We've all read the stats about how many young people are disengaging from the church.
Why are they walking away?
What is causing the exit?
Here are 5 big reasons why I believe many of the next generation are abandoning the church and in some cases even the faith.
Hypocrisy in the church.
It seems almost every day you hear about another minister who has fallen.
The next generation is watching. They are watching to see if we are going to live out the faith that we are trying to convert them to.
Are we practicing what we preach?
Are we living out the Gospel?
Does our walk match our talk?
They are watching to see if the faith we are pushing their way is life-changing. Is it changing our life as we read and study the Word of God?
Of course, this doesn't mean we are perfect. We will make mistakes. We will fail at times. We will blow it. The next generation doesn't expect perfection. But they do want us to acknowledge it when we stumble.
We cannot hide our sin. When we cry out for forgiveness from a broken, contrite heart, the next generation will see this and learn about the grace and mercy of our God. The God who is patient and long suffering.
Covering up and hiding our sin causes the next generation to question the validity of our faith. But confessing and forsaking our sin can help us show the next generation that our faith is real and valid.
Science.
The next generation wants scientific evidence that Jesus was a real person who died, was buried, and rose again.
They want to know if evolution is true or not. They want to know how the world came to be. When they get to high school and college, they begin to hear the evidence for evolution and they have no answers.
We did not prepare them for this and we didn't teach them why we believe what we believe. Often, if they can't defend their faith, they will walk away from their faith.
Weak faith foundation.
For the most part, today's kids are Biblically illiterate. This is a result of their parents only taking them to church once a month or even less. It's hard for kids to get a solid faith foundation when they are not being consistently brought to church.
Not to mention the kids whose parents don't study the Bible and pray at home.
This results in a faith that can easily be toppled over when faced with difficulties and hard questions.
Natural disasters.
Tornadoes. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Tsunami's. Pestilence. Starvation.
Why doesn't God rescue everyone when these things happen?
Why would a good God allow bad things to happen?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
We live in a broken world. It is heartbreaking when these disasters take place.
There are times when God steps in with a miracle. There are times when He brings hope to a hopeless situation.
But when He doesn't, we have to trust His heart and know that He is with us...even during the worst of times.
Unanswered prayers.
There is power in prayer and God does answer prayer. But what about when He doesn't seem to answer your prayers? What about the times when the heavens seem shut to you?
What about when the next generation doesn't seem to be heard by God?
It is a mystery for sure when God chooses to answer some prayers and doesn't answer others.
We must help the coming generations see that we serve a good God who delights in answering our prayers. And when His answer is "no," there is a good reason for it.
We can no longer push these questions to the side and expect the next generation to ignore them. Instead, we must help them work through these and cultivate answers that will make their faith strong.
p.s. If you are wanting to teach kids apologetics, then I highly recommend these two curriculum series.
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