Happy New Year! Gene Veith’s blog strikes again. This post concerns a study by the Southern Baptist Convention about why young people are leaving the church. Basically, the study shows that 75% of church-going 18 year olds leave the church by age 23. Half of those come back by age 30 and the remaining quarter never return. It is an interesting survey. However, what is more interesting are the ongoing comments from blog readers sharing why they fell away and came back. You can check it out here.
January 3, 2008
January 3, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Personally, I think we all have had that “left the church moment” in our lives, but it is a testament to the Grace of God and His promises that He brings us back. I saw one post over at Veith’s blog that really hit me and I had to agree with.
I think it’s the way we handle our catechesizing of the youth. The youth are taught the important doctrines of scripture, but it is almost seen as an obstacle or red tape they have to get cross instead of seeing it as a vital aspect of our growth in Christ and a true understanding of the Sacrament of the Alter. It’s a matter of teaching the “what” (doctrine), but leaving out the “why” (why is this important, what is the significance, how does this apply, etc). Sort of the “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” motif.