Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Question of the Day

In light of these statistics....

88% of ALL kids raised in Christian Homes leave the Church at age 18 never to return.

Only 4% of Generation Y (born 1980-2000) are Bible believers.

What should the CHURCH as  a whole do to reach this generation? 

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11 comments:

  1. Well, I learned something new. They must have changed the parameters for GenX, because I was born in 1980 and always thought I was a GenXer.. used to go to 1981... anywho... seriously? Only 4% of my generation believes the Bible!? Praise the Lord for Godly parents! Thank you Jesus!

    The kids need to be in Church... not youth group, not children's church, but Church. I don't me do not have these things, but a saved child, no matter what age, needs to be in "big" Church in my opinion, and the youth can STILL have their own group and attend regular services.
    Also, we HAVE to teach about having a RELATIONSHIP with our Maker and Saviour. If you are best, best friends with the God of our salvation, it won't be so easy to walk away:) I pray my kids stay in Church...

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  2. (Please understand that I am generalizing and that I am not implicating ALL churches.)

    My opinion is that the reason these statistics exist is BECAUSE of the church. If the church wants to keep kids, it needs to learn how to encourage them in Christ rather than discourage them from the world. There is a difference. We need to be more accepting of kids rather than criticize their every wrong move. I'm not saying overlook blatant sin but I am saying not to put expectations on what Christianity looks like. Kids with purple hair and ripped jeans aren't all bad and they might have a heart for worship if we could get past their outer layer.

    I'm a married grown-up and I sometimes feel like I am not "good enough" or that I don't measure up in some Christian's eyes. If I feel that way, imagine what some impressionable teenager must feel like.

    Sorry for the long answer...you just touched on a topic that is very, very close to my heart.

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  3. I think there are too many programs for kids. After a certain age kids should be with their parents in church. Youth groups are cool and my daughter will probably be involved in one. However, she will sit with us every Sunday as soon as she is able... like 3 or 4 years old.

    Also, I wonder how much the church is really to blame for all of these kids leaving. The majority of spiritual instruction and a living EXAMPLE is to come from the parents... NOT the church. I think far too many parents aren't focused like they should be and then can't figure out why their kids don't want any part of church. If they don't see a REAL faith in you then they probably won't want faith at all...

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  4. Okay, next to my family and my kids, this is my Passion topic! It's what gets my juices flowing.

    First and foremost, I believe that those statistics are proof that the church has fallen asleep. The church has narrowed itself into a corner and unless willing to adapt to some change, this statistic I fear will grow.

    Churches have been doing what they do because that's the way it's always been done. Some churches hold tight to Tradition. The church can never compete with culture. They will never win. Its just the way it is. But the church can certainly change from "doing" to having a strategy.

    If You read my "About" section on my blog, you'll see a line where I wrote, "I bleed Orange." I encourage you to check out www.whatisorange.com to learn more about that and to see where my firm stance on what the church should be doing.

    We (as in Us, Moms, Parents, etc) put So much responsibility on the Church for those poor statistics. I see it as a 50/50 deal. Parents need to wake up and realize that they are the primary spiritual leaders in their kids lives. The church is a "Partner" to you as a Parent. Or at least it should be. There in lies the problem. Churches are failing to see that they need to come along side of us as parents and support us and understand that what happens at home is far more important than what happens at church.

    I am a product of Christian parents, christian private schools and church all my life. I saw friends come and go within the church. From my experience, The leadership within the church are all on different pages. Nursery, elementary, youth and "big" church are all doing their own thing. There is no strategy. They are silo'd. I beg of the church to align themselves together with parents and have a strategy for how to get a child from birth through college not ever wanting to leave the church! It is possible. It just means people are going to have to adapt to change and let some things go.

    Sorry for the rant. I warned you that it was a Passion area for me. I could say so much more.... : )

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  5. As a pastor's wife- this topic is near to my heart!

    First of all, I have to say that I do not believe that the "Church" is at fault!! The Bible is very clear, that it is to be us PARENTS that are to be training our children in righteousness!!! Sunday School & Youth Group were started many, many years later & really were started for the "non-churched" kids! Those statistics are sad, but I think they are a lot due to the fact that parents have been relying on the church to teach their children about Christ- instead of taking an active role themselves (& actually living what they believe)!

    A couple things our church does that I LOVE are... when children turn 4, they join their parents in "big" church- children younger than that are certainly welcome, but there is nursery & children's church provided for children under 4. Although I do understand how difficult it can be for some kids to sit so long (we are all about wiggles at our house), we believe that having children in the service, plants seeds in their little hearts! :)

    We also have just started a curriculum (our pastors & elders & teachers have created) that lasts 7 years & walks everyone through the Bible... all Sunday School classes of various ages as well as the sermon are focused on the SAME topic... are memorizing the same verse, etc. In this way, children (along with their parents) will go through an in depth study of the whole Bible twice.

    Sorry, this is getting way too long! ;)
    Great question!
    Jessica

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  6. After reading the comments that came after me I feel I need to make known that I wholeheartedly agree that the responsibility to keep kids in Church lies with the parents. I thought that the question was about what the Church should do, and I just didn't delve into the rest of it. However, we have to remember that not every child that is in Church, or even a member of a Church, has Christian parents or even parents that go to Church. That is where the Church has to make this child feel comfortable and wanted in a situation that is already probably difficult for them:)

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  7. The question is actually less about how the "Christian parent" should bring up their child in church, and more about What can we, as The Body Of Christ, do to reach this lost generation.

    4% Ladies is like going to a completely un-churched country as a missionary. Generation Y are those who are between the ages of 11 and 34 right NOW in our country! Only 4% are bible believers... what are we called as the church to do about it??? How are we going to reach them with the gospel??? What will they listen to? What will resonate with them?

    When Christ spoke, he tailored the way he spoke to people based on who they were. Don't get me wrong, his message and purpose were the same, but if they were women he spoke about things that she would relate to, if he spoke to the pharisee he spoke in a way that they would relate to. How are WE going to relate to such an un-churched portion of our country? What do you think we can do to be as Paul said in 1 Cor 9:22-23

    "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

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  8. Couldn't agree more Faith! I knew lots of friends growing up though that had great christian parent, attended church regularly and still fell away from the church. If I take my kids to a baseball game, it does not make them baseball players. I believe that having your kids in big church regularly teaches them that its okay to disconnect and that church can be boring. Could it be that what is being taught is not life applicable enough? Could it be that you cannot learn to serve your parents God with out it being your own? Could it be that perhaps the church needs to rethink their strategy?

    Yes, the question was directed at what the "Church" should do. I believe the problem may lay though that Parents too heavily assume the church is doing the right thing and teaching the right way. Again, the "this is the way we've always done it" approach. This topic should be discussed more often amongst parents!

    Keep the Convo going ladies! : )

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  9. I will say that as a child, I was bored to death in "big" Church and that I NEVER listened to the sermon. The sermons I do remember hearing either has a "practical" approach, or they were fire and brimstone,screaming preachers. I don't know the answer, but Iknow why I kept going even though I didn't necessarily "enjoy" the Church I grew up in. I knew that Church was important, I had been shown in His Word that is said we were to go to Church, and so when the time came that I could decided, I didn't just NOT go, I just found a new Church:0) Really never crossed my mind to not go...

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  10. Well if we are talking about lost kids that don't have godly parents... as a missionary (now SAHM and wife to a missionary) with Child Evangelism Fellowship I must say you (the church) must go to the kids. It's not good enough to teach sunday school classes of kids "About" Jesus. You MUST share the Gospel with them! Most of our churches teach Bible stories to children... which obviously I have no issues with... but I bet the reason these kids end up leaving is because they never became Christians! As someone who taught kids sunday school for a long time I can tell you most of the curriculum DOES NOT share the gospel... or it does once every 5 weeks or something like that. That isn't good enough! You can't expect kids to stay in church if they never accepted Christ as their personal Savior.
    For kids outside of the church? Go to where they are. Schools (yes you can do it, visit cefonline.com) community centers, parks, wherever kids are and tell them why Jesus came.

    Kids should know Bible Stories but if they don't know the Gospel then they can't be saved and won't stay in church.

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  11. This is actually something we have been addressing at our church in the past few months. We have been incorporating more activities for our youth, such as-- on a specific Sunday night, the youth conducts our entire service; our music director has incorporated some of the new Contemporary Christian music into our services, which the youth absolutely love. We have also brought a young youth minister in which has been such a blessing!

    Honestly, I think one of the main reasons the statistics are what they are is because a lot of churches are too set in older ways-- not so much catering to the older members, but pacifying them by not incorporating newer ideas and technology into the service, etc. It is absolutely critical that we do all we can to make our young people feel a part of the church because they are the future of the church, and they need all the guidance they can get in this harsh and cruel world!!

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