When the gospel is proclaimed to people with a religious heritage, results are obvious. When the gospel is proclaimed to the unchurched of the first century, results are considerably less. It is no different in our day. One poll that yields these numbers considers church attendance once a month as churched, while the minimally churched must attend church at least 4 times a year. Our society is significantly unchurched.
Some families are two or three generations removed from church involvement.
Many people in our neighborhoods have no personal experience with church other than weddings and funerals. Unchurched people are basically unprepared to hear the gospel. Our traditional gospel meetings, home Bible studies, media efforts, or invitations to church or small groups are not going to change them because they are yet unprepared to understand the message. Our strategy for evangelism must first address preparation. The importance of this insight has become more apparent to me the longer I have studied it.