In Part 1 of this article series we looked at the three strategies churches are employing in response to decreasing returns with each passing generation. We observed how some churches simply decide to stand pat and say that since they have the Gospel truth and people aren’t coming like they used to, then it must mean those folks don’t want to hear the truth. We then looked at other churches and groups who have turned church into a “have it your way” social club that offers a little something for everyone – known as the seeker-driven model. Finally we looked at the increasingly popular “missional” approach that deemphasizes the church itself and focuses more on having “conversations” about Jesus and His love with our community. While positive ideas and negative examples can be taken from each of those approaches, I think we would be wise to look to the people who are leaving to hear what they have to say about the church, which is exactly what we did with last year’s “Why I Left the Church” survey and why we closely monitor all the polls and surveys put out by groups like Barna. While some former Christians’ comments are naturally made out of anger or bitterness and much of what they say blatantly contradicts what we know to be true, there is still great value in reading what they say and analyzing just what is behind those comments.
The first point I think is necessary before looking at their comments, though – too many times we have a predisposition to write off what people say after leaving the church, especially those in the millennial generation. You don’t have to look very long before you find articles and sermons that speak disparagingly of young people who don’t want to be part of the church, calling them lazy, selfish, entitled, etc. The truth is, some young people are lazy, selfish, and entitled, but so were people in previous generations, the people who brought them up. I (and others who write or speak on this topic) use the term millennials frequently to refer to that particular under-30 age group for the sake of convenience, but the fact is that we have to look at people as individuals. The church cannot design a program that will appeal to an age group, when every human within that age group is facing their own problems, has their own doubts, and lives their own lives. That’s why the Gospel will always overpower and out-last any man-made one size fits all program.
Having said that, let’s look at what we can learn from surveys and polls where they tell us about their lives and where they stand on the church. First, Barna reports that, contrary to popular belief, teenagers are very spiritual people. 81% say they attended a church for at least two months during their teenage years. Four out of every five had some religious activity as a teen. Unfortunately, only 20% say that they maintain the same level of spiritual activity after their teen years.[1] In addition, Barna provided the six leading factors their survey respondents pointed to as to why they’ve disconnected from Christianity.[2] In the order they were listed, they claim that churches seem overprotective, the experience of Christianity is shallow, the church is antagonistic to science, their experience with the church’s responses to sexuality are simplistic and judgmental, they wrestle with the exclusivity of Christianity, and the church feels unfriendly to those who doubt.
At first, those six points as to why they disconnect with the church seem like quite a bit to digest. When you really look at each one and then examine them as a whole, though, you start to see a common theme. Though we don’t have the space to examine each point here (we’ll carry this discussion into next month’s article), I want to bring up the first thing that jumps off the page to me when reading all six of those complaints. These are people who haven’t been taught what they need to know. For example, when they go to school and have people more than willing to teach them about evolution or homosexuality and answer any question they might have and then turn to adults in the church for answers on the same subjects, they are either being ignored or are left with unsatisfactory answers and more questions. The church must be a place where truth is taught. That includes the difficult truths of God’s Word, the challenging truths, the counter-cultural truths, and the truths that we might need to study a little more.
By Jack Wilkie
(This article first appeared in the April 2014 issue of Think magazine.)
[1] “Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years,” Barna.org, 11 September 2006, https://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/16-teensnext-gen/147-most-twentysomethings-put-christianity-on-the-shelf-following-spiritually-active-teen-years#.U1Ai4eZdUwk, 17 April 2014.
[2] “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave the Church,” Barna.org, 28 September 2011, https://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church, 17 April 2014.
