The latest USATODAY poll released August 6 revealed that 70% of the young adults in evangelical churches have quit attending. We're doing a group project right now for a class I'm a part of. And so as I'm researching this topic, I have a prediction I wanted some feedback on. And the question I'm trying to provide an answer for is this: Why are 70% of the young adults no longer going to church?
Young adults can quit going to church because they can quit going to anything. Some say church has become irrelevant and maybe it has, but I say on a deeper level, our terms have become irrelevant--meaning our terms no longer relate or connect to the idea of church in the new testament. It's become a language game, and young adults are tired of it. The USATODAY poll shows that the two leading reasons given by these young adults who stopped going to church are: 1, They need a break, and 2, they found church members hypocritical. And so I wonder. Why hypocritical? Hypocritical, maybe because many of us do speak a different language on Sunday than we do during the week. Hypocritical because maybe the new testament does talk about church as a deeply spiritual, deeply connected and resourceful healing-community. Hypocritical, because maybe the new testament painted the church as a Bride who at one time had lots of very real, very painful problems and blemishes. Hypocritical, because maybe the new testament talks about belonging, giving, loving, or instead rejecting, forsaking, and hating the church. Hypocritical because while all of this might be true on some level, we still continue going to church the way we've always done it--attending an event, sitting in neat rows, looking our best, and going back the next week.
While I know this is only a fraction of the real reasons, and not a blanket statement for all churches that exist, I still want to know how you would respond. I don't even agree completely with my answer, but it haunts me still.
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3 comments:
A question I wrestle with myself. One more thing to think about is this...the difference/compatbility between what the church is and what the church does. I have been finding that younger people (I can't believe I am old enough to even think that way!) are drawn to chuches with a mission. We must continually answer the question of who we are but also what we do. I guess this fits with a missional view of church. Hope it helps. Keep up the good work.
what if we are able NOT to do church but become the church. Not a place of programs, activities, missions, outreaches, but a place where I--a totally hypocritical, imperfect, weak who loves to dance salsa and all kinds of Latin music--can come and get together with other non-sense, lazy, struggler people with a desire to seek God deeply not in a building but in a friendship,in a house, with a beer, playing golf, hiking, knowing that I our grow in God will not depend on our success,if we have a mega church,or we are a great speaker. Not a upward growth, but downward, simple and more real, vulnerable and open,so people can see how dirty we look and are, but a strong desire to find our fulfillment in Him, even if sometimes our lives looks miserable and we don't have any idea where are we heading. A place where we don't expect for the pastor to know all the answers and teach the best preaching; but where we can learn from each others' gifts. The thing I don't like is when opening a "new church" we end doing the same old same because it is the only thing we know what to do. Are we willing to get rid of everything and start all over again?or as simple going back to the church of Acts...
In my opinion young adults no longer go to church because what the church has turned into. You walk into a church and feel like an outsider. You may have grown up there, but that does not replace the feeling of being alone when you walk into a church.These people only know the top layer of who they think you are. At church you can not discuss your struggles otherwise the perfect look everyone is going for would be ruined. They use words that are the same "christian" language that you know but you never really understood. The worship service is routines that continue week after week, the same general outline. And the sermons always say basically the same thing. I think if the people in the church became more "real" and not so judgemental there would be a lot more young adults still in church today.
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