Excellent article by Jon Nielson, coming at the question of “Why do young adults leave the church?” from an another angle: Looking at the traits of those who stay. Here are the three he lists, with excerpt:
1. They are converted. “Youth pastors, we need to preach, teach, and talk—all the while praying fervently for the miraculous work of regeneration to occur in the hearts and souls of our students by the power of the Holy Spirit!”
2. They have been equipped, not entertained. “Put your youth ministry strategies aside as you look at that 16-year-old young man and ask: “How can I spend four years with this kid, helping him become the best church deacon and sixth-grade Sunday school class teacher he can be, ten years down the road?”
3. Their parents preached the gospel to them. “In general, children who are led in their faith during their growing-up years by parents who love Jesus vibrantly, serve their church actively, and saturate their home with the gospel completely, grow up to love Jesus and the church. The words of Proverbs 22:6 do not constitute a formula that is true 100 percent of the time, but they do provide us with a principle that comes from the gracious plan of God, the God who delights to see his gracious Word passed from generation to generation: ‘Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.'”
Read the whole thing.