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unchurched

unchurched

2 7.9
Not going to church or belonging to any religious group
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈtʃɜrʧt/
translation icon : no asistente a la iglesia
  • Stanley is a pragmatist, a leader's leader known for his vision and commitment to creating environments where the unchurched feel welcomed.

Examples

  • Pastor Tony Marr and his leaders are determined to connect the unchurched in Bristol with Jesus Christ.

    Blog text (11)
  • Many unchurched individuals seek community and support outside of traditional religious settings.

  • Therefore, the growing unchurched black population presents a new set of problems.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Some attend worship but not Bible study; some attend neither but are church members, and some are the unchurched.

    Blog text (20)
  • Folks shouldn't see it as an attack, but as insight into the response of "the unchurched" to services.

    Blog text (1)
  • New churches introduce new ideas and win the unchurched and non-Christians to Christ at a generally higher rate than older churches.

    Blog text (28)
  • We've been successful in capturing the imagination of unchurched people not in spite of depth but because of it.

    Blog text (17)
  • When the unchurched black underclass encounters the Bible, it is typically through the lens of the Euro-American ruling class.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Although Murphy's movement was inter-denominational, it appears that the unchurched and Protestant poor comprised the bulk of his followers.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Dr. Peggy Shriver, an Assistant General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., drew attention to a growing restlessness among young church members and the spread of spiritual hunger; she also observed that being "unchurched" in America does not necessarily mean being unreligious or irreligious.

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

unaffiliated
vsunchurched
15 6.6

Not officially connected to any group or organization

is about religion specifically not general lack of association with any group
nonchurchgoing
vsunchurched
7.2

A person who does not go to church regularly

is not a regular attendee but also may not belong to any religious community
nonadherent
vsunchurched
8.4

Not belonging to a particular religion or organization

is about not attending or belonging to a religious community rather than formal membership
nonobservant
vsunchurched
7.1

Not following a religion's rules and customs

focuses on lack of practice rather than absence of membership or attendance

Antonyms

1 7.9

A person who goes to church regularly or who was raised with church traditions

1 4.6

Officially connected to a larger organization

How Churchgoing

devout
55 5.7
affiliated
1 4.6
unchurched
2 7.9

Surface Forms

unchurched positive

Morphology

unchurched = churched (transparent) = un + church + ed

Formed by productive prefixation (un-) onto 'churched' (church + -ed); speakers who know 'church' and 'un-' can derive the meaning.

Etymology

Unchurched comes from the parts un- meaning 'not' and church meaning 'a place or group for worship', so it describes someone who does not go to church or belong to a religious community.