Vibrant community keeps young adults in church
An alarming number of young adults raised in the Church stop attending in adulthood, according to a new report released this fall called Hemorrhaging Faith, commissioned by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC).
When Stephanie Vizi first left home for Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario she found it hard to go to church on her own. But now, between teaching Sunday school and launching an art show to raise funds for HIV/AIDS orphans in Africa, she's come to see her church community as "family."
"It's easy to stay grounded when there's a community," the 22-year-old says.
Vibrant Christian community and mentors are important when it comes to encouraging youth to stay involved with church, says James Penner, lead author of "Hemorrhaging Faith," a new report on young people and church involvement.
The report finds that Vizi's experience is not typical of her demographic. The survey of more than 2,000 young adults finds that half would no longer even identify themselves as Christian. The sobering new research also finds that most Canadian young people who were raised as Christians seldom or never attend church.
About one in 10 young adults raised in Roman Catholic or mainline traditions attends church weekly, compared to about four in 10 raised in Evangelical traditions.
"The fact that so many of the younger generation are leaving is cause for pause for every Christian in Canada," says Penner.
The report, commissioned by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), describes key transitions of when and why youth leave the church, based on interviews with 72 young adults, cultural factors set out in a literature review, and an Angus Reid Forum survey.
More youth are leaving church between childhood and teen years than at the end of their teen years or in young adulthood. It also finds more young men are leaving than young women.
Geri Rodman, President at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of Canada, isn't surprised by the numbers in the report. "For many of us that are in youth and young adult ministries, the report confirms what we've been working with for the last 10 or more years."
Rodman and the other members of the EFC's Youth and Young Adult Ministry Roundtable also asked Penner to find out what keeps young adults engaged in the church.
A common theme of what keeps young adults engaged is relationships with Christians who are living out their faith, in their families and in their churches.
"If Mom and Dad attended church, prayed, and read their Bibles privately, there is a significant correlation to children engaging in the church," says Penner. "Faithfulness can be nurtured, but it takes a set of parents that take it seriously."
Almost all of the young adults still engaged in church have experienced God tangibly, points out Penner. If young adults indicate that God answers their prayers or that they feel God's love, they are more likely to attend church.
"Experiencing God is so critical for this generation," says Rodman. "In this study, the earlier we engage youth, the better."
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