Protestant churches are losing young adults in “sobering” numbers, a survey finds.
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, according to the survey by LifeWay Research. And 34% of those said they had not returned, even sporadically, by age 30. That means about one in four Protestant young people have left the church.
“This is sobering news that the church needs to change the way it does ministry,” says Ed Stetzer, director of Nashville-based LifeWay Research, which is affiliated with the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.
“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,” says associate director Scott McConnell.
St. Paul said, “Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.” The vigor, confidence and possibilites of youth can blind us to our need to be renewed and to the one who does the renewing.
At the same time, Brad Drell’s site has info on the Barna research showing that most folks establish their faith while young.
So, institutional church numbers don’t necessarily mean that seeds have gone unplanted. And the neighborhood church does not measure for things like campus ministries, military chaplaincies, house churches, Bible study groups and other settings in which younger people might engage the Christian life.
Finally, there was a study done in Switzerland that showed a very high correlation between a [i] dad’s [/i] churchmanship and that of his kids in later life. Kids of fathers who were active in church life were the most likely to be fully-to-somwhat involved in church when they grew up. And even then, the #s were something like 60%.
You mean all of that trendy music, theology, “relevant worship,” and chasing after the latest fad isn’t working? Who would have thought?!
Seriously, though, it seems like the days of being able to count on packaging as enough to “sell the product” are just about over…for everyone. It’s about intentionality and transformation. That’s going to be a challenge for many in the Church…and throwing more of the same at it won’t suffice. I’ve been seeing this coming for years. I found a way back into active faith precisely because I found a place where such an intentional faith was being practiced by a deeply sacramental community of Anglican Christians.
Also, this article (for what it’s worth) does show us once again the absolute necessity that Christian marriages be strong and faith-filled. The witness parents give to their children, often in private, is far more important than the old idol of “relevance” in worship. If faith in God is relevant and transformative in the life of one’s parents, it goes a long way to showing the children that belief is more than a facade.
This also may reflect the trend toward later marriage. I’m 29 myself, and the vast majority of people my age who go to church regularly are married. Many who don’t say they will return once they marry, but aren’t comfortable till then. I understand, at my old TEC parish they had an event for under-30s, and of the 30 or so people who showed up, I was one of two singles. This period is sort of a “dry spell.” As people marry and especialy have children, the felt need for church community tends to increase and individual bible study, or maybe a small group, no longer fits the bill.
From my experience, one in four would seem like a revival. Almost everyone I grew up with had Christian, church-going parents and was taken to church with them. Perhaps ten percent are now observant, mostly evangelicals and Catholics.
I was really struck by this portion:
Dropouts were more than twice as likely than those who continued attending church to describe church members as judgmental (51% for dropouts, 24% for those who stayed), hypocritical (44% vs. 20%) or insincere (41% vs. 19%)
Most Churches need to do a better job of on campus ministry. I was in charge of a Sunday evening meal at my fraternity house for two semesters. We usually had to wait about 10 minutes on the Catholics who attended the 5pm service – ironically a majoriity of the remainder when I polled the group were Episcopalians.
The Methodists typically do a better job at singles Sunday School classes. I and many of my closest friends met at the Methodist Church in my 20’s. I also met my wife through that class.
Were you suroprised, Bob? I imagine for most institutions, those who voluntarily leave will have a worse view than those who choose to remain participants. I’d have been shocked if the numbers were close. They’re actualy lower than I expected. This age group (my own) tends to think of many grown ups as insincere and hypocritical. And have for most of recorded history.
And I have to echo chips on the better job the Methodists perform on this score. I left TEC and went Methodist largely becuase I couldn’t find a TEC parish after I moved which had anything like a decent ministry for 20-somethings (single or married) and was within reasonable driving distance.
Clearly, USA Today is unaware of the Young Adult Ministry of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. Truly a wonder among wonders in the Bible Belt, this ministry is vibrant, dynamic and earnest in its engagement of the faith. Yes, there is some happy-clappy going on, but I think most would be stunned by the profession of orthodoxy and desire for understanding of God’s will amongst the faithful. It’s a model to be admired and emulated.
This should not surprise anyone. How many 40-and 50-year olds quit going to church in their college and early post college years? I know I did. Of course it would be great if they didn’t and as Andrew717 we need to devote resources to ministries for young singles. And we need to keep the door open and welcoming for them to check church out once they are married and with kids–when many people return.
I was in my 20’s and in college when I left my Evangelical church and joined TEC. It took me a little over 20 years to wake up to the changes in the new church I joined and to decide along with my husband that for our children’s sake we needed to leave TEC and chose to return to an Evangelical church.
It could be argued that we had wandered for 20+ years…
sjengelhardt
Protestant churches are losing young people, but that does not seem to be the case with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church.
Do we have any data on those churches?
Recently I worked at the registration desk at a regional Parish Life Conference of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Midwest and about 160 of the 500 registered were in grades 7-12. I was told that number was smaller than expected, but coming from TEC, I thought it was wonderful to see so many young people. They even attended Matins and Compline and were very reverent!
Alice,
I would direct you to the Young Adult Ministry website at http://www.yam.org for some RC context. Also, a couple of good books this 38-year old single young adult would recommend include “The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy” by Colleen Carroll, and “Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churces for Conservative Christianity” by Cave Shiflett. I can’t speak to any raw data, but these books provide some excellent, and in my view authentic, insight into the thinking behind those trends.
sorry…I don’t know who “Cave” Shiflett is, but his brother Dave wrote the book I just recommended.
I don’t think people leaving the church in their 20s is a new phenomenon. The problem is they are not returning in their late 20s and early 30s in the numbers they once did.
Speaking of Roman Catholics, this article in the recent Catholic University Magazine about their men’s campus ministry, Esto Vir, caught my eye. http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/cuamag/sum07/features/christian.html
Nice to see.
Before condemning the rightly always-adapting methodology of youth ministry, perhaps it would be wise to consider the reasons those young people who have stayed involved in church gave for remaining.
[quote]Reasons cited by the 30% who kept attending church:
• It’s vital to my relationship with God: 65%
• It helps guide my decision in everyday life: 58%
• It helps me become a better person: 50%
• I am following a family member’s example: 43%
• Church activities were a big part of my life: 35%
• It helps in getting through a difficult time: 30%
• I fear living without spiritual guidance: 24% [/quote]
This is actually reason to [b]support[/b] youth and family ministries, rather than condemn them. Most in the Episcopal church (in all our corners) are woefully under-supported in every possible way. When we get intentional about resourcing youth and family ministries with both equipped staff (volunteers or paid) and properly supported as more than a ‘fun thing to do for fellowship’ those of us who labor in this corner of the vineyard will have much more fruit in due season.
I’m sad to say that my 19-year-old doesn’t attend church unless he’s home from college and I insist. I’ve stopped nagging and pleading — he remains a believer and a good person. He will find his way, I believe.
Three things happened in his spiritual journey and I watched his disenchantment with dismay. First, the youth program was horrible. Every year, they’d gather the kids together in September to ask for their ideas in shaping the programs and every year the kids’ ideas would never see the light of day. My son and others stopped going. I got involved on the youth ministry team and I got frustrated myself! I thought there should be youth representatives on the team and was shot down fast. It was all what adults thought the youth should want.
Second event was the election of you-know-who. My son was appalled and said he was ashamed to acknowledge that he is an Episcopalian. I don’t think we’ve gaged the impact on our youth — my son and his associates couldn’t understand how the church could go against the morality they were taught in the Scriptures and at home. And if they went against the teachings on this issue, “what else are they lying about?” Distrust developed.
The third event was that there was no Canterbury Club when he started at university last year. We went to the Organizations Fair at orientation and searched high and low for Episcopal/Anglican representation. There was none. But the Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics and Church of Christ were there in full force. When we came home, I did some investigation and found that the campus minister had left and was not replaced. He eventually was, but not until October. They’d lost their opportunity to bring the kids into the program from the beginning and the kids moved on. A freshman at a huge university hundreds of miles from home is too timid and self-conscious to do a big ole search for spiritual care.
We still discuss faith and values and my son is a good person. He will only date young women who are Christians and share his values so I have no doubt he’ll return in his own time. I’m just not going to nag.
Patti,
I agree with your assessment 100%. The differentiator for YAM here in Atlanta is that it covers all three critical areas of church life: education, spirituality and fellowship. I would argue that most youth and young adult ministries stop at fellowship. YAM separates itself by offering a robust selection of education and spirituality options, everything from Lenten speaker series to program tracks at the Archdiocese’s annual Eucharistic Congress. They are present as facilitators in life formation, not just “some place to hang out and meet hit on the opposite sex.”
Chips, (#6)
My daughter is at the University of West Florida. It is almost impossible for her to attend Sunday services ANYWHERE as she is a rarity on campus — a student without a car! and very few denominations except perhaps the Baptists have a presence on campus that we could find. Definately nothing liturgical.
It’s pathetic!
Jim Elliott <><
I think what is happening is also symptomatic of the postponing (or in many cases canceling entirely) the onset of childbearing. I know at least in my case, having to face my children and need the authority to back me up on how I wanted them to live their life drove me back to church like a Hurricane at about age 31 or so.
So, later or fewer parents, later or no return to church. That’s my theory.
KTF!…mrb
The sense that all is right with American churchianity, that nothing is broke – well, that simply seems like a generation of people deciding to stick their head in the sand.
All the hype of mega this & growth that, of programs and preaching rock stars – of wars over orthodoxy or inclusion – well it brings to mind a quote from an English man who himself was dechurched – Eric Arthur Blair (better know by his pen name George Orwell):
“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
The article closes with this:
“Unless religious leaders take younger adults more seriously, the future of American religion is in doubt,” says Princeton sociologist Robert Wuthnow in After the Baby Boomers, due in stores in September.
Two thoughts. I agree that it is probably delay in the age of marriage and having children that is the biggest contributor. Churches on the whole are not single-friendly. Secondly, I think the clergy are getting worried about their paychecks. Less people in church means fewer churches and fewer jobs for clergy. I seem to have read that there is a shortage of clergy predicted, but that does not make sense. Odd.
Some churches are not even “FAMILY FRIENDLY” as I found out when we had children, and the little ol’ ladies were not shy about expressing their opinion that children have no place in church!
grrrrr! And that was the congregation my wife was baptised and raised in. What would an ‘outsider’ go through?
#24, the way I became Episcopalian was my parents were church-shopping when expecting their first child (me). They’d been attending different services, as mom grew up Baptist and my dad RC. They tried several “compromise” places that weren’t too kid-friendly. At the Episcopalian service a young mother got up to take her fussy small child out during the sermon. The rector told her to “please sit back down, I can talk louder and we want you to be here.” A few months later that’s where I was baptised.
Nice! 🙂