babies.
80. Enclose a “return card” in graduate’s congratulations.
81. Send congratulations to those who have been reported achieving any public recognition.  Request information on enclosed return card.
82. Secure cooperation of local businesses to identify recent high school graduates.
83. Identify recent graduates with bank’s list of new accounts.
84. Request apartment manager’s assistance in locating recent graduates.
85. Ask guidance counselors for names of recent graduates.
86. Follow up on prospects located by bus ministry.
87. Ask bus riders to identify other unchurched children.
88. Follow up on prospects located by bus ministry.
89. Contact welfare agencies to identify sub-culture groups.
90. Secure cooperation of social workers to identify sub-culture groups.
91. Check all family members of babies enrolled in Cradle Roll Department.
92. Use cross-reference directories to survey apartment houses.
93. Provide Outreach-Ministry forms for on going prospect reporting.
94. Provide guest book in church lobby to identify visitors to weddings, funerals, and other meetings at the church.
95. Use special registration forms for special events such as folk groups.
96. Register attendance of every person who attends revival.
97. Check newspaper for families of deceased- offer ministry.
98. Proved social events for parents without partners.
99. Secure information from administrators of senior adult centers.
100. Conduct an age group hunt of a specific area and age.
101. Request “baby-sitters” to report information on unchurched families.