Open Doors

The last four or five years it seems that most of the news about the spiritual climate in America has been negative. There's lots of talk of the decline of the American church and of the "de-construction" of faith by Generation Z. More and more people have openly rejected God and the church, and have embraced destructive beliefs and lifestyles. And, like everything in our culture, the extreme polarization in our country has made it so that so many people have chosen sides, and there's little room for openness to any kind of middle ground.

So in that environment it's certainly nice to hear some good news. A recent survey by pollster and marketing researcher George Barna revealed a surprising openness to faith among Americans who currently say they reject God. The American Worldview Inventory 2025, titled “Millions Admit They Could Be Persuaded That God Exists — Under the Right Conditions,” finds that one-third of doubters are “completely open” to belief if approached with a credible, personal explanation, Barna shared in a released statement. An additional 38% “might be open”— totaling over 50 million spiritually restless Americans.

That's a good reminder that the fields are still ripe for harvest, just as they were in Jesus' day (John 4:35). Even with all of our advancements in modern society, people still recognize that something is missing. As Blaise Pascal wrote, there is a "God-shaped vacuum" in all of our hearts that only Jesus can fill. Or, as Augustine famously wrote, "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are always restless until they find their rest in You."

Those statistics reflect some of the same things pollsters have found for years even about people's openness to attend church. Did you know that 82% of unchurched Americans say they would come to church if someone invited them? Or, are you aware that 89% of lost, unbelieving people in this country say they would go to church if someone--a friend, neighbor or relative--walked in the door with them. That is, not just inviting them verbally, but offering them a ride or meeting them at the door, and walking in with them.

I don't know about you, but I'm more than a little encouraged by those numbers. We have often been led to believe that in today's culture our lost friends and neighbors are antagonistic against all things church-related, when in fact they are just waiting for us to care enough to invite them to join us.

Of course, it doesn't matter if they are spiritual restless and open to truth, if we don't tell them, or show them the difference Christ makes. And it won't matter if there are open doors if we don't walk through them. And that brings us to a more disturbing statistic: only 2% of church members in America actually invite unchurched folks to attend on a regular basis. It's not hard to do the math to realize that if they are waiting on an invitation, and we are not inviting them, then they will continue down the same hopeless path, without Christ and without the loving community we experience in His family.

"But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" (Rom. 10:14, NLT)

We are that "someone." Let's prayerfully look around us this week at those whom the Lord has placed in our path that need a "credible, personal explanation" of the gospel, and a demonstration of the love of Christ. And then invite them to join us at Shelby Crossings, and even offer to meet them and sit with them. You just might be surprised at how God uses you to change a life!

I am grateful for you, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

--Pastor Ken