Pursuing the Wanderer
As of 2023, an estimated 40 million people in America have left the church. That’s not just a staggering statistic—it’s millions of individual stories. Names. Faces. Friends and family who once worshiped beside us and now are gone.
It’s easy to shrug and think, “People change,” or “They know where to find church if they want it.” But Scripture won’t let us stay that passive. James writes:
“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” — James 5:19–20 (NIV)
James assumes three things: wandering happens, God uses people to bring wanderers back, and the stakes are spiritual life or death. That means you and I are not spectators; we’re invited into God’s rescue mission.
Our culture disciplines us to mind our own business: “You do you.” But biblical love isn’t indifferent. It doesn’t watch someone drift into isolation, bitterness, addiction, or unbelief and say, “Not my problem.” True love is willing to be the “spiritual rumble strip” in someone’s life—a gentle, jarring reminder that they’re veering off a good road.
This doesn’t mean lecturing, shaming, or winning arguments. Galatians 6:1 calls us to “restore that person gently.” It looks like a text that says, “I miss you.” A coffee where you mostly listen. An honest conversation that communicates: “You matter. You’re not forgotten. I care about your walk with Jesus.”
Research suggests more than half the people who’ve left church are open to coming back. Many didn’t storm out; they drifted. Often, all that’s missing is an invitation.
Maybe God wants that invitation to come from you.
Action Steps:
1. Ask God to bring one specific person to mind who has drifted from church or from Jesus. Write their name down and pray for them every day this week.
2. Reach out within the next 48 hours, send a text, make a call, or invite them to coffee or church, with a simple, sincere message: “You’ve been on my heart. How are you really doing?”
This article used generative AI via Pulpit AI to transform one of Chris' sermons into this article. The content is original to CDM, with some help from Pulpit AI adapting it into article form.