The Teens Are Escaping!
A recent article by NY Times writer Laurie Goodstein confirms what most evangelicals have already known: “teenagers are abandoning the faith in droves”
The article goes on, “alarm has been stoked by a highly suspect claim that if current trends continue, only 4 percent of teenagers will be Bible-believing Christians as adults. ”
I always find the term “Bible-believing” interesting, as if there are Christians who have no regard, whatsoever, for the Bible. It’s really an implication that only a certain (narrow) reading of the Bible constitutes “belief,” and that certain translations, theologies and ecclesiologies demonstrate “unbelief” through their interpretations.
In response to the mass exodus out of church, several groups have attempted to ramp up youth evangelism through rock concert-style events.
Genuine alarm can be heard from Christian teenagers and youth pastors, who say they cannot compete against a pervasive culture of cynicism about religion, and the casual “hooking up” approach to sex so pervasive on MTV, on Web sites for teenagers and in hip-hop, rap and rock music. Divorced parents and dysfunctional families also lead some teenagers to avoid church entirely or to drift away.
“Compete?” Youth pastors are trying to “compete” with MTV sex culture? Something seems out of whack here.
I found this truer to my own observations: “The phenomenon may not be that young evangelicals are abandoning their faith, but that they are abandoning the institutional church, said Lauren Sandler, author of Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement.”
How do you see churches approaching youth ministry?
What have you seen that’s effective? What hasn’t been?
How about this: are the things that are numerically effective, spiritually genuine? Just because the rock concert look and feel gets numbers, is it really having any lasting effect?
Â
Comment by: David H
1 10/13/06 3:29 PM | Comment Link |I’m not sure how to answer any of the questions that are asked above. However, the problem of competition between youth pastors and MTV seems an accurate if somewhat misguided contest. The reality is that most kids, like most adults, are looking for the same things. If they can’t find what is really good, they often settle for or at least cycle through things that feel (at least for awhile) like they’re really good. The biggest problems I experienced through my own youth church life was that there was very little real there and that many who were deeply involved in that same church thing were just using it as another avenue to those ephemeral psuedo-pleasures. Many of my initial close encounters with drugs were from those being taken by the people in my youth group — whose parents were completely unaware. Among the first peers I encountered who were experimenting with sex were in my youth group. And those kids really knew how to put on the spiritual show when it counted. Finally, as a public school student, we used to joke that the kids from a nearby Christian high school got more of everything than we did — including drugs and sex — because their parents were, by and large, richer than we were.
As for the numbers game, it has always struck me as misleading. I deeply distrust group movements as just a slightly more refinded version of a mob mentality. Having the “numbers” also disturbs me in a different way. American Christians are far too cozy with Democracy as something inately good and right. However, as Hitler showed in Germany, you only have to sway a little over half the population of a Democratic country in order to have them proclaim that something completely right last year is now completely wrong.
On the level of spirituality, numbers almost seem to be counter-productive. Perhaps because to be truly genuine, spirituality has to be personal.
Comment by: Peter Walker
2 10/13/06 4:08 PM | Comment Link |Hear! Hear! You’re speaking my language David. Thank you for the great thoughts and comments. I’ve witnessed and experienced much of the same things in my life inside the church and in the public school system.
I remember a year or two ago, speaking at a youth group of about 60 kids. I told them, “If you’re here for the music, there’s better music on Friday and Saturday nights at the local concert venue. If you’re looking to party, there are better parties - with alcohol. If you’re looking to ‘hook up’, you’ll have an easier time getting away with it at the mall or the billiard hall.”
I continued, “Don’t buy the lie that you should come to Youth Group because it’s cool. It’s really not that cool. Come here because you want to care about others more than you care about yourself. And you want to be cared about. And you want to encounter God. That’s not the most fun or exciting experience out there. But it’s the best: it will make your life better and you will be whole.”
We overpromise and underdeliver a Christian product that is completely bogus…
Comment by: Jim
3 10/13/06 7:12 PM | Comment Link |I think kids would find this compelling if we could deliver
Comment by: MIke O
4 10/13/06 7:55 PM | Comment Link |You’re right. I never thought of it like that before. I keep thinking about how if we make church be what kids want (rock concert wannabes), that is better than missing them completely. And it is. But perhaps your right, and rather than making church what kids want, let’s sell kids on what church is … all the things you said.
Kids aren’t stupid … they know it’s not as cool, so in some way, maybe we’re starting out with two strikes against us when we try to convince them that it’s “just as cool,” and then fail.
Comment by: MIke O
5 10/13/06 8:03 PM | Comment Link |Another angle on the original article … Zack and I were talking in the car the other day about him going to college next year, and I can’t remember how it came up, but he said, “Dad, I can tell you why 96% of the youth fall away when they go to college. It’s because all our lives, our parents have been telling us that the only reasonable world view is the Christian one. But they go to college and meet people who are smarter than we are, and who make a better argument against Christianity than we thought they could, and they’re actually cool. And we believe them.”
Out of the mouths of babes … if we as parents protect our kids too much from the world, and downplay the effectiveness of opposing arguments and pretend evereyone else is not quite as bright as we Christians are, we’re setting our kids up for a battle they probably won’t win.
Comment by: Helen
6 10/14/06 5:25 AM | Comment Link |Mike O wrote:
He is so right.
You’ve read Eliza’s posts about her church class…figure that kids grow up being taught by someone like the pastor teaching her class; then they get to college and meet someone like her. And unlike the pastor, they take what she has to say seriously.
Yes indeed.
Actually they don’t need to wait until they get to college. They can join discussion boards like IIDB and read the rebuttals to what their church leaders taught them. They can post posts and find out just how little water some of what they were taught holds. And they can do this and read and think and get far away from the faith their parents and church leaders taught them before those people ever find out about it.
I’ve watched it happen to the teenage children of evangelical Christians on IIDB.
Comment by: Mike O
7 10/14/06 7:13 AM | Comment Link |Huh? I’m not trying to lead him away from the faith, I’m trying to prepare him to handle people who will try to lead him away from the faith … I’m trying to strengthen it.
Comment by: Helen
8 10/14/06 8:54 AM | Comment Link |Sorry, Mike, I didn’t mean you and Zack. I meant the teenagers who post on IIDB.
I think it’s a wonderful idea to prepare Zack for college in any way you can - go for it!
Comment by: Pastor David
9 10/14/06 10:14 AM | Comment Link |When I was in high school, I had a youth minister who was unafraid of questions. He would regularly ask us about our faith, and we would most often reply with the expected Sunday School answer. To our surprise, he would listen to our replies, and then ask, “Why?”
It was powerful to me, and got me to think about my faith in an adult manner. I was taught that questions were ok, and that you couldn’t just mouth the expected answer without a reason.
I don’t know if every young person would respond to that, but I know that I did. We are encouraging something similar at our congregation. Rather than using the tradition youth-targeted Sunday School materials, we are having our High School class read Douglas John Hall’s “Why Christian?” We are inviting them to ask the hard question now, while they are in a supportive environment. Why? Because they will ask them, or be asked them, once they get to college. And I would rather we sent them out from this place with a thinking faith.
Comment by: MIke O
10 10/14/06 3:06 PM | Comment Link |I figured it was something like that. The way I see it, he will be faced with people trying to sway his thinking when he leaves, and now is when I still have some influence and can add to the mix. I would be remiss if I, as his father, failed to help him hold on to something that I believe is THE SINGLE most valuable thing I can give him … his faith in Jesus Christ.
Once he’s gone, if I’ve failed to prepare him, I’ve failed him. But if I do all I can, and he still chooses otherwise, then that’s his choice.
Comment by: David H
11 10/14/06 10:12 PM | Comment Link |My girls are 9 and 12 right now. They think I am the smartest guy in the world. (They used to think I was pretty cool, but even now that is a lost cause.) Both of my kids are very smart and read way beyond their grade levels. Thus, someday they are going to wake up and realize that I am not the smartest guy in the world. My defense to that is a) to tell them often that I don’t know everything b) tell them frequently that I am not the smartest guy in the world c) try to teach them what I have learned about how to make smart decisions d) frequently let them know that I love them.
That way I hope that they will a) never think I have lied to them about what I think b) be able to reason past most of the falseness in the world (regardless of the labels worn by those spouting it) and c) realize that I will love them no matter what their conclusions.
Comment by: KSG
12 10/16/06 12:17 PM | Comment Link |Don’t you think that the evangelical church (from left to right, ultra-conservative Baptist to Charismaniac) is ‘reaping the harvest’ (sorry for the Xianese) of these “let’s be the hip cool dudes” programs? No offence toward Ron Luce or other youth ministry hypesters but if after 15 years of banging your heads against the wall you decide that the solution is to bang your head harder you’ve got some problems.
(As a rocker myself) I’m all for rock & roll as a part of worship and I personally dig the culture, but if all you are after is a Xian version of the real thing then you haven’t followed the thought process through to it’s end. We need to be giving people the depth of Christian spirituality that anchors them against storms and allows them a structure to build their lives. Given the choice, I’d rather give kids a foundation than a facade. Personally I think you can have both… a culture that grounds people to their faith and that attracts ‘missing’ persons as well.
Dan Kimball (aka Vintage Faith) talks about these issues a lot. He commented on his desire to have a church of theologians and what impact that would have.
well said, David H.
A thinking faith… In some Xian circles that would be seen as dangerous. Myself, I think it’s invaluable, thanks Pastor David.
If you want to be “cool”, then you better be prepared to work hard and spend lots of money. Sonny from P.O.D. said it best, “Dance with the dead? you better be ten times more deadly”.
Comment by: MIke O
13 10/16/06 6:39 PM | Comment Link |Great Post, KSG. You’re echoing what Peter said up in #2 –
And I also like what David H said,
I agree, KSG … it’s invaluable!!! Critical, even.
Comment by: KSG
14 10/17/06 9:33 AM | Comment Link |The concept of a “thinking faith” has got me (sorry) ‘thinking’…
What would it look like if everyone who claims to be a Christian would take the time to actually learn what it means to be a Christian? To learn our history (within it’s context) and to examine what our anchors are? What would happen if we all took our lives as Xians seriously? What would happen to the Church (the body of Christ) if we weren’t satisfied with knowing someone who knows the answers and actually sought the answers for ourselves? What would a church full of theologians/students/disciples look like?
Comment by: Pastor David
15 10/17/06 2:15 PM | Comment Link |Ksg,
Great questions! It is tempting to just say that that is what the kingdom will look like, but that doesn’t do justice to the sincerity of your questions or the real concerns that they bring up.
First, perhaps a word of caution. Early on in Christianity, it was recognized that there are different levels of spiritual maturity, and people are in different places on their faith journeys. Saint Paul writes of spiritual “milk” and “meat,” talking about meeting people with the message where they are.
Many new pastors (or at least many that I have known) have refused to recognize this. Asking questions like yours (and let me say that I agree with them 100%), they set out to “push” a congregation to where they “should be,” “challenging” them. In theory, not a bad idea. Practically and pastorally, it does not meet people where they are on their faith journey. Much better to meet folks where they are, rather than forcing them to be where you are.
There are many Christians who are perfectly happy where they are in their faith life. It is ok to gently encourage them to grow, but not in a way that discourages their faith. For many of these persons, their relationship with God is rewarding and meaningful, and that should be honored.
It is a difficult balance: recognizing the blessings of the varying levels of spiritual maturity, while still encouraging people to grow. It is also quite humbling, because it means recognizing that I do not have all the answers, and that my way is not always the best way.
Comment by: KSG
16 10/17/06 4:25 PM | Comment Link |Pastor David,
It is one thing to be a Christian who is immature (drinks milk) but wants to grow and mature (eat meat), and another thing for a Christian to be satisfied with ‘fire insurance’ (”hey, I’m saved, what more do you want?”). Comparing 1st century Xians to us today we see that they made a huge commitment to be connected with Christ (suffering, violence, death) but our culture has enabled people to claim the title without the consequences. I’m not saying we should seek out persecution, but I am saying that when we choose to be identified with Christ we need to recognize that that carries a burden (or yoke) with it. Unfortunately Jesus seemed to imply that as his followers we had a responsibility to be active participants in the “Jesus life” (see parable of 10 virgins, parable of the talents, Matt 25 story of sheep & goats).
However, I do agree that we shouldn’t use a cattle prod when a finger poke will do.
Comment by: David H
17 10/17/06 6:09 PM | Comment Link |As answer to the first few questions it might be quite confusing. The doctrine and history of the Christian church is not nearly as neat and tidy as many denominations would like to present. Many people don’t like the difficulty of trying to sort through all of the variations of belief, much less having to face some of the messier happenings in which the Christian Church played an ugly role.
For me, having a thinking faith has meant embracing doubt. Somethings I don’t know exactly why I believe except that it feels right. Somethings I don’t know if the answers are even available.
But when my doubts become overwhelming, I try to recall the simple foundation set out by Jesus: “Love.”
I may not be able to do that right all of the time (I’m too selfish to do God love well), but as long as I keep returning to the Love Jesus modeled, I won’t go completely wrong.
Comment by: Shannon
18 10/17/06 7:23 PM | Comment Link |Only 4% of teenagers will be “Bible-believing” Christians? My initial response, is..good.
The so-called “Bible believers”, by insisting on such ridiculous concepts as 6,000 year old Earths and dinosaurs on the ark, have proven far less effective at bringing people to the faith than driving them away. If you do indeed know them by their fruits, then the evangelical churches offer little more than gay-bashing and Pat Robertson types. Oh yeah, not to mention a fruitless war brought on by the guy they helped put back into office.
The Catholic, Anglican, and other mainstream protestant churches can however point to a legacy of charity, social involvement, and true outreach. True Evangelism is about works, not words. Hiding a hungry person a meal instead of a bible is far more likely to win a convert.
Comment by: Peter Walker
19 10/18/06 10:06 AM | Comment Link |Shannon,
Love your comment here! Succinct and convicting!
I find it amazing that the so-called “Holiness Movement” (of which I’m a product) seems almost entirely self-centered: a religion of self-help. Whereas those darn Mainliners are in the soup kitchens, the hospitals, the hospice homes and the streets giving aid, food and shelter.
Your right - the Bible is pretty hard to swallow when you’re stomach’s empty.
Comment by: Mike O
20 10/19/06 8:25 AM | Comment Link |Shannon, it sounds like your issues aren’t so much with the Bible or Jesus’ teachings, but rather what people have said/done with it.
Comment by: Helen
21 10/19/06 10:06 AM | Comment Link |Thanks for your comments, Shannon. I don’t like “words without works” either. I think there are Bible-believers who get involved in helping others. Nevertheless, I understand your frustration.
Comment by: glass
22 10/28/06 9:56 PM | Comment Link |Nobody appreciates being labeled and categorized. Do churches have Old People Ministries? I’m not saying we should be PC and call them ‘age challenged’, but teenager is an insulting word, and ‘youth group’ implicates a need to segregate part of your church from the body (out of fear?) Having grown up in the church, youth groups proved harmful, at best innefectual. Ask any youth pastor, there’s a lot of pressure from parents to guilt their kids into behaving. I, for one, am against youth groups. Those people should be participating in the entire church body first.