A remarkable religious shift is occuring in America.

According to research by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), the number of Americans without a religious affiliation is rising. Today, 25% of Americans claim no formal religious affiliation. Ironically, this makes them the single largest "religious group" in the country. 

This number is startling in light of recent American religious views. In the 1990's, the number of "unaffiliated" was only 14% and in the early 2000's it was gradually rising to reach 20% Clearly, the spiritual trend in America is that more men and women are not associating with local churches. As you might expect, this study revealed almost 40% of young adults identity themselves as religiously unaffiliated; that is three times higher than among retired Americans.

So what is causing this trend? What is leading more and more Americans to give up on organized religion?

According to PRRI, there are two primary reasons Americans are giving up on religion. First, many non-religious Americans assert they have simply stopped believing in religious teachings. They do not find the teachings of Christianity compelling. They don't believe. The second reason cited in this study was that the individual's family was not very religious when they were a child. Consequently, when they grew up, went to college, and started a career, religion was by that time irrelevant to them.

Research from PRRI is fascinating to read, but the underlying trend is clear. Organized religion is not a priority to a growing number of Americans. The historic claims of Christianity are being pushed to the periphery for more and more Americans.

So how should the church of Jesus Christ respond? How should you respond?

Let me offer a few suggestions:

1. Pray for a reformation in America. Pray that God will do a spiritual work in America today as he did 500 years ago during the Reformation. Daily pray that God will be gracious to his people and that Americans will respond to the message of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

2. Pray for more Gospel churches. Although we have a plethora of churches in America, many churches do not preach the Gospel. Whether it's the "mega-churches" or the mainlines (PCUSA, ECUSA, etc), too many churches do not preach biblically and instead focus on self-help topics, social justice issues, or motivational sermons intended to make the listener feel better when they leave. We need to pray that God would plant more biblically minded, Gospel-centered churches and church plants across America.

3. Realize you are a missionary. Traditionally, American churches have focused on sending missionaries overseas to save souls on the "mission field." Those efforts are wonderful and to be commended. But have you thought about the truth that you are a missionary to America? That you are called to be a messenger of Jesus Christ to the people in your neighborhood?

4. Invite a friend to church with you. This may sound simplistic, but research from PRRI reveals that many Americans today do not attend church and may not have ever attended a church worship service. Yet, an invitation to attend a worship service from a friend is an effecitve way to allow unchurched individuals to see and experience a worship service for the first time and may lead to evanglistic conversations.

These are just a few ways to counter this growing religious trend in America. But it begins with prayer and the understanding that America needs missionaries. You are called to be one and to share the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray that God would bring about a revival of biblical Christianity in our country and pray that he would use you to do it.