You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. – Deuteronomy 11:19

The topic for this week’s article is among the most important and challenging problems facing the church today.  Fact – 50%-80% of the young people in the church leave the faith before they have families of their own.  This should shake us to our core!  More than half of the energetic youngsters who fill our classrooms and create chaos in the foyer will choose to give up on the church in favor of the world.

In a message at Polishing the Pulpit entitled Lost Generation, David Shannon shared three things that affect the retention of young people in the church.

1 – Investment in Youth

This includes having an active youth program, great classes, spending money and other things that demonstrate commitment to the young people of the church.  Moving the needle on retention goes beyond these obvious things, however.  It requires investment of heart, time and attention in the young.  We must know our youth, love them, spend time with them, mentor them and encourage them.  In short, pour ourselves into them.

2 – Bible Class

It would stand to reason that to retain our youth, we should be teaching the Word in dynamic and memorable ways.  Not to minimize the importance of teaching our youth in Bible classes, but that isn’t the key.  The thing that affects them most is what the adults are learning in Bible class.  How well prepared are the parents to model and teach the Word to the children.  The data supports what scripture has taught for millennia, the parents must teach the children the truth of the Word during daily life.

3 – Parental Faithfulness & Ministry

Perhaps the best predictor of the long-term faithfulness of a child is the parent.  The research shows this:

• 80% faithful when both parents faithfully attend services/Bible classes and can list one or more ministries they actively work in.
• 50% faithful when one parent faithfully attends services/Bible classes and can list one or more ministries they actively work in.
• 20% faithful when neither parent regularly attends services/Bible classes and can’t list a ministry they actively work in.