It isn’t much of a secret anymore that the church in the West is in crisis. If you haven’t read one of the many church-produced or sociological studies, you’ve probably noticed it just by watching the news or looking around at society. But why is this the case? How did we get here and, more importantly, how do we fix it?
When I heard the recent White Horse Inn episode, Youth Ministry in Crisis, I realized I had stumbled on something that encapsulated my Masters work in seminary (as well as my mission at TilledSoil.org) so well, that it was something I had to take my best shot at getting to as many Christians as possible.
Since the resource to which I’m pointing is so good, and the notes I’ve taken from it are so long, I’m just going to jump into it and let it speak for itself. (Also note that it is the first in an ongoing series! So far the rest are just as good.) I apologize in advance for the ‘class notes’ type format.
Please take the time to listen to the episode audio (or podcast). It is less than 55 minutes long, but if you are really pressed for time, at least listen to the first 17 minutes and read my summary of Christian Smith’s closing below, or listen to minutes 49:08-52:12. If you can’t listen to it, browse my notes below.
Youth Ministry in Crisis
Mike Horton (1:11-7:30)
- Christians aren’t reproducing. Not that they aren’t having children, but they aren’t producing Christian children; they aren’t passing on the faith.
- the statistics are staggering (I’ll include a few, but Mike covers many more)
- ‘no religion’ box was 7% 5 years ago, now 15%
- more than 1/3 of 18-22 year olds say they don’t identify with any religion
- Southern Baptist Convention initial studies: losing 70-80% of youth after Freshman year of college
- a more recent SBC report found that 88% of those raised in Evangelical homes leave church at age 18
- other studies in-between have ranged from 61%-90%
- while there are various causes, the glaring one is the ‘diet’ youth are getting, even in more conservative contexts
- Barna group study: 63% of US teens don’t believe Jesus is the son of God; 58% believe all faiths teach equally valid truths; 51% don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead
- Christian Smith group, 2000 to present, surveyed over 3000 teens and followed them into their 20s: youth incredibly inarticulate about their faith
- David Kinnaman of Barna: youth ministry simply fails at discipleship and faith formation
Christian Smith interview (7:52-16:37)
- National Study of Youth and Religion, 2000-present
- moralistic therapeutic deism roughly describes their religious beliefs
- it didn’t matter the denomination, the teens didn’t know their faith
- God wants people to be friendly and kind, and people to be happy and satisfied
- there is a heaven, and good people go there
- catechism training has become almost a dirty word
- people express a want for natural, subjective, authentic, personal approach, which is sociologically incredibly naive
- essentially, youth are not being given any content to work with, to accept or reject
- big structural gap between adults and teens
- youth ministers work hard for little reward, but also operate within a history of what youth ministry is (which came post-WWII)
- i.e. separate the kids from the adults, have fun and sing hip songs, and maybe we’ll teach the Bible in there somewhere
- they realize something is wrong, but aren’t always sure what and what to do about it
- need a more holistic model, integrated with the church, both congregation and staff
- of course, some segregation for education is legitimate
- but there are even worship services for different ages in some churches
- sociologically, the most important pastoral influence on a young person is going to be their family, whether they want the responsibility or not
Kenda Creasy Dean interview (17:00-23:12)
- content of Christian faith, historically, isn’t even on their radar
- they are ‘christian-ish’ rather than followers of Christ
- we’re doing a good job at teaching them what we really believe; that Christianity isn’t a big deal, that God requires little, and that the church is a helpful social institution of nice people
- image that youth have of God is of a ‘cosmic therapist’ or a ‘divine butler’
- teens who were the exception to the rule, had characteristics of:
- peculiar God story, which they were able to articulate and that they tried to live by
- community of faith where they felt they really belonged
- sense of vocation and purpose to participate in God’s plan
- markedly higher levels of hope
- parents don’t feel qualified to teach their children today, nor adults one-another
- not wanting to push religion on their kids = doesn’t matter
- you can’t hand something on without teaching it and knowing the words and terms
Marva Dawn of Regent College (23:25-28:07)
- youth in her church were learning ‘how Christianity helps us grow up’ which was stuff like ‘I need comfort when I break up with my boyfriend, etc.’
- real danger in turning Christianity into another form of narcissism
- they need to know about the Triune God, why God is involved in our lives, about the Crucifixion and why it is important
- they had very little doctrinal content
- this is dangerous, as if it is just feelings holding them to Christianity, when the feelings aren’t there, they will move away
- she is very concerned about generation split in churches today
- our faith is language more than emotion
- people should be drawn into a different way of life, a focus on God, worshiping God, rather than their own fun and entertainment
Thomas Bergler (28:30-35:02)
- traces history and development of youth culture and effect on models of youth ministry
- instead of encouraging kids to grow up in Christ, they were placed in their own alternative church, until the whole church became one giant youth-group
- adolescence invented in society around the 1940s
- before this, early teens were entering the world of adult work
- teenager was coined in the 1930s-40s, which was the first time in history when the majority of American teens went to high school
- birth of teenagers as a consumer market
- age group with distinct language (slang) and pop culture
- negative impact of youth ministry, is taking traits that are appropriate to the youth age, become the ideal for all ages – ex: analogy of falling in love, applied to the faith (if I’m not feeling intense emotions towards Jesus, then something is wrong… and this ends up having all the staying power of adolescent infatuation.)
- Evangelicals captured a lot of youth, but what did they capture them with, and is it mature Christianity?
J.I. Packer (35:20-41:56)
- we need to reconsider catechism techniques
- Christianity is a faith which expresses itself as a life
- you can’t teach the life properly if you don’t teach the faith properly
- to get the believing straight, you need the basic grammar of the faith
- Jesus said, go make disciples; a disciple is a learner
- the basic trouble in the West, is that we’ve exchanged a God centered view of life, for a man-centered, self-centered, relativistic view of life, truth, and wisdom
- Christianity gets distorted, because we treat ourselves as the central focus, and God is just there to help when we need him
- catechism isn’t necessarily ‘fun’ but it is very satisfying to the mind and heart
- head knowledge is the highway to heart knowledge – you don’t have heart knowledge without head knowledge – truth enters the heart via understanding
- this makes you want to worship and praise God – if you start on the other end, you end up with relativism
Gary Parrett (41:56-45:38)
- in the ancient church, anyone coming to Christ went through a rigorous training in Christian doctrine in prep for baptism, even up to 2 or 3 years; catechesis
- unintended consequences of the Sunday-school movement, where people learned snippets of various Bible stories, but never connected them to the whole
- in some cases, the stories were presented in a way that is contrary to the Gospel
- Sunday-school movement was a lay movement, which was originally an evangelism and outreach effort, which became the children educational wing of the church
- outcome was for parents and pastors to withdraw from the education of children
William Willimon (45:38-49:08)
- Christian discipleship should be similar to learning a different language
- you have to sit and learn the language
- if you went into a physics class and the instructor started talking about the 2nd law of thermodynamics, the student wouldn’t go, ‘hold on, you can’t use terms like that, put that into some language I know.’ The teacher would say, ‘well you’d better write this definition down and learn about it, because it is going to be on the exam.’
- as Christians, we need to get a whole bunch of terms and concepts which we didn’t have before we were saved
Christian Smith, Director of the National Study of Youth and Religion (49:08-52:12)
- “The single factor that clearly drove how articulate a young person could be about their faith, was not how mature they were, what their age was, but whether the adults in their lives had engaged them, had taught them, had formed them, had given them a vocabulary and a language of faith to use.” (emphasis mine)
- “A thirteen year-old who had that in their life could be as articulate as anything. A seventeen, eighteen year-old who hadn’t had that could be just completely lost. We also found that young people weren’t generally inarticulate. They could be articulate on topics where their schools, or a program they had been in, where their teachers had basically communicated to them, ‘this is important,’ ‘you need to know this,’ ‘this is not negotiable.’” (emphasis mine)
- The language of faith is like a second language. It’s hard to learn it, you don’t just pick it up. It takes a sustained learning.
- It’s going to have to happen in our families and churches, as it won’t happen on TV or in most schools.
- While we’re focused on teens, his suspicion is that their parents wouldn’t be much more articulate.
- When there is a community, family, or congregation that is serious and values something, the young people who are part of it will take it seriously and value it; it is simply a matter of institutional formation.
Mike Horton (52:25-53:42)
- “If in our own churches and families, we’re worried about the individualism that isolates young people and cuts them off from genuine community – with its attendant responsibilities as well as treasures – then should we really blame the kids?”
- It is any wonder that our youth feel alienated? It is true in their own experience.
- “Are they really dropping out of church in their college years, or did they ever really belong in the first place?”
- “Narcissism, pragmatism, and individualism have converged to create a new kind of spirituality that is not only worldly, but has the net result of un-churching the church itself, and all in the name of mission.”
The solution
The fix, as I see it, includes at least three components:
- The church must become more age integrated (i.e. ditch most aspects that currently segregate, like separate worship, kids in Sunday school during service, etc.)
- We adults must take Christianity seriously, which includes priority in our lives and our resolve to learn enough to teach AT LEAST our own children.
- While the institutional church needs to get back to a focus on education (a church isn’t a school, but it should never be less than one), we’re going to need a grass-roots discipling movement in which you and I get involved. (cf. Greg Ogden’s Transforming Discipleship)
Photo: © Depositphotos.com/robynmac
This article was first published at TilledSoil.org. Copyright © 2014 TilledSoil.org. All rights reserved.
Hi All. Two points. i think many Christians are ‘real’ Christians even if they struggle with 100% inerrancy. In fact, if, having given their lives to Christ and fully committing themselves to the key doctrines of the Faith, they can then perhaps be ‘better’ Christians by deed rather then just by ‘belief’ in inerrancy. For instance, I may not believe that the red sea was ‘actually’ parted, but I can still believe in Christ and commit my life to Him and serve Him, even if I am wrong about my red sea contention. I don’t think this youth issue is primarily about ‘inerrancy’.
Second, the responsibility for this tragic outcome with respect to our youth ultimately lies with parents. We have the duty to educate and bring up our kids in the Faith. The Church and the church community can help and facilitate. Many parents were raised in an environment where few questions were asked, or even allowed to be asked, about Christianity. This is all over. Our kids grow up in an environment where they are asked and are expected to provide answers (which is our duty as per Peter). Unfortunately, they don’t have the answers and either do their parents. Corrosive doubt sets in and erodes a shallow faith.
For me, Steve’s key proposal is #2. For too long we, as parents and church elders, have failed our youth. We have failed our own children. Its time to fix this problem and Steve is on the right track. The big question is when do we, as parents and church communities, take action?
Good article!
I see a correlation of this trend with the separation of youth from the adult group as a whole. The church has separated the youth out from the mature adults and put them in another wing of the church altogether. They don’t aspire to follow in the footsteps of the mature Body because they are not encouraged to do so. They are encouraged to be apart from.
That is not to say that a “youth group” is not a good thing. It is. But not at the expense of their relationship with the mature, adult Body.
Thanks Tracy, and yes, that is certainly a thread running through the WHI series so far, and I’d probably emphasize that even more strongly. I think the church moved kids out of the service, and then separated them in other ways, initially with good intentions, but it has been often supported out of convenience even when the problem is recognized. If you ever bring it up at most churches, you’ll find it is quite a sacred cow!
I was fortunate in having been raised in worship with family, as my background is Lutheran, and the Lutheran church might be one of the very few denominations I’m aware of where the majority of churches do still encourage children to remain in worship.
Re: education – certainly, dividing age groups for various aspects of education is quite appropriate. BUT, the problem is that many churches started having Sunday School during worship. This creates two problems… 1) the kids aren’t in worship, but 2) more adults (especially parents) don’t attend any kind of education, as they don’t have child-care. If the kids stayed in worship, and then adult-ed happened in parallel with children’s-ed, that problem would be solved.
But, I think many churches now recognize the unfortunate reality that if they moved Sunday school apart from the service, they’d lose adults and kids, who would move to another church. Unless, they can find a way to educate these families in the realities of what is happening long-term.
And lastly, yes, without a LOT of effort, this typically divides the kids from the life of the church. By the time they get to high-school age, they are getting ready to ‘graduate’ from church as well as school.
Hi Steve. Guess who is still trying to not notice that big, white elephant standing in the room. You know, the one that has a big sign on it that says “Most Christians today do NOT believe the Bible (any Bible in any language) IS or ever was the complete, inspired and inerrant words of God.
James White certainly doesn’t, does he? Nor do you, right?
See what the polls are saying. I am not making this stuff up. Most Christians today believe –
“The Bible is not the inspired and inerrant words of God.”
http://brandplucked.webs.com/thebiblenotinspired.htm
If you don’t believe it is the inspired and inerrant words of God, then why read it or take it very seriously? Do you think this might have something to do with the present state of the church?
Hi saints. Very interesting article. I agree with most of the points that were brought up. But I think there is one major cause for the weakness of the present day church that was not even mentioned. And that is the fact that the majority of Christians today do NOT believe that the Bible (any bible in any language) is or ever was the complete, inspired and inerrant words of God. The polls show this to be true.
So if you don’t believe the Book is the inerrant and authoritative words of God, why read it or take it seriously?
See what the polls themselves are showing in this article I wrote called “The Bible is NOT the inspired, inerrant and 100% historically true words of God”
http://brandplucked.webs.com/thebiblenotinspired.htm
I think what we’re seeing is that a majority of people who might tick off the ‘Christian’ box on a survey, are at best, cultural Christians. Best case, they recognize their sinfulness and see Jesus as the savior, but if the polls are accurate, that would be way too hopeful. If I were to take a crack at a percentage, I’d guess (and this isn’t a totally uneducated guess) that less than 20% of the US population (and even less in other Western places) are Christians in a meaningful sense. And, only a small percentage of those, are equipped for even basic evangelism within the culture we find ourselves today.
So, a heck of a lot of people who identify as Christians certainly do not take the Bible as God’s word. But, you’re likely right in thinking that even among what we might call real Christians, the view of the Bible and confidence in it is being eroded. And even among those who do see it as the inspired, inerrant Word of God, many wouldn’t know how to begin to defend such a position or be able to give a reasonable explanation of what we mean by ‘inerrant.’
The solution to this is some education, and especially apologetics education. Pastors and leaders need to stop being afraid to really talk to their congregations about the things they learned in seminary. If done well, people can handle it, and if they can’t, they don’t belong there anyway. They are just going to get knocked out by the next person who comes along who has read one of Bart Ehrman’s popular books… or they are going to plug their ears and just try to muster up their ‘faith’ and hope it all goes away. And, while *maybe* the latter might work for them, it certainly won’t help advance the Kingdom.
Gone are the times of just coasting along through the Christian life… and while it’s sad to see such a rapid shift in the culture and dropping percentage of ‘Christians’ in the news, it might actually be a good thing we’re finally seeing reality.
Hi Steve Wilkinson. You post: “So, a heck of a lot of people who identify as Christians certainly do not take the Bible as God’s word. But, you’re likely right in thinking that even among what we might call real Christians, the view of the Bible and confidence in it is being eroded. And even among those who do see it as the inspired, inerrant Word of God, many wouldn’t know how to begin to defend such a position or be able to give a reasonable explanation of what we mean by ‘inerrant.'”
Brother, I agree with a lot of what you said in your article and in your response. But the fact is, unless a person is King James Bible only, (the only inerrant Standard of absolute truth) then they are a bible agnostic and an unbeliever in the inerrancy of ANY Bible in any language.
This is the big white elephant standing in the middle of the room that everybody is trying to pretend isn’t there. The polls show that the majority of present day Christians do NOT believe in the inerrancy of the Bible ( ANY Bible), and some now are even going so far as to say that this is the only mature, advanced and spiritual view to take.
Most Christians are now using the whore’s Vatican Versions (ESV, NIV, NASB, NET, Holman) and they either don’t know it or don’t care. You think I am making this stuff up or am some kind of a wild eyed nut, or cult member or heretic because I believe there really is an inerrant Bible and can tell anyone where to get a copy for themselves?
Then are the “Orthodox” those who do NOT believe in an inerrant Bible?
See the documentation in black and white in my article
Undeniable Proof the ESV, NIV, NASB, Holman Standard, NET etc. are the new “Vatican Versions”
http://brandplucked.webs.com/realcatholicbibles.htm
And by the way, if you think you have found a provable error in the King James Bible, then go ahead and give us your Number One best shot at what you think is a provable error. Not the usual laundry lists I have seen many times over. Just your best example, and we can take a look at it to see if the error is in the Book or in your understanding. OK? Thanks.
God bless.
I think the problem can clearly be seen right here:
http://www.whitehorseinn.org/whiarchives/2014whi1207may25.mp3
min: 25:52 – 27:47
Listen to that, and then imagine hearing your kid’s chemistry or biology teacher talking like that. I can’t. And, while I’m sure they played some of the worst responses, I can vouch for that being a pretty common attitude in youth ministry. It’s even somewhat common in adult Christian education!
While I prefer certain translations over others, especially for different purposes… and I’d agree there are some that aren’t so great, the KJV isn’t generally near the top of my list. Certainly not *only* the KJV.
You should check out Dr. James White’s book, The King James Only Controversy.
Hi Steve Wilkinson. As I said before, it is a fact that most Christians today, including you and James White (I HAVE read his book several times and have many articles in response to the criticisms he makes of the KJB) do not believe that ANY Bible in any language is or ever was the complete and inerrant words of God.
James White SAYS “I believe the Bible is the infallible words of God.” But if you ask him (and you too) to show us a copy of this infallible Bible he professes to believe in, he will never tell you. Why? Because he has no inerrant and infallible Bible and he knows he doesn’t.
If interested in learning more about James White and what he really believes, see my article
James White – the Protestant Pope of the new Vatican Versions.
http://brandplucked.webs.com/jameswhiteppopevv.htm
Now, if you think I am bearing false witness against you, Steve, and you really DO believe there is such a thing as a complete, inspired and 100% true Bible that is the inerrant words of God, all you have to do is what James White refuses to do – Show us a copy of this infallible Bible you seem to want us to think you actually believe in. Give us a link to where we can see it. Will you do that for us, or simply dodge the question like James White does?
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:8
God bless.
Hi Steve Wilkinson. Since you do not believe there is such a thing as a complete and inerrant Bible in any language (correct me if I am wrong about this) and the King James Bible is not very high on your list, why don’t you give us your Number One provable error you think you’ve found or heard about and tell us why you do not believe the KJB is the inerrant words of God? Not the usual laundry lists I have seen many times, but your #1 best example of error and we can take a closer look at it to see if the error is in the KJB or in your understanding.
And while you are at it, maybe you can tell us what is your favorite bible version that not even you believe is the inerrant words of God but ballpark close enough to those non-existent originals you’ve never seen. OK? Thanks.