Youth Relations

8/3/2019 Youth Relations

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5/5/2012

LATEST RESEARCH ON

WHY OUR TEENAGERSLEAVE THE CHURCH

• Roger Dudley

• Institute of Church Ministry

• Andrews University• Sponsored by the North

American Division of Seventh-

day Adventists



5/5/2012

THE YOUTH RETENTION

STUDY

• 695 CONGREGATIONS: 1 FOR EACH

1000 MEMBERS• 95% RESPONSE AFTER 6 MONTHS

• 1523 MID-TEENAGERS SELECTED:

REPRESENTS ALL OF NAD• SURVEY EVERY YEAR FOR TEN

YEARS

• 783 YOUNG ADULTS COMPLETE YEAR 10



5/5/2012

THE PURPOSE OF THE

STUDY

• To discover what factors in the

lives of Seventh-day Adventistmid-teenagers (15 and 16 years

old) predict which ones will

still be active in the church ten

years later and which ones will

have dropped out or become

inactive



5/5/2012

A FEW BASIC STATISTICS

– By the time they are in their mid-

twenties, 48% will at some time

have dropped out of the church o

become inactive – 40% to 50% of those who were

baptized members in their teens

are no longer active members

– After 10 years only 55% attend

church regularly

– Only 21% hold some office or

service position – Only 45% pay tithe regularly



5/5/2012

WHY DID THEY DROP OUT?

• Alienation

• Irrelevance

• Intolerance

• Convenience

• Personal Conflict

• Doctrinal reasons not given



5/5/2012

ALIENATION• "A major theme shared by the

dropouts was that they feel

unaccepted by their churches.

Many described their

churches as very "cold,""aloof," and "unfriendly

places." One young woman

shared: "I would rather spend

Sabbath on my own than try to

carve out a place in the ice."

Another chimed in: "No one

seems really happy there. It'slike they have to be there or

something.”



5/5/2012

PREDICTORS OF

RETENTION

• Home:

• Father and mother still married

• Both parents Adventist

• Both parents faithfully attend

church• Family worship in the home



5/5/2012

MORE PREDICTORS

• Attend Adventist schools

• Active in local congregation

• Agreement with Adventist

lifestyle standards

• Rich personal devotional life



5/5/2012

ADVENTIST EDUCATION

AND RETENTION

• Those who attended more

years of Adventist elementaryschool (grades 1-8) were more

likely to remain members at the

end of ten years and less likely

to have ever dropped out.

• The same was true for those

who had attended one or two

years at Adventist day academies.



5/5/2012

FAITH MATURITY SCALE

FIFTH-YEAR OF STUDY

• Low Moderate High

• Adventist schools

• 3.5% 62.8% 33.7%

• Public schools

7.7% 72.6% 19.7%



5/5/2012

SOCIAL MATURITY SCALE

FIFTH-YEAR OF STUDY

• Low Moderate High

• Adventist schools

• 11.9% 80.2% 7.9%

• Public schools

9.9% 78.0% 12.1%



5/5/2012

OUTCOMES PREDICTED

FROM QUESTIONS IN VARIOUS YEARS

• 1. Member of church at time oflast report

• 2. Regular attendance at

worship services at time of lastreport

• 3. Never dropped out of church

or became inactive



5/5/2012

Year 2: "Where do you

plan to attend school forthe 1988-89 year?"

• More than half (51%) of those who would still be members at

the end planned to attend an

Adventist academy comparedto 33% of the non-members.

Nearly half 48% of the non-

members opted for public high

school in contrast to 32% of themembers.



5/5/2012

Year 3: "Where did you

attend school during the1988-89 school year?"• Of the future members, 55%

were in Adventist academiesand 29% in public high school.

The comparable figures for the

non-members were 34% and

47%--highly significant

differences.

• About 50% of the dropouts

attended Adventist schoolscompared with 63% of those

who never dropped out.



5/5/2012


attend school during the1989-90 school year?"• 60% of those who remained

members were in either an Adventist academy or college

compared to 31% of those no

longer members

• Only 19% of those who

remained members were in

public high, but 34% of the non-

members were.



5/5/2012


attend school during the1990-91 school year?"• 61% of the members were in

Adventist schools in contrast to24% of the non-members. 24%

of the members and 51% of the

non-members were in public

institutions.

• Over half (52%) of the regular

attenders were in Adventist

institutions, and only 33% werein public schools.



5/5/2012


attend school during the1991-92 school year?• Nearly 44% of those who would

remain members were in Adventist colleges in contrast

to 13% of non-members

• 48% of those regularlyattending church attended

Adventist colleges while only

26% of the absentees did.





5/5/2012

Year 9: The last

education question

• "Was your high

school/academy or collegeeducation: (1) all or mostly in

Adventist schools; (2) about

equally divided between the

two systems; (3) all or mostly in

non-Adventist schools?"



5/5/2012

THE DIFFERENCE FOR

YOUNG ADULTS

• Of those who were still

members, 67% reported thattheir education was all or

mostly in Adventist schools,

and only 19% were educated all

or mostly in non-Adventist

schools. By contrast 38% of the

non-members were the product

of Christian education while43% attended all or mostly

other schools.



5/5/2012

KUDOS FOR ADVENTIST

COLLEGES

• "My experience with this Adventist college has been very

positive, especially because I

wasn't forced to go to worships.I did choose to attend regularly

and find them much more of a

blessing without being forced."



5/5/2012

MORE KUDOS!

• "This year I went back to Adventist college after a year in

public college. I was glad to be

back. I was also surprised andpleased at the kindness,

helpfulness, and ease with

which the college personnel

accepted me back. They wereextremely helpful."



5/5/2012

CONCERNS• "The Adventist college I

attended last year was

extremely rigid with a lack ofcaring for the students and

their problems. The required

worship services made meresentful, with a negative

attitude toward the church

overall. At least one of my

friends has left the churchbecause of this, and others are

very unsure and upset."



5/5/2012

MORE CONCERNS

• "I had an awful year at this

Adventist college. People areconfusing Christianity with

religion, and there's a

difference. There was far too

much focus on rules rather

than on people as people with a

basic need for Christ."



5/5/2012

NO COMPLACENCY

• We dare not rest on our laurels.While this study shows that

Christian education does a

better job spiritually thanpublic education, it also shows

that the job is far from perfect.



5/5/2012

WAKE-UP CALL

• Remember, that of those who

are no longer members of theSeventh-day Adventist Church,

38% took all or most of their

education in our schools. Of

those who at some time during

the ten years dropped out of the

church or became inactive,

58% took all or most of theireducation in our schools.



5/5/2012

SPECIAL SURVEY TO

DROPOUTS

• “At the time you dropped out of

the church or became inactive,did any of the following

happen?”

• 1. A visit from the pastor

• 2. A phone call from the pastor

• 3. A phone call from any

member

• 4. A letter from anyone in the

church



5/5/2012

TRAGIC OUTCOME

• NOT MORE THAN 15%

EXPERIENCED ANY OF THE ABOVE

ATTEMPTS TO REACH OUT!



5/5/2012

LIKELIHOOD OF COMING

HOME

• 15% very likely

• 26% somewhat likely

• 33% uncertain

• Only about a fourth said

“unlikely” • "I would go to a different

church but not to ________

because the members are verycold-hearted."



5/5/2012

REASONS FOR RETURNING• One important reason was

Christian fellowship

• "An old friend sent me aChristmas card. The only one I

got that year. She did not judge

nor question why I had left nor

condemn me. She was just myfriend." Another respondent

shared: "I have found a church

which accepts, nurtures, andinvolves me.”



5/5/2012

WHY TEENAGERS STAY IN

THE CHURCH

• Belief in the message

• Adventist background

• Relationship with God

• Fellowship/Friendships



5/5/2012

• “It is a church full of loving

Christian people . . . On the whole they are wonderful

people.”

• “I felt accepted and that it was

where I should be and belong.”

• “The church (or at least mine)

has plenty for me to be involved

in . . . It is exciting to be a part ofan alive, growing church, and

even more so knowing that I've

had a part in creating that.”



5/5/2012

WHAT DOES THE CHURCH

PROVIDE FOR YOUPERSONALLY?• Christian fellowship

• Spiritual nourishment

• Security and stability



5/5/2012

A WARM, EXTENDED

FAMILY

• "They are always there when

you are in need, just like God.” • “It is wonderful to be among

friends who love Jesus. I am

fortunate; I finally found a youthgroup that is strong and feels

like I do. We don't have to give

up being us to belong in it. We

sing our songs and have funeven though we are adults."



5/5/2012

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST

DISTURBING ABOUT THECHURCH?• Judgmental attitudes

• Politics in church governance

• Hypocrisy and gossip

• Rules and codes

• “Holier-than-thou” attitudes



5/5/2012

DESIGN THE IDEAL

CONGREGATION

• Friendly and caring

– "A loving congregation thatmakes everyone feel welcomed

and people feel like they belong."

– "A family with unconditional

love.”

• Deep spirituality

– "Focused on defining the

essential principles ofspirituality."



5/5/2012

• Like a family

– "Like a true family. Every one

would be concerned about oneanother and respect and love one

another as God's family. They

would really concentrate on the

children who are our future and who need proper spiritual

guidance.”

• Involved in community and

mission

– "Helping others in the

community--community-

oriented."

– "Active in outreach and ministry

in the community."



5/5/2012

• A thinking climate

– "People would be allowed to

question their beliefs withoutshocking everyone."

– "A safe place to hurt, share, and

think. Not afraid of questions; not

always trying to offer answers.”

• Young people involved in

congregation

– more young adults in thecongregation and more adults

willing to teach and lead those

young people into the light."



• Meaningful worship – “Programs that catered to people

of all ages and backgrounds.

There would be less

traditionalism, and thecongregation would be open to

accept new ideas and change.”

• Diversity – “A church with lots of different

people accepting each other for

who they are, not what they want

them to be."

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