The ChristianYouth Ministry is Failing My Generation

According to a study conducted in 2019 by the Pew Research Center, around 74% of teens ages 13–17 attend church service regularly. Yet, another study by Lifeway Research from only two years prior revealed that 66% of Americans ages 18–22 reportedly left the church, with 68% of that group never returning.

That’s nearly two-thirds of all previous church attendees in America, primarily of the GenZ and Millennial generations, walking out of the church and abandoning their faith.

But as a GenZoomer and devout Christian myself, I have noticed these surprising statistics are rarely addressed by churches or esteemed religious leaders and organizations in the media. You would think with such an alarming number of teens and young adults turning their backs on Christianity, it would elicit some sort of concern. Surely there must be some sort of collective effort being made to determine why this is happening and how these numbers can be lowered?

Apparently not.

Instead, my Instagram feed is filled with pizza party promos, reminders for outdoor game nights featuring inflatables and ice cream stations, and summer camp ads showcasing blacklights, bass drops, and smoke machines. All of which are fired out several times a day from various churches I have followed over the years. In between these campaigns for special events are posts discussing the sermon message for upcoming Sundays, enthusiastically delivered by a leader of the youth group donning an oversized hoodie and sports team cap. They reveal the new theme of “Catch These Hands! Spiritual Warfare” or “Soul Wars: The Faith Awakens!” or recently, “Running Up That Hill: Making a Deal with God” (yep, these are actual sermon titles that have been used) urging you to invite all of your friends, and following up with the promise of complimentary snacks, of course. (Although, to be honest, I don’t really mind that part). As if all that wasn’t enough, there are still countless other events and activities that every youth group must apparently host for its students. Youth preacher takeovers, pajama parties, 80s-themed social nights, sports events, youth night lock-ins, and even luaus are all surprisingly common occurrences among the youth ministry of the Christian Church.

Each of these services and events are specifically designed to appeal to the youth of today both through the screen and in person. From the activities themselves to the upbeat music, from the sermon theme to the overly casual attire — it’s all directed at creating a general atmosphere that will attract and engage the younger crowd. Everything is tailored to the supposed interests and behaviors of our generation.

So, if the youth ministry devotes so much time establishing this setting, particularly for kids and teens, why are so many of them still leaving?

“What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith… is preceded and followed by repentance, a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates, and a love for the things that God loves. A growing in holiness and a desire… not to be like the world and not to be like the great majority of American Christians, but to be like Jesus Christ…

I don’t know why you’re clapping, I’m talking about you. I didn’t come here to get amens, I didn’t come here to get applauded.

I’m talking about you.”

This convicting sermon by evangelist Paul Washer is one of the most popular cases of calling out the modern youth ministry. True Christian faith is no longer a priority within our ministries. The very definition and application of faith have been watered down to a fun, easy-going, Sunday school lesson. Meanwhile, teens are still falling prey to the corruptness of the world.

Following research done by One Hope in February of 2020, a documented 51% of surveyed U.S. teens identified as Christian. However, only 8% displayed the beliefs and habits of a “Committed Christian.” These traits are later defined as:

• Believing in God’s existence and the possibility of a personal relationship with Him
• Believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
• Believing the Bible is the divinely administered and infallible Word of God
• Regularly praying and reading Scripture independently
• Believing faith can only be achieved through repentance and Christ’s forgiveness

Only 8% of self-identified Christian teens agree with and live out these statements. Keep in mind, this study was performed before the onset of Covid-19, before many churches were shut down, overall attendance dropped, and self-isolation became the new normal.

Aside from conflicting with basic biblical truths and behaviors, it is also apparent that teens don’t believe Christianity is all that unique or important. According to the same study, “nearly half (45%) of teens believe all religions teach equally valid truths, and more than half of Christian teens (58%) believe they don’t have a responsibility to share their faith.”

Unfortunately, it makes sense as to why teens don’t always realize the significance of true faith and obedience and are easily influenced by the world. How can you have discernment when what’s intended to be your guide directly reflects what it warns you against following? How are young, vulnerable, and already struggling kids supposed to be able to navigate the perversion of our fallen world when the church they rely on does little to distinguish itself from it?

Of course, it can be difficult to maintain the attention of dozens of kids at one time, no matter the subject being taught. Every teacher and parent can attest to this. These leaders may have to find ways to make their message more captivating or relevant to keep the focus of their audience. That’s completely reasonable. But when does the entertainment factor begin to be too much? When preaching the gospel and how it applies is replaced by relatable stories and briefly referenced verses, when finding and guiding others to salvation is traded for exposure and socialization, that’s when the problem begins. To take it a step further, ministry leaders now seemingly idolize and create sermons and themes based on mainstream shows, films, music, and celebrities that represent anything but the gospel. Youth pastors have blurred the lines between being in the world and being of it.

If the church jeopardizes the gospel for the sake of keeping teens social and entertained rather than spiritual and educated, then we lose the true purpose of winning and saving young souls for the kingdom of God.

After seeing these statistics and the reality of the youth ministry, two crucial questions need to be answered: why is this happening at the rates it is now? And what can be done to help ensure this next generation of Christians in America is raised right and with confidence in their faith? To the latter, some evangelists and pastors such as Voddie Baucham have suggested that the idea of youth ministry should be abolished completely. Others recommend the ministry simply needs to redirect its focus and approach. Some may say this movement requires somewhat of a compromise between the two, perhaps cutting back on excessive unrelated youth events, emphasizing attendance with parents, and shifting the focus of the ministry back to Scripture alone. In today’s culture, it will be near impossible for churches nationwide to come to a single agreement on this. This is why I, as an advocate of the Christians of my generation, want to further investigate if this youth issue is as prevalent as my Instagram feed seems to confirm. I would like to find if there is a youth ministry that “gets it right,” and if so, what could be learned to apply to those churches that are failing the youth they are entrusted to serve.

Maybe if more people would be willing to shed light on the fact that the issues mentioned are the common threads leading teens away from the church, we could pull at it until this ministry unravels, and a safer, more genuine, and more biblically sound system can be constructed in its place.

Having attended over 10 youth ministry groups throughout my middle and high school years, it has proved difficult to find one that truly adheres to sound biblical principles. Rather, the majority fits the ideal mold of an aesthetic, lively, social media-post-worthy hangout… with maybe a few verses or one of Jesus’s parables thrown in somewhere. While visiting local youth groups, these are the elements I am hoping to prioritize and observe:

• Transforming vs Conforming
• Engagement vs Entertainment
• Fellowship vs Fun Socials
• Preaching vs Pep-talks
• Good, Sound Doctrine vs Whatever Sounds Good
• Music: Motivation or Manipulation?
• Truth vs Trending
• Setting the Atmosphere
• Presentation/Standards
• Parenting

I hope to dive deeper into each factor by observing and experiencing different groups first-hand. Not only are we, as Christians, called to expose corrupted (whether unintentionally or by design) teachings and practices, but we are also warned against keeping it secret or choosing to stay silent. In doing so, these things may become a new creation:

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light” (Ephesians 5:11).

The future of my generation is at stake.

The salvation and safeguarding of your children, grandchildren, friends, siblings, and maybe even of yourself is being put at risk with the modern youth ministry’s compromise of fun over the fundamentals, over faith.

The youth should not be underestimated in believing we are not capable of understanding, applying, or defending God’s Word and instruction. And it is my prayer that the people of my generation will realize this and turn from the world to lead by example to all ages on how to live in true Christian faith and obedience and find fulfillment in God’s commands and promises.

“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

1 Timothy 4:12