[01.29.08] A recently released report by Rainer Research conducted on 18- to 22-year-olds showed that only 39 percent of those who dropped out of church saw their churches as “caring,” while 51 percent described them as “judgmental.”

Other unfavorable views came to light as well. Forty-one percent said their churches were “insincere.”

Only 20 percent described their churches as “inspirational”; 30 percent said their churches were “authentic”; and a surprisingly low 36 percent called their churches “welcoming.”

For Sam S. Rainer III, who heads Rainer Research, these insider perceptions are troubling. “Yes, we need to be greatly concerned about outside perceptions,” Rainer said. “But perhaps more frightening are what our own students are saying about our churches.”