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TechnoratiGone 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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