Comments on: This generation is not about church. http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-generation-is-not-about-church/ Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:45:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Adam Greenwood http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-generation-is-not-about-church/#comment-12890 Adam Greenwood Thu, 12 Oct 2006 12:07:49 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=450#comment-12890 What I can't get a real sense of is whether this is a real increase in inactivity or just that Evangelicals have started to do a better job tracking what happens to people? I have the sense that retention of young adults has been a problem for churches for a long time. It could be getting worse, of course. Evangelical churches have more hip-hop style youth programs for teens than they used to and possibly these have less staying power, as some commenters suggest. Also, in our culture the 20s are increasingly an prolonged adolescence-without-parents so perhaps its not surprising that church attendance takes a big hit during that time. What I can’t get a real sense of is whether this is a real increase in inactivity or just that Evangelicals have started to do a better job tracking what happens to people? I have the sense that retention of young adults has been a problem for churches for a long time.

It could be getting worse, of course. Evangelical churches have more hip-hop style youth programs for teens than they used to and possibly these have less staying power, as some commenters suggest. Also, in our culture the 20s are increasingly an prolonged adolescence-without-parents so perhaps its not surprising that church attendance takes a big hit during that time.

]]> By: MW* http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-generation-is-not-about-church/#comment-12540 MW* Mon, 09 Oct 2006 14:35:35 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=450#comment-12540 Queuno: I'm not sure where I got this stat, but I read somewhere recently that 1 in 6 eligible young men are on missions. I think it was based on there being 300k 19-21 year old males in the church, but can't say for sure. There would be outliers of course, as I started my mission at the age of 23. Queuno:
I’m not sure where I got this stat, but I read somewhere recently that 1 in 6 eligible young men are on missions. I think it was based on there being 300k 19-21 year old males in the church, but can’t say for sure. There would be outliers of course, as I started my mission at the age of 23.

]]> By: Steve EM http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-generation-is-not-about-church/#comment-12457 Steve EM Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:12:19 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=450#comment-12457 The stats J. Stapley cites are typical in the USA. We've lost a generation and those in denial have their heads in the sand. It's no surprise to me the way we chase sinners from the church. My guess is the GA's won't react until the expected babies of the lost generation don't show up on the rolls, and that will be way too late. It's sad that the church will have to shrink a lot before some will wake up and smell the diet coke. The stats J. Stapley cites are typical in the USA. We’ve lost a generation and those in denial have their heads in the sand. It’s no surprise to me the way we chase sinners from the church. My guess is the GA’s won’t react until the expected babies of the lost generation don’t show up on the rolls, and that will be way too late. It’s sad that the church will have to shrink a lot before some will wake up and smell the diet coke.

]]> By: queuno http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-generation-is-not-about-church/#comment-12449 queuno Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:26:37 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=450#comment-12449 I haven't seen the study on youth becoming more religious, but I've heard it cited in a number of places, in particular, at a Church Regional Employment Training meeting. But here was how the study was presented: That the youth were attending more "church", but that they were not attending the church of their fathers and that they were more interested in one-church-fits-all nondenominational types ("everyone's OK"). Could it be that the youth are more interested in the "i'm-OK-you're-OK-gay-marriage-is-OK" types of rah-rah churches and those numbers are skewing the data. At any rate, I remember seeing a study when I was at BYU (so this was probably 12 years ago) that said that 33% of the 12-year-olds in the Church would end up going on a mission. At the time, the Zoobie sentiment was "wow, how horrible!" I remember thinking, "hey, 33% ain't that bad...". I haven’t seen the study on youth becoming more religious, but I’ve heard it cited in a number of places, in particular, at a Church Regional Employment Training meeting. But here was how the study was presented: That the youth were attending more “church”, but that they were not attending the church of their fathers and that they were more interested in one-church-fits-all nondenominational types (“everyone’s OK”).

Could it be that the youth are more interested in the “i’m-OK-you’re-OK-gay-marriage-is-OK” types of rah-rah churches and those numbers are skewing the data.

At any rate, I remember seeing a study when I was at BYU (so this was probably 12 years ago) that said that 33% of the 12-year-olds in the Church would end up going on a mission. At the time, the Zoobie sentiment was “wow, how horrible!” I remember thinking, “hey, 33% ain’t that bad…”.

]]> By: Dan http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-generation-is-not-about-church/#comment-12425 Dan Sun, 08 Oct 2006 10:37:50 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=450#comment-12425 J. Stapley, Some youth in Romania are active despite their parents inactivity, and others are active even though they are the only members of their family to be in the church. But I bet it is very different than a place like France, where the church has been there for a long time. We've only begun in Romania just in 1991. J. Stapley,

Some youth in Romania are active despite their parents inactivity, and others are active even though they are the only members of their family to be in the church. But I bet it is very different than a place like France, where the church has been there for a long time. We’ve only begun in Romania just in 1991.

]]> By: James http://www.bloggernacle.org/this-generation-is-not-about-church/#comment-12408 James Sun, 08 Oct 2006 01:59:21 +0000 http://www.bloggernacle.org/?p=450#comment-12408 Brett, I just watched that episode for the first time last night, and I thought it was great. There are so many worse things for teenagers to do than "worship" as Bobby's new friends did, but as discussed here and as Hank taught Bobby, that approach to worship does not lead to a lifetime committment to the Gospel. James Brett,

I just watched that episode for the first time last night, and I thought it was great. There are so many worse things for teenagers to do than “worship” as Bobby’s new friends did, but as discussed here and as Hank taught Bobby, that approach to worship does not lead to a lifetime committment to the Gospel.

James

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