The majority of pastors tell Barna that their congregation is open to welcoming the unchurched. As Easter approaches, it’s important for pastors to gauge what might feel meaningful to those who are visiting church, perhaps for the first time or at least for the first time in a while.

This article explores data from Making Space for Church Visitors, a briefing we created in partnership with Aspen Group. The full briefing is available to read on Barna Access Plus.

Church Visitors May Represent the Growing Spiritual Curiosity in the U.S. While religious affiliation and church attendance continue to decline, spiritual openness and curiosity are on the rise in the U.S. Across all age groups, we see a desire to grow spiritually, as well as a belief in a spiritual / supernatural dimension and belief in God or a higher power. Nearly half of U.S. adults (44%) even say they are more open to God today than they were before the pandemic.

Many pastors feel their church might be a fit for this spiritually open moment. About one in three pastors strongly agrees their church is a safe place for non-Christians who want to explore Christianity (32%) or for people to explore spiritual beliefs (30%). They tell Barna their congregation is “very interested” (70%) in becoming more open to people outside the Church.