E-mail
Print
RSS
G-bookmarks
Live
TechnoratiOutside of the church, 39 percent of teenagers said they prayed regularly and 14 percent said they read the Bible regularly in the last 30 days.
Moreover, 24 percent of teens said they had told a friend about their religious beliefs in the last 30 days (drop from 30 percent) and 15 percent had invited someone to a church activity (drop from 19 percent0>
The study revealed older teens (18 and 19 year-olds) are much less likely than 12-17 year-olds to attend youth group activities and Sunday school. Also, female teens were found to be more active religiously in personal and church activities than male teens. Females are more likely to pray and read the Bible regularly, participate in youth group social activities, small group Bible studies and leadership roles.
"With declining involvement in religious activities, perhaps it’s not surprising that fewer teenagers are discussing their religious beliefs with friends or inviting people to church," said Stevens. "This would certainly align with the falling number of baptisms in this age group among Southern Baptist churches."
Total baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention dropped for the second consecutive year in 2006 from 371,850 to 364,826.
"Also, the percentages of participation in these activities are lowest among 18-19 year olds, which points to the continuing challenge of ministering effectively to students as they move from high school to college," Stevens noted.
Simply put, Stevens warned the church, "Influence is being lost with the future of the church.
"At a time when there are growing numbers of teenagers in America and growing numbers of churches who are ministering specifically to teens, spiritual results with this age group are lacking. While resources for ministry to teenagers abound, it’s time for churches to focus on the spiritual development of students rather than providing more 'stuff' for student ministry, and to fully engage teens in the life and ministry of the church."
LifeWay Research was launched by LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services, and its current president, Dr. Thom S. Rainer, for the purpose of assisting and equipping church leaders with insight and advice that will lead to greater levels of church health and effectiveness.
