Ep. 1: Why Are So Many Kids Falling Away from The Faith?

An astronomical number of Christian young people are leaving the faith after they leave the nest. A recent New LifeWay Research survey shows that two-thirds of Christian youth stop attending church for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.A study from the Assemblies of God shows that “at least half and possibly over two-thirds of Christian young people will step away from the faith while attending a non-Christian college or university.” A similar study from the Southern Baptist Convention “indicates that they are currently losing 70-88% of their youth after their freshman year in college.”In her recent book, Mama Bear Apologetics, Hillary Morgan Ferrer offers a somber reality when it comes to our Christian teens and twenty-somethings: “Most studies indicate between 45%-48% of youth leave the church after their freshman year in college and never return.” (pg. 27)If the massive youth exodus we are experiencing in the church doesn’t concern us as parents, it should.In this inaugural episode of CPCW, Catherine breaks down what is happening to youth in our churches, so we as parents can understand how to counteract this trend.See Catherine’s supplemental article on Crosswalk: “Christian Kids Are Leaving the Faith. What Can We Do About It?” https://bit.ly/3rNY5lj RESOURCES REFERENCED:“Most Teenagers Drop Out of Church When They Become Young Adults,” Lifeway Research: https://bit.ly/3T6FAV8 “Young adults are dropping out of church in large numbers, survey finds. This is Why.” USA Today: https://bit.ly/2DdLlw8“Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies” by Hillary Morgan Ferrer: https://bit.ly/3ys5Bq3 “You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving the Church… and Rethinking Faith” by David Kinnaman: https://bit.ly/3EqFXpd “Are Young People Really Leaving Christianity,” Cold Case Christianity: https://bit.ly/2S0fM1M; (This resource contained the following referenced studies: Assemblies of God Study by Dayton A. Kingsrite, 2007; Southern Baptist Convention Data T.C. Pinkey’s remarks to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, Nashville, Tennessee, 2001; Southern Baptist Council on Family Life report to Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, 2002)“The Tops Reasons Young People Drop Out of Church,” by Griffen Paul Jackson, Christianity Today: https://bit.ly/2MS0OFk “Why Christian Kids Leave the Faith” Tom Bisset, Discovery House Publishers (1992). https://amzn.to/3fUSM11 Find Catherine at https://catherinesegars.com/ Episode Image Credit: Getty/Aleksei Morozov Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.