Twelve months ago, I would have told you that the church would make real progress following the Sept. 11 attacks. Today, I tell you I'm wrong.

In fact, not much has changed within our houses of worship.

The Barna Research Group confirms it. Despite a 25 percent increase in church attendance immediately following the attacks, congregations weren't able to hold onto unchurched visitors.

And while many claim to have turned to religion for answers following Sept. 11, Barna's research has found little evidence that religious and moral beliefs have changed during the last 12 months. According to six nationwide studies Barna has conducted with more than 1,000 adults interviewed in each:

• 69 percent agree that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing perfect creator of the universe which rules our world today;
• 61 percent say the Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings;
• 59 percent claim Satan is not a living being but is a symbol of evil;
• 51 percent believe eternal spiritual salvation can be earned by doing enough good deeds; and,
• 40 percent think Jesus Christ committed sins when He lived on earth.

The numbers Barna gives are virtually unchanged from responses to the same questions given prior to the terrorist attacks. It's obvious that during that short timeframe in which we had an opportunity to teach the unchurched about Christianity, we -- for the most part -- blew it.

Granted, even churches were caught off guard by such extreme attacks on a country that takes freedom and safety for granted. But when people started pouring in to the pews, what messages did we send them home with? How did we address their questions? Or did we even try?

A good example

Journey's Crossing, a church plant in Montgomery County, Md., started holding services October 21, 2001. More than 540 people filed in for the opening-day services, pastor Mark Wilkinson said.

"They had the same question many still have today: Why would God allow something like this to happen?" Wilkinson said. "They were searching for something deeper than the day-to-day grind, something to cling to."

The church now averages 350 to 400 in weekly worship services. Fifty to 60 percent of those attending were formerly unchurched, Wilkinson said.

Questions still remain, punctuated with daily reminders that threats are still present. Military jets continue to fly overhead, Wilkinson said, and thousands in the area are suffering from loss of income or other hardships brought on by 9/11.

On Sunday, Sept. 8, Wilkinson began a three-week sermon series called "Big Questions for God." Among the topics he'll address are differences between Christianity and other religions and how a good God could allow such bad things to happen.

Wilkinson ties his explanation for the latter issue to New York City following the attacks.

"God understands suffering," Wilkinson said. "God created this wonderful world and sin terrorized it."

Just as family members desperately searched for missing loved ones following 9/11, God is searching for his lost children.

"God sent his Son on a rescue mission for us," Wilkinson said. "He wants to save us from the terror, save us from the sin, and only Jesus can do that."

Journey's Crossing is a great example of a church that took advantage of its outreach opportunities. Using donated funds, church members handed out money to taxi cab drivers and others who lost their jobs. The church held a banquet in a hotel near the Pentagon, offering food, prayer and money to those in need. In collaboration with local restaurants, the congregation gave away more than 5,000 gift certificates to area eateries.

These were practical measures for desperate times. But even better than these blessings the church poured out, it never failed to share the gospel and offer the only answer anyone needs: Jesus.

The question for us

Now comes the big question. How many of us have bothered to personally share the good news with someone since 9/11? I know I've had more opportunities since then to do so, but I can count on one hand the times that I've followed through. Sure, I'll drop hints here and there, but I haven't been deliberate about it. It's time that I am.

Perhaps instead of measuring changes in religious beliefs, Barna should measure how many of us are following our God-given mandate to spread the Word. I'm afraid to see the results.