April 16, 2008
Church? No thanks.
WHY TEENS ARE LEAVING IN DROVES
BY REBECCA GRACE, AFA Journal May 2008
Article Excerpt: Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors. Where are all the people?
Seventy percent of the people, 23 to 30 years old, are nowhere to be found in church on a regular basis for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. They become church dropouts, according to a 2007 study from LifeWay Research.
These students who attended a Protestant church at least twice a month for at least one year during high school are leaving the church, and most of them are doing so during their first year of college.
Findings from the study, in which 1,023 adults, ages 18 to 30, were surveyed, reveal that 97% of dropouts give specific life-change issues as their reason for leaving. Only 20% of the dropouts predetermined their post high school departure.
“The most frequent reason for leaving church is, in fact, a self-imposed change, ‘I simply wanted a break from church’ (27%),” according to a LifeWay report summarizing the study. “The path toward college and the workforce are also strong reasons for young people to leave church: ‘I moved to college and stopped attending church’ (25%) and ‘work responsibilities prevented me from attending’ (23%).” Read the rest of this article. . .
Real Quote from article: Teacher, apologist and author Voddie Baucham explains it best when he says going to church doesn’t make one a follower of Christ anymore than standing in a garage makes one a car. However, church attendance and communion with the body of Christ are desires that flow from an individual heart that’s been changed by the Gospel.
“For many students, when they come to college, they have yet to begin to own their faith, to make it personal,” Forman said. “They are still relying on the faith of their parents, their church, even their friends. It’s not something they have committed to in such a way that they can stand solidly on it, no matter what comes.”
Real Question: I could list a hundred names of teens who were totally active in church and who had experienced God on a personal level, but who walked away from that faith within one year of leaving home. It’s more than stats to me. It’s people I care about. It’s why I wrote Making It Real: Whose Faith Is It Anyway.
What can you tell youthworkers, parents, pastors, or RTF that would help support a college student who is struggling with their faith life?
Kimberlee says:
What I have discovered working with youth for the past 18 years is that you have to keep them involved. If they are linked to a ministry, they are more likely to attend. Find their talents and enlist them. And even if they aren’t right where they should be spiritually today, if you keep them active, one day a sermon and the Holy Spirit will capture them and change their life. I’ve seen it many times.