Can anything be done to reverse the trend of 70%+ of Christian youth leaving the Church after 18?

[SAAN]

Random articles like these look into the problem.

The Real Reasons Young Adults Drop Out of Church
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ed...-reasons-young-adults-drop-out-of-church.html

Christian Youth In America Are Leaving the Church
http://crossexamined.org/youth-exodus-problem/

5 Possible Reasons Young Americans Are Leaving Church and Christianity Behind
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...s-are-leaving-church-and-christianity-behind/


I have seen it myself at my church for over 20 years, as these youth sang in the childrens choir, was in Sunday school, every church play, accepted Jesus as a teen and by time they are over 18 and go off to college 2/3 never come back and when they do, they are a completely different person spiritually.

I know the adults lead by example, so if grown ups are late to church all the time, why should a child then young adult want to come on time either. If many of the adults dont read their bibles, there is no way they can answer a young adults question other than say go ask the pastor.


Can anything be done to reverse this trend or this is just the future or Christian youth?

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Nope. It's a fulfilment of prophecy that they would fall away in the end of times.

 

[Look Up]

While the articles cited suggest the stats can be argued and have important nuances drilling down in the data, there does seem to be a significant problem, or rather set of problems in the arenas examined, and probably enough room for fingers to be pointed in many directions. Yes, at the end of the day God does harden whom He will and have mercy on whom He will, yet the more Bible-defined repentance from sin comes to be in the more possible ways that can be, generally speaking then the better the result in kingdom terms.

Jesus said that if the miracles that were performed in Bethesda, Capernaum etc. were instead performed in Sodom and Gomorrah (or as itinerant preacher, elsewhere Jesus also used the examples of Tyre and Sidon), the people of those towns would have repented. By way of application though we do not have the same knowledge as Jesus, one might say that if the apologetic argument that occurred here also occurred there, if the gospel preaching that occurred in this town occurred in that town, if the fatherly example that this child witnessed had been witnessed by that child, and so on, then the results may have been better where the good actions never in fact occurred. The Christian's labor in the Lord, in other words, is never in vain though it may seem in vain or for some purpose we desire be in vain in some sense.

The stats suggest we grieve and carry on doing good as Jesus defines good and become more wise in the doing, not become resigned or discouraged. God's word as rain upon the mountain will go forth and accomplish what God wills (Isa. 55), yet He also has ordained His people to partake of the watering process, to be means to His ends. Of some it may be said, "Because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me" (John 8:45), yet others have hearts of good soil that will produce fruit, sometimes 30, 60 or 100 times what was sown. Our calling is to sow and to water; God will give the increase of His choosing and work even if the harvest in our eyes seems at times and in places disappointing.

 

[Albion]

I'd be interested to know how many of these return to the church after they get settled and start families.

 

[Wgw]

I'd be interested to know how many of these return to the church after they get settled and start families.

Indeed. The Amish even have a word for this phenomenon.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Indeed. The Amish even have a word for this phenomenon.

Rumspringa...

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

I see a huge divide between what the public school systems are teaching the kids and what they learn at church or at home. Evolution is probably the biggest dichotomy that youths face as science in schools rarely agrees with the truths of the Bible. Seeing how the kids are in these learning environments longer than any other form of supervised education, it shouldn't be a real surprise that the kids fall away from believing the "stories" they were taught as kids. "Real" science happens in academia, so they think because this is all they know. I had a 10 year old neighbour come up to me and challenge me that man came from apes and not God because her teacher said so and why would the teacher lie, etc... so sad to see the innocence ripped away fro these young ones as they are indoctrinated into satans kingdom. Add in unsupervised social media use and too little parental concern or control and you get what we got...

 

[Hoghead1]

Faith in God, Eastcoast, is not at all opposed to evolution, and vice versa. I believe that evolution would be impossible without God, for example. Granted, evolution would conflict with the biblical cosmology and geophysics. However, so does the notion of a spherical earth and a heliocentric solar system. The Bible was not intended to be a scientific witness. And that should be no surprise. Divinely inspired as it may be, it arouse out of a pre-scientific, semi-barbaric culture. So it is only to be expected its cosmology would be outmoded. God always works with the grain, not against it. God can only as fast as we are capable and willing to go. So God was not about to reveal any advanced scientific knowledge to the ancient Hebrews.

 

[Look Up]

I see a huge divide between what the public school systems are teaching the kids and what they learn at church or at home. Evolution is probably the biggest dichotomy that youths face as science in schools rarely agrees with the truths of the Bible. Seeing how the kids are in these learning environments longer than any other form of supervised education, it shouldn't be a real surprise that the kids fall away from believing the "stories" they were taught as kids. "Real" science happens in academia, so they think because this is all they know. I had a 10 year old neighbour come up to me and challenge me that man came from apes and not God because her teacher said so and why would the teacher lie, etc... so sad to see the innocence ripped away fro these young ones as they are indoctrinated into satans kingdom. Add in unsupervised social media use and too little parental concern or control and you get what we got...

One wonders if in the end it would be better for propagators of deceit to have millstones tied to their necks as they are thrown into the sea than that they should cause one of God's little ones to sin, to borrow Jesus' comparison.

More broadly than your above argument it seems that naturalistic biological evolution, whatever its viability as a theory, is commonly used to marginalize the supernatural as unnecessary or out-of-purview or nonexistent, whether confessionally or in practice. Much of the grounds for human accountability to God is based on His having created in the beginning; undermine or deny that and justification more easily arises for dismissing God as Lord and Judge. But then since Adam, we love darkness rather than light because our deeds are evil.

And anti-supernaturalism is one large reason, arguably fundamental to all among material naturalists, but otherwise one among others why souls, alas, are shipwrecked in storm far from the harbor.

 

[Optimax]

Simple.

What is lacking in most churches.

God's manifested Presence.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

Can anything be done to reverse this trend or this is just the future or Christian youth?

Trying to "do" something is what caused this in the first place.

Firstly, these people were never part of the church. They went from "childrens church" to youth services to campus ministries, without ever becoming members of the church.

Secondly, in the footsteps of Charles Finny, we created a circus like environment in order to appeal to these kids. Youth pastors swallowed gold fish and shaved their heads, and of course, as we all know, every this must be FUN.

Thirdly, we taught no doctrine to these people. I mean, becoming rooted and grounded in scripture isn't fun, so we can't do that. . .

Lastly, and related to the third point, we taught them that experience trumps knowledge. If they did manage to actually sit through a "worship service" it was a concert followed by life skills training or "interesting" stories about what the pastor did last week. We have failed to open the Bible and preach and teach from it.

These people haven't left Christianity. They've never even experienced Christianity.

 

[Knee V]

Trying to "do" something is what caused this in the first place.

Firstly, these people were never part of the church. They went from "childrens church" to youth services to campus ministries, without ever becoming members of the church.

Secondly, in the footsteps of Charles Finny, we created a circus like environment in order to appear to these kids. Youth pastors swallowed gold fish and shaved their heads, and of course, as we all know, every this must be FUN.

Thirdly, we taught no doctrine to these people. I mean, becoming rooted and grounded in scripture isn't fun, so we can't do that. . .

Lastly, and related to the third point, we taught them that experience trumps knowledge. If they did manage to actually sit through a "worship service" it was a concert followed by life skills training or "interesting" stories about what the pastor did last week. We have failed to open the Bible and preach and teach from it.

These people haven't left Christianity. They've never even experienced Christianity.

Precisely.

 

[PapaZoom]

Trying to "do" something is what caused this in the first place.

Firstly, these people were never part of the church. They went from "childrens church" to youth services to campus ministries, without ever becoming members of the church.

Secondly, in the footsteps of Charles Finny, we created a circus like environment in order to appear to these kids. Youth pastors swallowed gold fish and shaved their heads, and of course, as we all know, every this must be FUN.

Thirdly, we taught no doctrine to these people. I mean, becoming rooted and grounded in scripture isn't fun, so we can't do that. . .

Lastly, and related to the third point, we taught them that experience trumps knowledge. If they did manage to actually sit through a "worship service" it was a concert followed by life skills training or "interesting" stories about what the pastor did last week. We have failed to open the Bible and preach and teach from it.

These people haven't left Christianity. They've never even experienced Christianity.

sadly I believe you're on to something here. Both my children out of the church and I think you have outlined the mistakes I've made.

 

[Armoured]

Random articles like these look into the problem.

The Real Reasons Young Adults Drop Out of Church
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ed...-reasons-young-adults-drop-out-of-church.html

Christian Youth In America Are Leaving the Church
http://crossexamined.org/youth-exodus-problem/

5 Possible Reasons Young Americans Are Leaving Church and Christianity Behind
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...s-are-leaving-church-and-christianity-behind/


I have seen it myself at my church for over 20 years, as these youth sang in the childrens choir, was in Sunday school, every church play, accepted Jesus as a teen and by time they are over 18 and go off to college 2/3 never come back and when they do, they are a completely different person spiritually.

I know the adults lead by example, so if grown ups are late to church all the time, why should a child then young adult want to come on time either. If many of the adults dont read their bibles, there is no way they can answer a young adults question other than say go ask the pastor.


Can anything be done to reverse this trend or this is just the future or Christian youth?

Stop being judgemental, holier-than-thou, blind legalist hypocrites?

 

[jimmyjimmy]

sadly I believe you're on to something here. Both my children out of the church and I think you have outlined the mistakes I've made.

I'm very sorry to hear that. That must be very difficult.

You know, there is nothing more likely to impress a child than for a parent to admit a mistake. It's worth a try, and it might be enough to change the course of things, of course knowing that He must open the heart and eyes, yet we must do our part.

 

[WretchedGoat]

Trying to "do" something is what caused this in the first place.

Firstly, these people were never part of the church. They went from "childrens church" to youth services to campus ministries, without ever becoming members of the church.

Secondly, in the footsteps of Charles Finny, we created a circus like environment in order to appear to these kids. Youth pastors swallowed gold fish and shaved their heads, and of course, as we all know, every this must be FUN.

Thirdly, we taught no doctrine to these people. I mean, becoming rooted and grounded in scripture isn't fun, so we can't do that. . .

Lastly, and related to the third point, we taught them that experience trumps knowledge. If they did manage to actually sit through a "worship service" it was a concert followed by life skills training or "interesting" stories about what the pastor did last week. We have failed to open the Bible and preach and teach from it.

These people haven't left Christianity. They've never even experienced Christianity.

THIS ^^^

 

[PapaZoom]

I'm very sorry to hear that. That must be very difficult.

You know, there is nothing more likely to impress a child than for a parent to admit a mistake. It's worth a try, and it might be enough to change the course of things, of course knowing that He must open the heart and eyes, yet we must do our part.

Good advice. I grew up in a legalistic setting and my children got some of that from me as well. If I were to do it over again I'd emphasize God's grace both in my words and actions much more. We do talk about these things (my kids are nearly 40) and my son is still a believer while I think my daughter sees little reason to make faith a part of her life. For my part, I'm just loving them where they are at and not judging. Of course I pray for them too.

 

[Kersh]

I am not sure what the reasons are. My disillusionment with the church was in the fact that I saw nothing different about Christians other than that they made themselves endure church once a week. They weren't any happier than nonbelievers. They weren't any holier than nonbelievers. They weren't any more kind or generous than nonbelievers. And, so on. What drew me back to the church was the realization that the reason for this is that most "Christians" have never really experienced the presence of God in their lives. When I started meeting people who had experienced such desperation that they were willing to earnestly seek God, I started to see a much different version of Christianity. So, if I had to answer the question, what we need in the church is desperation to seek the Holy Spirit earnestly and to allow Him to sanctify us and our churches.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

The average evangelical church, in its attempt to be "relevant", has lost all relevance, and the kids know it.

 

[JaeMelo]

Why on earth would you want to reverse something like this OP. Are you not eager for this to be all over with at the second coming? Wether these kids can be grouped with the masses who actually fall away from faith or not, one thing is for sure. There is a trend in regards to people turning from faith. I've seen it in my home congregation. I've watched the attendance numbers drop over the years.. Id even say I "somewhat" fell away and took a temporary atheists stand despite not fully agreeing with the notion internally. This all happened the minute I was set free from my parents control while attending college in another country; however I managed to bounce back while abroad.

Despite this being an unfortunate thing too witness you should be happy at the same time. Happy that you yourself haven't fallen away and that you're alive to watch the prophecy unfold. Look how close we are!

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means:for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition