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Pastors were contacted for names of recent adult converts in their congregations.  About 200 recent converts were contacted and agreed to a ten minute questionnaire.  These people had all been Christians for two years or less.  This study has much interesting data for reaching New Englanders for Christ.* Here are the top twelve discoveries that were made through the study.

1.  The Power of Relationships:  71% of the respondents said that a caring Christian was the most important factor in their coming to faith in Christ.

2.  Conversion Process:  86% said they came to faith in Christ over a period of time.  32% took several months to a year, and 54% took several years.  Only 14% responded to a one time presentation of the gospel.

3.  God is Reaching All Generations with the Gospel:    all age groups were represented in the survey: GenY - 21%; GenX - 36%; Boomers - 34%; Seniors - 9%.

4.  A Major Disconnect:  80% of New England churches say evangelism is one of their top three priorities, yet only 2% of churches show ongoing adult conversions.

5.  Church Service:  going to church (63%) is second only to personal relationships in the process of conversion.  This is especially true in smaller churches.  49% said meeting with the pastor was key; 45% said a class for adults was a strong factor; and 43% said coming to church with a need or a crisis was the turning point for them.

6.  Alpha's New England Impact:  28% of new converts said they were reached through the Alpha course.  This Bible study course has had a tremendous impact in New England. 

7.  Effectiveness of Classic Approaches:  Only 14% of converts came to faith in a one time gospel presentation approach.  It seems that "confrontational evangelism" approaches are not as effective in New England as "relational evangelsm."

8.  Educational and Economic Factors:  these do not seem to be a factor.  People from all economic and educational levels are coming to Christ.

9.  Church Involvement of Converts:  77% of new converts report attending church at least four times a month.  Only 23% say they attend less than four times a month.

10.  Mercy Ministries Help Hurting Find Christ:  a life crisis softens the hearts of the lost and opens them to the gospel.  Church ministries to hurting people help them come to Christ.

11.  The Pastor's Role is Critical:  a church will not develop a culture of reaching out to the lost without the pastor's leadership.  He leads the way in developing personal relationships and by providing an example.

12.  Spiritual Seekers:  a group of respondents indicated that they were simply searching for something.  This group represents all demographic levels.  Even if a person has had a negative experience with church, he/she may be open to a friendship that will enhance his/her spiritual search. 

*You are encouraged to purchase the full study from Vision New England by calling 978-929-9800, or by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  The cost is $10.00.