What does it mean to get served? ?

If you can not be served by the process server, then it will be published in local or national papers (so everybody can see it). It will say if you do not respond in the time frame given, the court will render its decision with out you, which means you lost.

In our Detroit Papers, there are notices of attempt to serve from places like Miami Florida, Nashville TN. You see it only has to be published in a major paper, not necessarily in your home town paper, because they have no idea where you are because they can't find you/serve you. So you may be getting the notice in a paper hundreds of miles away from you.

They can also put it on your door, deliver it to your work.

Either way the law suit is going through, with or without you

Service is legal in several ways - The server can leave a copy at the last known residence followed up by a mailed copy; the server can hand a copy to an adult at the last known residence followed up by a mailed copy; the server can hand serve wherever he/she locates the Defendant; the Court can order that the summons and complaint be published in a Court-recognized newspaper.

I don't understand the "if not served" question.  How can you ANSWER the complaint if you've never SEEN the complaint?

The process doesn't get delayed.

It means you might only be delaying the inevitable for a week or so and then your creditor can go after you again!

In many jurisdictions if a party can't be served they publish the action in a local paper and it's called constructive notice.

No, the notice does not have to be hand delivered. It can be left at your home or business office. It can be published in a newspaper. It can be mailed to you. There are many more details about each of these methods. Generally, not making a personal hand delivery *might* delay the lawsuit by a few weeks.