Gone are the days when young adults attended church because they're "supposed to," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research.
New research has confirmed speculation that young adults are leaving the church in droves.
LifeWay Research released study results that showed that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend a Protestant church stopped attending church regularly (at least twice a month) for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.
While many do return and attend church at least "sporadically," 34 percent said they had not returned by age 30.
"Lots of alarming numbers have been tossed around regarding church dropouts," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, in the study. "We wanted to get at the real situation with clear research – and there is some bad news here, no question. But, there are also some important solutions to be found in the research. When we know why people drop out, we can address how to help better connect them."
Most of the young adults who stopped attending church had not planned in advance on quitting the church. Only 20 percent of the church dropouts said that while attending church in high school, they planned on taking a break from church once they finished high school.
Almost all church dropouts were related to life changes. The top reason in this category young adults listed was "I simply wanted a break from church" (27 percent).
Transitioning into college was also a major reason for quitting church (25 percent); 23 percent said "work responsibilities prevented me from attending;" and 22 percent said they "moved too far away from the church to continue attending."
"It seems the teen years are like a free trial on a product. By 18, when it's their choice whether to buy in to church life, many don't feel engaged and welcome," said McConnell, according to USA Today.
"When life changes, reshuffle priorities and time in young adults' lives, church doesn't make it back on that list for a lot of them and I think that maybe tells us where we've prioritized those things," commented Stetzer in a LifeWay podcast.
Two out of three young adults reported attending church at least twice a month through the age of 16. The percentage drops sharply at ages 17, 18, and 19, with only 31 percent attending at age 19. And attendance remains low through age 22. Attendance rises slowly afterward.
Although some still wanted to attend church, 22 percent said they "became too busy" and 17 percent "chose to spend more time with friends outside the church."
More than half (52 percent) said "religious, ethical or political beliefs" contributed to their departure from church. More specifically, 18 percent said "I disagreed with the church's stance on political or social issues;" 17 percent said "I was only going to church to please others;" 16 percent no longer wanted to identify with a church or organized religion; and 14 percent disagreed with the church's teachings about God.
On church or pastor-related reasons for leaving, 26 percent said they left because "church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical" and 20 percent said they "didn't feel connected to the people in my church."
The research poses some great cause for concern, said Stetzer who recognizes the frequent criticism toward youth leaders regarding the high dropout rate. Continue >>
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Don't youth programs that teach our young people to be more like the world and less like the Savior bear a heavy responsibility here? We take the bowling, skiing, skating, on beach trips, here and there, but we do a terrible job of teaching them to be disciples of Christ, willing to suffer for their faith if needs be, going on not recreation trips, but mission trips, submitting not to the world, but to the Lordship of Jesus, building not their own self-esteem, but the Kingdom of Yeshua the Messiah. If the church becomes the world, why go is what they reason. We throw away resources building gymnasiums for young people to play in (There are plenty of those without a church building another one.), yet we allow the hungry to be unfed, the widows to suffer alone, the orphans to go on being orphans. No wonder they leave. I'm not leaving. My prayer is the last Sunday I am on this earth that I'll be in His House worshipping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Chocolate
Go look into your mirror and you'll find the answer to that question. When I look into the multitude of mirrors around myself and everyone else in humanity and the human experience. the human testimony, creation, history, etc., I see the blatant and inevitable reality of God.
Of course, you are going to respond to that by insisting that I am only seeing that I choose to see. And I will respond to that by quoting Abraham Lincoln, "The substance and character of a person is like a tree under the sun. The shadow (evidence) is what we choose to make of it. The tree is the real thing." I can describe and regard the shadow of the tree as anything I want or, as you said, choose to believe it to be. But I cannot make the tree go away by choosing not believe it is there.
All you've accomplished is simply IGNORING God. Keep in mind that every time you draw a breath or each time your heart beats, it happens by His permission.
Chocolate
Well, okay. I just "chose to believe" that you don't exist. But does that make you go away. Does that mean that you don't?
the main reason young people leave the church is because what we are doing (we=the church) is not working. I was a youth pastor fo 7 years, AND TAUGHT MY STUDENTS HIGH OCTANE BIBLICAL DOCTRINE, (no fun a games, bet we had fun learning together). The students that remained strong throughout college (that I could count on one hand), were the students that have strong family support. The church today is not holding the Dads accountable for Deut. 6 and Eph.5:12-6:4. If we win and train Dads to be the Biblical model of headship in the home as Christ is head of the Church, we will win and retain the family and the next generation.
I think young folks fall away because that want to taste what the world has to offer and by
attending Church would only go against what they're seeking. Thier parents held them accountable prior and any excuse is only NOT with God.' You shall have no other God's Before
Me". I think when they return it's because it took that time to change thier rebellous character or least prove that He who began a good work will continue until we are complete. Commitment to
Jesus Christ wholeheartedly is rare with young people but when they do they're a beautiful aray of strength to the Church Body. Let's keep Praying for them because much of the end time
prophecy is fulfilled. REMEMBER Jesus pose the ? would He find any faithful when he returns...
WHY DOES IT MATTER IF YOUR THERE TO SERVE GOD. WHEN WE GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD WE"ER GOING TO WORSHIP GOD. AND TO HEAR WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY TO US THOUGH HIS TRUE PASTORS OF GOD. IF YOU WOULD READ THE BIBLE YOU WOULD KNOW GODS PLANS FOR YOUR LIFE. GOD WORD IS TRUE. HIS IS A GOD THAT CAN NOT LIE
I believe young people any age, are caught up in the marvels of the current age. They also think they need to see positive feedback from their beliefs. I myself am 42yo, i do have faith and belief, but even myself wonder where is the signs the god is out there. Where is the prophets, where are the miralcles and divine interventions of the past. God took the slaves out of Egypt out of bondage, but what miracle intervention has he weaved to save the Jews from Hilter, after all that mass killing, why didnt he intervene? As a christian, I know i shouldnt question his reasons. But society, especially younger people, will question this.Young people, seem to need more tangible ways on proof god is listening. How can we possibly just instill faith to them? and others who need to see some current divineness in this world. Christian teens who are shying away from the church need the feeling of brotherhood in belief. More so churches seem to not be careing for individuals, as they want money, or bragging what they do or have. Jesus says, whereever two or more gather to worship him is a church. Big churches to me have the problem of being indifferent to individuals. They also come up with their own doctrines. One should only practice what is in the bible, not ad to it.
It is not just young people that quit attending church services. I am 47-years-young and for a time I quit attending mainly because of the garbage being taught and the total ignoring of people other than young marrieds with or without chidren. When those kids grow up there is nothing unless they marry and have children. If they do not there will never be anything for them. I'm a prime example of this. Most of what goes on and being taught is NOTHING like the word either clearly says in word or deed.
When you see a church where the leaders value every person AND trains ALL OF THEM for works of service as the Bible teaches. If not more and more people will leave. Many of my most committed Christian friends are staying away from the church because they feel like they are wasting their time. They want to serve the Lord with a body of believers. They want to see a church function like they did in the Bible.
I was fortunate to find a place not too long ago. It is a rare find. If I had not I would still be gladly out of church. I dare a preacher to try and scare me into being somewhere that is not like the word of God says it should be. They cannot use the verse 'do not forsake the assembly' to say I will fall from grace if I do not attend somewhere. The best thing I did was to stay out. It gave me a chance to see what I really believed, study and meditate the word AND find out stuff I accepted that was wrong. I can be a pretty cut and dry person when dealing with my life. HOWEVER the young people of today are way bolder and are quicker to tip away from anything they do not want to do. They want the reality of the gospel. Many of them cannot relate to what helped their parents. I hope that they will find reality in Christ and if possible a place where they can experience that reality with a group of believers.
Don't judge and assume that people that do not attend church have backslid or are likewarm. Many are not but just refuse to waste time in something that makes no sense Biblically to them. I know I do not want any of my works burned because I did religious stuff instead of what the Lord wants me to do. The only one that can really deternine that is the Lord Himself.
Amen . Man can not be satisfied without God.
DoubtingThomas and Anarchy,
I love your answers. They have so much sense.
Dear Art,
<In place of the Power of God the Church now depends on dinners,puppet shows and the like.>
Time has changed. Church is trying hard to keep its parishioners in ‘place’. If it doesn’t do ‘dinners, puppet shows and the like’, they might loose even more adherents.
<When the Church gets back to doing things the Bible way,Thus Gods way things will change.>
Art, do you give a thought to the fact that the bible was written centuries ago? You have to work hard to find the connections between the bible and the contemporary time. Of course I’m not talking here about common sense morals of most societies like “don’t kill”, “don’t steal”, etc
Does your bible have any hints or say it openly and directly that a woman is just a servant of a man; a woman is nobody; she should be submissive to a man? Are you going to teach this and the like in your church classes? Or are you going to teach common sense morality that also exists in the society apart from any religion, yours or somebody else’s.
<And for those who beleive that God is just a matter of opinion,Wake up before it is to late.>
Yes, Art, ‘god’ is just a matter of opinion. You choose to believe it exists. I choose to believe that nobody’s god does.
Maybe the kids have actually read the Bible and started noticing the contradictions, failed prophecies, and the utter lack of decency and ethics contained within it and decided, "Wow, this god character has killed as many people as anyone else on Earth. That's not a loving god. And if Jesus didn't come back to change a jot or tittle of the old law (Matt 5:18), then barbarism it is! Plus, your just picking and choosing the parts to teach. I'm out of here." Just a thought. Besides, you can be ethical, moral members of society without belief in a god, so who needs it.
Once a young person is baptised into the church they are forgotten about, no one follows up on them, They are a number added to the church's roll. Their educiation in the faith is not carried out like it should be. When this happens they loose faith in the reason they joined the church. I don't think a person should be baptised the week after they say they want to joint the church. there should be schooling in what it means to be a member if christ's church and if they can't meet this goal then they shouldn't join the church. This is the reason I think a lot of young people stop going to church, because not one care about what happends to them.
The Church has turned gifts into positions. Fellowships into bussinesses. Until 330 years after Christ, they met in homes. No one was an oracle. They all shared. Then they rape people of money inusing Malachai when Malachai clearly is directed at Leviticus priests and not Isreal. Yet somehow the word Tithe is used when it is never used in the New Testament. A close look shows it was never about money. Yet todays Church makes it all about money.
Pastors were invented by Pope Gregory. Orators came into being in the time of Constantine. We have man made structure now and not what God intended. The intimacy is gone. Instead we have heritics like Rick warren leading who is enclusive. We have cross faith garbage that has people like Richard Foster and Eric McManus who teach herecy and implement eastern cults into their brand of Christianity. Thebn you have the word of faith people greatly misrepresenting God's word. Its downright sad.
But God is God
Churches are instruments of brain washing, no wonder the more educated thinkers leave and the lazy ones don't see the need to go since TV delivers equally adequate superstition.
Worship of Saklas is wrong. Its better to be an atheist than to engage in such practice. There is no confusion in Gnosticism. Jesus tossed the Law and suggested the ethic of reciprocity is better. He was right. I can see why the young are so important, the old are from the era when lynchings were still practiced. Young is better.