A very strange phenomenon has occurred. It is the strangest thing. In the past week my children have turned 20 and 23. I know that is not a strange phenomenon - although there have been times I have wondered about both of them - Ha! (Just kidding, guys)
What is strange is that my children are getting older, and yet their parents haven't. That is a strange phenomenon - don't you agree? How can my children be in their twenties and yet I am still the same robust young man that I have always been? Ha!
Seriously, in the past week my son turned twenty, and my daughter and her husband both had birthdays. It is amazing to me to see how they (son, daughter, and son-in-law) have matured into incredible young adults.
That was brought back to me this week as I read about a recent study about young adults. According to the study, 70 percent of young adults ages 23-30 stopped attending church regularly for at least a year between ages 18-22. "As young people transition from high school into the workforce or college, they are faced with many choices - including whether to continue attending church."
That concerns me on two levels - as a parent and as a leader in a church. First, let me address my concerns as a parent. You spend 18 years training a child, doing everything you can to teach me. You teach them how important the church is - in spite of her many flaws. Yet when they reach the age where they make the choice about church attendance, 70 percent have chosen to not attend.
Being in a position of leadership in a church - that statistic frightens me. It frightens me for several reasons, but let me only talk about two. First, the church has failed to teach these young adults the importance of not only a relationship with God the Father, but also the relationships with other people. Second, the church is in trouble today unless some drastic changes are not made. We are not reaching these young adults. Unless the church recognizes the serious consequences of losing an entire generation, the church will cease to exist. By that, I'm not suggesting that all churches will die, but I do believe that churches that don't make the necessary changes to reach these young adults will die. That is harsh language, but I believe that it is accurate. We must begin the drastic changes to reach these young adults.
On a personal note, let me say how proud I am of the three young adults who have celebrated birthdays this week. They have remained connected to the church, for that I am eternally grateful. I'm grateful that God has blessed me with these three young adults. I am a blessed man. I also eagerly anticipate what impact these three young adults will make in the church of tomorrow.
2 comments:
love you pop! and might i add im proud of you
i've seen some stats that show that 80-85% of all high school graduates quit church after high school...i think you are right in saying that many churches will die if they do not take seriously the call and responsibility they have to reach this generation of young adults...and the sad thing is that not many of them are doing it...by the way, I like the new look on the blog!
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