Every year, 1 million young people in America disappear from the church.[1] For decades, pastors, evangelists, and parents have labored to reach the next generation, but to no avail; 6 in 10 young people leave the church at least temporarily.[2] A 5-year study headed by Barna Group president David Kinnaman identified 6 key reasons that young people leave the church. In their experience, the church is (1) unconnected from the real world, (2) shallow, (3) antagonistic to science, (4) judgmental in its attitude toward sexuality, (5) closed-minded to other views of life and faith, and (6) unfriendly to those who doubt.[3]
Clearly, the church is failing to reach young people. Dr. George Barna, Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center, writes, “The worldview development of children is the existential challenge facing the American Church today.”[4] It’s time for a shift in tactics. As Barna notes, this shift is rooted in the topic of our last article: Christian Worldview.
"The worldview development of children is the existential challenge facing the American Church today.”
Our last article, “Worldview Defined,” covered the basis of a Christian worldview. In short, a worldview is the grid or framework through which a person views the world. The Bible forms the basis of a Christian worldview. Tragically, most Christians hold to the culturally prevalent worldview Syncretism, a customized mixture of a person’s favorite beliefs and values from other worldview systems. To learn more about the Christian worldview and Syncretism, check out “Worldview Defined.”
As the American church walks away from a biblical worldview, it should come as no surprise that young people are too. Young people can see through a lack of conviction, and, while the American church boasts coffee bars, massive children’s programs, and charismatic leaders, conviction is hard to find. The American church is too busy entertaining children to teach them the tenants of our faith. We don’t need another exciting youth activity or another freshly renamed youth group. The church needs to strategically instill a biblical worldview in children from a young age.
For too long, parents and churches have attempted to shelter children from the unbiblical culture instead of teaching them how to combat our culture’s lies. While the sheltering tactic may work for a time, it eventually leaves young Christians defenseless when they encounter unbiblical thinking.
Apologetic speaker Alan Shlemon explains, “It’s tempting to shelter young believers from false ideas. We think we’re protecting them, but we end up isolating them. This backfires because we don’t prepare them to dialogue with those who disagree with them. When they encounter a false idea, young believers get caught off guard. They’re more likely to be seduced to believe something we’ve worked hard to protect them from.”[5]
Apologist Tim Barrett suggests that the answer to young adults leaving the faith is apologetics. Apologetics is the logical defense of the Christian faith. Barret writes, “Pizza parties, movie nights, and laser tag alone aren’t going to cut it. If we want to keep our young people, we need to stop entertaining them and start educating them with life-giving, confidence-building, worship-inspiring theological truth.”[6] Playing ping pong in youth group isn’t going to keep young people at church. But a real and vibrant faith in Jesus Christ will.
Christian parents and the church need to stop avoiding the real issues: transgenderism, evolution, pornography, morality, homosexuality, abortion, and so on. As our culture seeks to reach younger and younger children with its God-opposing beliefs, we must be proactive instead of reactionary.
When we remain silent on these issues, young people’s only source of information about cultural issues is the world. We must equip young people with biblical answers to cultural issues, and we must provide a space where young people can express their doubts and receive loving, biblical answers. The work of instilling a Christian worldview in the next generation may be demanding and uncomfortable, but it is vital.
The work of instilling a Christian worldview in the next generation may be demanding and uncomfortable, but it is vital.
To be sure, cultural issues must be discussed in an age-appropriate manner, and youth leaders are wise to alert parents when difficult topics are discussed, but we can no longer allow the discomfort of discussing these topics to silence us. The church’s failure to discuss culturally relevant issues leaves young people wondering if Bible is just too old and out of date to address the issues of 21st century culture. No wonder they walk away.
While parents once worried that children would lose their faith when they went away to college, multiple studies show that the shift away from church and Christianity usually happens during the teen years before leaving home.[7] While parents and churches should work to instill a biblical worldview in children of all ages, the teen years demand a special focus.
LEAD Wisconsin, a worldview camp hosted by Wisconsin Family Council, provides an incredible opportunity for teens to develop and strengthen their biblical worldview. LEAD Wisconsin is a week-long, true-to-life leadership simulation. Under the direction of experienced professionals from a wide variety of fields, campers receive the unique opportunity to see what a Christian leader faces in the real world. In addition to leadership simulations, campers attend Biblical worldview training sessions and engaging discussions on cultural topics. Check out leadwi.org to find more information, or click here to register your teen today!
The need to apply the Christian faith to every aspect of life has never been more pressing. As we boldly live out our faith and train young people to find answers to cultural issues in the word of God, may their faith grow and flourish into a lifelong relationship with God.
P.S. Are you looking for worldview resources? Check out Summit Ministries, The Colson Center, Answers in Genesis, and Reasons for Hope to find resources for all ages and settings.
