I've read many articles and heard several messages from pastors regarding why young men and women leave the church after or shortly after high school or college. Being concerned as well, I've even written on this subject myself. With no formal training or education in youth or young adult ministry, all I had to go on was what has been seen and done in churches and some personal experiences as well throughout my 20 plus years of being a Christian myself.
While doing a bit of research related to youth ministries in different churches and different denominations it seemed easy to find a multitude of causes within the ministry of the church and even in the homes of young people as to why this group has drifted away from the church or even rejecting the church altogether. It was quite disappointing to find that even though many of these young adults were raised from childhood in the church there was no real connection to the church. A lack of faith, however, was all to common.
After listening to discussions of pastors and ministry leaders that addressed the many possible errors that existed and how to locate and fix what was broken in the youth ministry, my thoughts shifted to a different question.
Why do youth and young adults STAY in the church and serve faithfully in the ministry of our Lord?
It's quite easy to find fault and error when something isn't working or isn't productive. Could it be that a focus on why young people love the Lord and why they are devoted to His service be a more beneficial effort in figuring out this generation of seeming faithlessness?
One reason I found that young people stay in the church today and serve God faithfully was a deep and true understanding of scripture.
In short, they have been equipped and not entertained.
Equipped for the ministry, for the building up of the body through the ministry of the saints.
This younger generation did not stay devoted to the ministry of our Lord simply because other believers loved and cared for them more or because church was fun and cool as some would like to believe.
It was however, that........
They KNEW, that they themselves were sinners and deserved the punishment Christ endured on the cross because of their sin.
They UNDERSTOOD that Christ endured a beating and a gruesome death on the cross and was raised from death so they could be set free from the sin that they once enjoyed so much.
They TRUSTED that Christ loved them, and that their eternity with Christ was secured when they REPENTED and turned away from their sin and put their FAITH in Christ alone.
They BELIEVED with all their heart that Christ not only died in their place but that they could do nothing to earn salvation.
They regularly READ and STUDIED God's word resulting in a greater faith and love for Christ.
They were deeply THANKFUL for Gods GRACE that gave them what they didn't deserve; eternal life.
They SAW a true love for God modeled before their very eyes in those who trusted the Word and lived it out.
So the real understanding comes when we focus on the most important question, 'Why do people stay?'
Only God can bring about these things in the lives of people who have died to themselves and have put aside their own efforts to be saved.
Are you serious about putting aside your own personal desires and pursuing a life that glorifies God?
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