In 2019, nearly two-thirds of 18-to 29-year-olds in the U.S. who grew up in church and were active as a child or teen told the Barna research group that they had withdrawn from church involvement as an adult. Why is this happening? What can we do about it?
The Christian Leader posed these questions to two individuals involved in USMB ministry to young adults. Kyle Goings is the director of NextGen, the USMB ministry to young adults. He is also the NextGen pastor at Ridgepoint Church, Wichita, Kansas. Joanna Chapa is a mission mobilizer with Multiply. Both Goings and Chapa spoke at the USMB leadership vision summit in January 2024.
CL: Why are youth leaving the church?
Goings: This is a question many churches are asking. But if your starting point is this question, you’ve already missed the boat. This question assumes most youth grew up in the church and left when they got older. The reality is that each generation has fewer individuals raised in the church, which means that the number who can leave is declining.
Barna just released statistics that only 4 percent of Generation Z (born from 1997 to 2015) possess a biblical worldview. There are several reasons why this is happening:
- There is a decline in the priority parents place on nurturing their children’s faith with church involvement, coupled with decreased church attendance among adults.
- Culture and technology have a growing impact on shaping young people’s identities, overshadowing the church’s influence.
- The traditional model of youth ministry (pizza, a game, then a Bible study led by a volunteer) is no longer effective—and is even potentially counterproductive.
- There’s a noticeable decrease in youth actively sharing their faith with peers or recognizing the importance of such outreach, even though with technology they are the most connected generation in human history.
This situation didn’t arise overnight; it’s the result of generational shifts, signaling a profound challenge for the church. Understanding the severity of this challenge is crucial to impacting the up-and-coming generations.
Chapa: That is quite interesting and sobering, Kyle. Quite honestly, it leads me to first lament this. But it also makes me wonder if those young people that did grow up “in the church” ever felt like they were a part of it to begin with.
I’ve had multiple conversations with adults who are worried—even panicking—that young people are leaving the church. But what if we are simply reaping what we have sowed with the lack of discipleship or followership of Jesus within our churches, especially within the intergenerational reality of the church?
Might it be that because the church is engulfed with programs separating teens from “the church,” coupled with the radical individualization that is permeating our North American culture and our churches, we have potentially and inadvertently taught young people that they don’t belong—at least not yet.
So, they can’t leave a church they’ve never been a part of in the first place. I know this might seem like a harsh observation, but as we look at the biblical narrative, there are countless moments of the people of God missing the boat.
CL: So, has the church missed the boat?
Goings: The short answer is no, not yet. But we need to realize the current reality that there will simply be fewer Christians in the coming generations. This is reminiscent of the biblical account of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Despite the destruction of their homeland and being taken captive in Babylon, these young men stood resilient in their faith amidst a culture that pressured them to conform. Not only did they resist, they flourished.
Ministry to teenagers and young adults must evolve differently from the traditional methods experienced by us adults who are over 40. Recognizing this paradigm shift is crucial.
David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock, in their book Faith for Exiles, talk about our current era as a “digital Babylon.” This context challenges us not to dwell on the number of youth leaving the church or the vast number of youth not in church but to invest in those who remain, fostering their resilience. Ministry to teenagers and young adults must evolve differently from the traditional methods experienced by us adults who are over 40. Recognizing this paradigm shift is crucial. By simply taking the time to observe and adapt, we can see that hope for engaging the next generations in meaningful faith experiences is far from lost.
Chapa: In the book Mobilizing Gen Z, Jolene Erlacher and Katy White also shed light on this Babylon reality. They write, “For many years, we were leaders in our own Judah, where our faith harmonized with the culture around us. Now, however, God is calling us to lead in a kind of Babylon where our faith stands in stark contrast to the culture in which we live.”
This makes me jump to the question, So, what do we do now? If there is a sense that we’ve somewhat missed the boat, what now?
CL: Good question. What can congregations do to help high school students and young adults stay connected to their local church and their faith?
Goings: Addressing the crucial issue of healthy youth ministries in churches highlights the pressing need for a fundamental shift in perspective. Despite the peak attendance of youth in churches during the 1990s, a misalignment in understanding and engaging young people has persisted since then. The wider culture (think advertisers) recognizes the value and potential of youth, often placing them at the forefront of change and innovation.
However, many churches continue to view youth ministry as merely an extension of the children’s ministry, focusing on basic biblical teachings and right behavior without truly challenging or involving youth in meaningful ways outside a Sunday school class or Bible study.
Youth are frequently sidelined and encouraged to observe rather than participate actively in church life. This contrasts sharply with societal trends where young voices are amplified and even valued. It’s not about assigning leadership roles beyond their capacity but rather integrating them into the ethos of church activities—be it through teaching younger kids Sunday school, leading Bible studies, being on the worship team or in the tech booth or even being an usher.
The question we face is how to bridge the gap between passive participation and active involvement, fostering a sense of belonging and contribution among our youth that leads to ownership in the body of Christ. By mentoring and engaging with youth directly, we can cultivate a generation that feels empowered to serve alongside adults, enriching our church community and ensuring its vibrancy for years to come.
Chapa: Yes! So, what if we started intentionally allowing the younger generations to live into the reality that they are a part of the church today? Not tomorrow. Not 20 years from now. Rather, they are a part of the church right now!
What if we started intentionally allowing the younger generations to live into the reality that they are a part of the church today?
This means older generations start shoulder-tapping high school students and young adults, even children, with the desire to hear them out, ask them questions with the hopes of understanding the cross-cultural realities that are intergenerational differences and not trying to make them into a replica of their own generational values.
It means that older generations encourage younger generations to follow Jesus in their generational realities, walking with them as the next generations are empowered and released to discover their God-given giftings.
“Intergenerational relationships are crucial,” Erlacher and White write. “The number one predictive factor as to whether or not a young Christian will retain his or her faith is whether that person has a meaningful relationship with an older Christian.”
I encourage us to approach a cross-generation relationship as we would (or should) approach a cross-cultural relationship. Before jumping to assumptions, solutions and conclusions, we should choose to humbly and with sincerity be curious to get to know those in other generations and their story as we ask questions, observe and listen. Many would agree, if we are seeking to help someone, we must first seek to understand someone.
This article has been posted by Christian Leader staff. The Christian Leader is the magazine of U.S. Mennonite Brethren.
