People are calling it “The Great Departure” – Christian young people leaving the church. Close to 60 percent of young people who went to church as teens drop out after high school. Now the bestselling author of unChristian trains his researcher’s eye on these young believers. Where David Kinnaman‘s first book unChristian showed the world what outsiders aged 16-29 think of Christianity, You Lost Me shows why younger Christians aged 16-29 are leaving the church and rethinking their faith.
Based on new research, You Lost Me shows pastors, church leaders, and parents how we have failed to equip young people to live “in but not of” the world and how this has serious long-term consequences. More importantly, Kinnaman offers ideas on how to help young people develop and maintain a vibrant faith that they embrace over a lifetime.
Kinneman identifies three types of young people who have left church:
1. Nomads – they walk away from church engagement but still consider themselves Christians.
2. Prodigals – they lose their faith, describing themselves as “no longer Christian.”
3. Exiles – they are still invested in their Christian faith but feel stuck (or lost) between culture and the church.
Kinnaman goes on to offer ”six reasons” why the next generation is disengaging from church:
1. Overprotective: “The church is seen as a creativity killer where risk-taking and being involved in culture are anathema.”
2. Shallow: “Easy platitudes, proof texting, and formulaic slogans have anesthetized many young adults.”
3. Anti-science: “Many young Christians have come to the conclusion that faith and science are incompatible.”
4. Repressive: “Religious rules, particularly sexual mores, feel stifling to the individualist mindset of young adults.”
5. Exclusive: “Although there are limits to what this generation will accept and whom they will embrace, they have been shaped by a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance. Thus Christianity’s claims to exclusivity are a hard sell.”
6. Doubtless: “the church is not a place that allows them to express doubts.”
For more details on these six reasons, click here.
Research worth checking out …
P.S. Also worth reading is Essential Church.
Related Articles:
- Why Young People Are Fleeing Conservative Evangelicalism
- ‘Embrace Christ Not Religion…’
- The Future of the American Church
- Communion for shut-ins
- Worship and Community
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