Every person’s life is comprised of relationships, emotions and experiences that helped to shape them into who they are today. 

These same factors can influence faith beliefs as well—and as the data from our latest report reveals, they intimately relate to people’s openness to spirituality. To understand the latter, we must understand the former.

To help pastors and laypeople better understand how spiritual backstories impact an individual’s openness to Christianity, this article features data from Engaging the Spiritually Open, our new report created in partnership with Come Near. 

In Terms of Faith Stories, Open Practicing Christians & Open Non-Christians Share Some Similarities Before diving into the key themes that shape individuals’ spiritual backstories, it’s important to first lay the groundwork for what “Open” means. In Engaging the Spiritually Open, as well as in our Spiritually Open reporting from last year, “Open”, or “Spiritually Open,” refers to individuals who meet at least three of the following traits: They think there is a spiritual or supernatural dimension to life; think positively about spirituality; describe their spirituality as curious, open and / or exploring; and believe in God or a higher power. Open Non-Christians specifically represent adults of no faith or other faiths, and may have intersected with the Church before. They are curiously seeking more from spirituality. 

When looking at Open practicing Christians (who have the potential to become strong faith conversationalists when engaging with others of differing faiths) and Open non-Christians, a somewhat surprising theme surfaces in the storylines of Open non-Christians’ pasts: shame. 

Reflecting on their upbringing, about one in four in this group says “I did things I am not proud of today”—and recognizing this is critical to understanding their personal backstory.

Meanwhile, Open practicing Christians are not ruminating on their shortcomings as much. Their faith stories were shaped by abundant lessons about generosity and kindness, they say. Individuals in their upbringing also taught them how to connect with God, read scripture and treat others in a Christlike way. Indeed, for the Open practicing Christians who say that “someone taught me how to connect with God,” this experience emerges as the most important thing to understand about their personal faith story, even more so than lessons in generosity and kindness or other religious activities. 

It’s possible that Open non-Christians’ desire for spiritual exploration and personal growth stems not from having been taught well but from wanting to make things right. Additionally, other data reveals that traumatic events were more commonly a part of their upbringings, meaning they may have been raised in environments and routines that they are still sorting through or making peace with.

On the other hand, overall, adults who recall being taught to be generous and kind often identify these lessons as important moments in their faith story, regardless of their present religion or spiritual openness. These profound exchanges may be keys to understanding their ideas on faith and spirituality. 

Churches can be places of healing and wholeness. By understanding people’s pain and trauma, Christians can also be conduits to the redemptive power of Jesus as they carefully listen to people’s life stories with empathy, extending the kind of care and grace that Jesus showed to every person—regardless of their backstory. 

Engaging the Spiritually Openis designed to help leaders and laypeople engage well in spiritual conversations, ask thoughtful questions to understand personal backstories, better understand deconstruction and how to navigate people’s doubts and discover new ways to support the spiritually curious on their journey toward faith. 

For pastors who are wanting to equip their congregations to better reach out to the spiritually open in their community, we’ve created a helpful Field Guide for Pastors that can be found in the conclusion of the report. Inside, you’ll find helpful insights and applications to apply within your context. 

Purchase the report to gain access to the findings and the field guide, or subscribe to Barna Access Plus to read the full report and download the field guide.