Young Adults Leaving the Faith

This week a concern was brought to me that has been something that in my personal life I have avoided.  Maybe it is from the way I was raised.  Maybe it is I haven’t given it the attention that I should.  Nevertheless, I have now be forced to face my own concern about this issue.

I was reared by parents that gave their devotion and love to the church.  They were faith in attending every service—twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday.  Church attendance came first.  Nothing and I mean nothing came before our dedication and loyalty to the church.  All other activities were scheduled around church attendance.  Sound boring?  Well, it wasn’t.  This became important to me just as it was to my parents.  In over 44 years of married life there have been very few worship services I have missed.  Our vacations have been planned around our duty and obligation to the church where we have been members.  Our three boys were reared with the same sense of duty and obligation, although they do not have the same sense of loyalty and dedication to church attendance as their parents.

Over four decades as a pastor I have seen a major change in the young families in America.  There are a large number of parents who were professed Christians now rejecting the Christian faith. Some feel that if the current trend continues that churches will be closing at a rapid rate.   Why is this?

Many young adults within the church have never accepted the covenant of salvation.  They have called themselves Christian without truly accepting the duty and obligation that comes with being a Christian.  Becoming a Christian requires one to accept the New Covenant.  Even though, “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” the acceptance of his son and the ratification of the covenant is required which means, an acceptance and agreement to “keep my commandments”.  God will do his part but He requires us to do ours.

Young adults among those who attended church regularly during their elementary and high school years are now leaving church and taking their young children with them.  Almost half of those raised in the church now claim no religion.   Among these young adults they no longer hold a Biblical worldview.  Moral truth does not exist, the Bible is only a book, Jesus is only a man that has no relationship with mankind and God does not answer prayer.

This is the generation that is moving our country to a secularized nation.  In the next few years there will be hundreds if not thousands of churches closing because America’s young adults are rejecting the Christian faith.  What is sad about all this is that many within the church think everything is fine.  Everything is NOT fine.

American style Christianity is broken.  We have created a society where Christianity is not important.  Young parents today are more concerned about the social growth of their children than spiritual.  Many parents have used the excuse of their children’s activities to avoid their loyalty and obligation to the church where they hold their membership.  It is not uncommon among those who are Christian to place sporting events, secular entertainment and other activities before their obligation and loyalty to serve the LORD. 

We have never taught our children to trust the Lord so why should we be surprised that they are godless.  We are just reaping what we have sown.  They have struggled in their marriages, their children are disrespectful, they need two incomes to meet the demand of their life-style, their family life is dysfunctional and they have never felt the close relationship with the LORD that allows the trust needed to feel satisfied in life.  No wonder they are leaving.

The result is angry, bitter skepticism and rejection of the Christian faith.  So how did we get to the place that we are losing the next generation of Christians?  Could it be that we are more concerned with numbers than in the spiritual growth of the individual?  Or is it that we have reduced being a “Christian” to a superficial form of Christianity that has inoculated them against an authentic life changing faith? 

So what can we do?  I have struggled with this.  From personal experience hammering them with biblical truth will not work, ignoring the issues will not resolve the fact they have left the faith.  This brings me back to my growing up in the church.  There were those in my life that prayed for me.

First, my mother during our family devotions she would pray and weep for her children calling each of our names in prayer.  Her tears brought results.  She knew, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bring his sheaves with him.” Ps. 126:5-6

Next, there were those within the church that would pray for us during worship again calling out our names in prayer asking the LORD to speak to us, keep us from sin, and give us the desire to serve the Lord.  These individuals felt that somebody has got to intercede, weep, pray and mourn to see the salvation of their children.  

When you have spent time mourning over the lost condition of our young adult parents, weeping with a burden in intercession for them, the scriptures says we “will DOUBTLESS come again rejoicing bringing your sheaves with you.”  Maybe the reason we are losing the battle to Satan is we have not taken the time to pray for them, never taking the time to intercede and mourn for them.  Is that what we are lacking?  Is that the reason we are losing the battle for the souls of our young adult parents?

Most pray within the church is about praying for the sick or those who have lost their jobs, very seldom do we prayer for those who have left the faith.  Our pray life should change if we are to see results in bring the prodigal back into the fold. 

All the questions I have asked in this blog, I have directed to myself.  My answers are not those I would be proud to make known, but I realize if there is to be a change in direction it must first start with me, not those who have left the faith.  As Christians we are experts at leaving the wounded to die on the battlefield in search for “newer converts”.  

As Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites (young adult parents) is that they may be saved.”  Join me in intercession for those who have left the faith, who once knew the LORD but now have turned away from Him.