4 Reasons Young People Are Not Leaving The Church

Young people are leaving the church; at least that is what a lot of people like to say, write, and talk about. The church needs to be more relevant, open to new ideas, and willing to change. If the Church doesn’t get it’s act together soon, it’ll be non-existent.

While those may sound like catchy headlines, I have to admit; it drives me crazy. The biggest reason being that the church is not going anywhere. We seem to forget that the church began in a persecuted and hostile environment where some Christians were not only being jailed and outcast, but also killed. The Church wasn’t cool, wasn’t hip, and didn’t bend to the values of the culture. And yet it thrived.

So let’s start there; the church is here to stay. Modern America will not stop Jesus and his Church. I’m not against new ideas and being willing to change; I’m all about those things. I would even argue that New City Church is on the front lines of trying new things and pursuing ways to engage our culture in relevant ways. We put a lot of stock in online engagement and trying whatever we can to reach people in creative ways. The Church should do what it can to reach the culture it is in, and many churches could do a much better job of trying to do that better.

That being said, not all young people are leaving the church. Yes, some certainly are, but people have been walking away from the Church since it began for various reasons. In fact, college and twenty-somethings are the largest age demographic at New City. Here are four reasons why that is the case, and why many young people are not leaving the Church.

1) They want opportunities to serve

A big reason we have a large percentage of college students and twenty-somethings at New City is because they play a key role in what we are doing. A big reason why young people are leaving some churches is because they aren’t given opportunities to do anything. Churches that create opportunities for young people to serve and lead will young people joining, not leaving, their church.

2) They want to be generous

Yes, those earlier in their career make less money and therefore have less to give, but it doesn’t mean they don’t want to be generous. Instead, they (and you could throw me in the “young person” category) simply want to know their money is making a difference. If they can see and understand what their money is going towards, they will give. And churches have the most important message in the world that needs to be funded. In fact, at New City Church we have a monthly generosity initiative called the $5 Give Club (you can learn more about that here) that many of our young people give to beyond their normal giving. Last month we had a college student give $200 towards it. This college student also gives consistently to New City Church as well. Young people want to give if they can see why they need to give.

3) They want to know about Jesus and the Bible

As our culture increasingly becomes post-Christian, fewer people know about the Bible and who Jesus really is. At the same time, I’ve also found that many young people are really open to at least learning more about what the Bible and what Jesus actually teaches. I firmly believe and have been told by young people in our church that they really enjoy that New City really teaches from the Bible. Again, that doesn’t mean someone will agree or believe the Bible, but many young people do at least want to know what it says. If you want to reach more young people in your church, don’t shy away from spending time teaching and explaining what is happening in the Biblical passage you are teaching.

4) They want community

The local church is one of, if not the, best place to find community. As our culture becomes more isolated and lonely, the local church is one of the few places where people can meet and see the same people over and over again. Friendships are formed over repeated and spontaneous interactions. It’s why you’re friend group is the largest when you are in school; you see the same people over and over again which gives you the ability to develop friendships. Regardless of where you fall on the introvert/extrovert spectrum, we all need community.

So let me be clear, the church isn’t going anywhere. Yes, we need to continue to innovate and reach our culture in ways that relate to them, but the church will always exist.

P.S. The Church always thrives the most in cultures where it is respected the least. Let us not view the Church in America in an apocalyptic lens. Let’s see this as the opportunity is; that Jesus offers something radically different and life-giving than anything else in our culture. The Church isn't going away.