The Youth Exodus
Young adults are no longer sticking to their church, instead, casting it aside. According to a study done by LifeWay Research, seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30, both evangelical and mainline, who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23. Also 34% of those said they had not returned, even occasionally, by age 30.
The statistics are based on a survey of 1,023 Protestants ages 18 to 30 who said they had attended church at least twice a month for at least one year during high school.
Why are the church’s youth leaving?
Among the people who left, 97% cited life changes. Six of the top 10 reasons church dropouts leave relate to life changes. The most frequent reason for leaving church is a self-imposed change, “I simply wanted a break from church” (27%). On the other hand, 58% were unhappy with the people or pastor at church and 52% had religious, ethical or political reasons for quitting. Two reasons are reflected in the latter: “I disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues” (18%) and “I was only going to church to please others” (17%).
From the reasons given, what would help the youth remain with their church?
Brad Waggoner, vice president of research and ministry development at LifeWay, said, “Church leaders should passionately and consistently challenge church members to maximize their influence with youth and young adults. Frequent and intentional contact can either prevent or counteract the tendency of some to drop out of church.”
In the young adults view, the most frequent reasons young people stay in church relate to the relevance of church: “Church was a vital part of my relationship with God” (65%) and “I wanted the church to help guide my decisions in everyday life” (58%).
Not all is doom and gloom for the church however. They found that out of the dropouts aged 23-30, 35% currently attend church twice a month or more. Another 30% attend church more sporadically.
Here is a video done by the Church of the Nazarene for a call of attention of the state of their youth.
You’re a bit all over the place with regard to theme, but you’re staying in religion. One observation: many young people return to the church once they marry and have children….
| Posted 1 year, 10 months ago