Articles
Why Are We Losing Our Young People
During our recent study of I Samuel, we noticed how Eli’s sons did not know the Lord (2:12). We also saw that Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah, did not walk in their father’s way (8:3). The question then becomes why? Were Eli and Samuel not the father they ought to be? Were they raised right and yet still not faithful to the Lord? What caused them to stray from God?
These questions are very similar questions we see today. When you look at couples who are very strong and faithful to God, yet their children are not, we begin to wonder what happened to cause them to walk away from the truth. Why is it some children grow strong in the Lord, yet others stray from following the truth? This question is a hard one to ask because every situation is different. However, it requires us to look at ourselves and see if we are doing something wrong. Are we messing up when it comes to our parenting? Are we messing up as a church in bringing up the young? The fact of the matter is that we have to find the reason why once faithful young people are turning away from the Lord’s church in greater and greater
numbers.
So, why are the young people leaving? Perhaps it does begin with the parenting. When parents set the example of physical things over spiritual things, this will certainly leave children believing that church and spiritual things are not that important. Children today see parents who don’t go to Bible class, don’t go on Sunday nights, Don’t attend on Wednesday evenings, give emphasis to material things over the spiritual, stress the importance of school work over spiritual matter, and have even toyed with sin. When you add that to the fact that standards have dropped in the home and families are just so busy, then we shouldn’t be surprised when our kids are not interested in spiritual things. Raising children requires high standards. Parents, we need to make sure we are doing our part (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4).
However, there are some parents that have raised their children properly, and yet they still leave the church. So again, we ask why is this so? Perhaps it is an unloving environment in the church that has been the cause of some turning away. They feel as if their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ could care less about them. Sadly, the only time some Christians are caring is after someone has left the church. We, as Christians, need to make sure that we show concern for our fellow Christians. We need to get to know one another. Even if they are a lot younger than we are. Remember, we are commanded to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). We can’t do that if we don’t know one another. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul told Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” Have you ever been guilty of looking down on someone just because they are younger? Older Christians can get so set in their ways that they will not move an inch. I am not talking about doctrinal issues. We cannot budge from following the word of God. What I am speaking of are matters of opinion, where we have choices. I have heard people use the term “Young Christian” with such a tone you would think they were saying the worst two words ever spoken. All Christians should show respect to other Christians, no matter what age they are or how long they have been Christians. But perhaps, the negativity toward younger Christians is the cause of some leaving.
Then again, maybe the reason we are losing our young people is because we have failed to follow Titus 2:3-8? Older men and older women have a great responsibility to teach and to mold the younger members. Yet, when we refuse to go to extra studies, when we refuse to offer encouragement, when we refuse to address wrong doing, when we refuse to take Titus 2 seriously; then we shouldn’t be surprised that we have failed the younger generation and they pull away from the church.
Finally, perhaps the reason why the young leave is the simple fact that Satan and the world have influenced them and they are overcome by worldly and peer pressures (I Pet. 5:8)
These are by no means all the reasons why young people leave the church. However, they are some of the top reasons why we are losing our young people. Each and every one of us need to stop and evaluate ourselves. Am I part of the problem, or part of the solution?
