The eCrozier

David Kinnaman in his new book, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church and Rethinking Church, reports on his research with young adults who were regular churchgoers as teenagers but who have left the church as young adults. He found a number of consistent themes of why three out of every five of young adults have disconnected themselves from church. I want to touch on a few of his findings here.

Kinnaman’s research shows that because young adults have wide-ranging access to multiple ideas, philosophies, and cultures, particularly through social media and the Internet, they often react negatively to their experience of church, which seems “stifling, fear-based and risk-averse.” Many of these young adults feel that the church ignores “the problems of the real world” by demonizing everything in secular culture rather than a more nuanced approach that would help them discern that which was edifying.

Another theme cited is their perceived tension between Christianity and science, seeing the church as being too quick to dismiss scientific theory. Particularly, they are “turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate,” where they see the church as being arrogant in its answers about the physical world. They see the church as failing them in discerning how they can stay faithful to their beliefs while also living into their vocations, especially when they are in science-related industries.

Still another theme is young adult’s view of the church as it relates to sexuality. They see the church’s position as overly simplistic and often judgmental. Young adults live in a culture of hyper-sexuality where the time between the onset of puberty and the age of first marriage is now often 15 or more years. Kinnaman’s research shows that most young adult Christians “are as sexually active as their non-Christian peers, even though they are more conservative in their attitudes about sexuality.” The challenge to the church here is to be clear about what it believes while also graciously recognizing the complexity of the world in which young adults live.

Another persistent theme of Kinnaman’s research claims that young adults feel the church “is not a place that allows them to express doubts.” In fact, many of them do not see the church as a safe place where their doubts are taken seriously. Young adults say the church does not respond to their “most pressing life questions” nor engage them honestly in their “significant intellectual doubts.”

What his research tells me is that God is opening up a huge opportunity for our church.
At our best, we embrace the good things in our culture rather than automatically condemning them. We are open to truth whether its source is Holy Scripture or science. We are gracious and honest when it comes to addressing issues of human sexuality. And, we are not afraid of doubt or the intellectual challenges to faith. On the contrary, we embrace the challenge and the struggle of faith on all levels: intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. The Holy Spirit is trying to tell us something through young adults. Are we listening and will we respond?

+Scott