Young people in America are leaving the church when they graduate from high school. Anyone involved in a church recently can probably quote the exact statistic. The only problem is, according to Ed Stetzer, president and missiologist at LifeWay Research, the stat is wrong.
LifeWay’s Ed Stetzer“This is a case of bad research put out by good people who love Jesus and who want to motivate the church to change,” said Stetzer, a speaker at LifeWay’s Connect Conference at Charleston Southern University Aug. 27-28.
Stetzer spends his time tracking the trends and statistics of the church. He is determined to help people see the real problems in the church and not cling to the perceived problems. “Despair does not help us, but knowledge does,” said Stetzer.
The purpose of his research is to reach people for Christ and get them into a church. Stetzer said, “In reaching young adults, relationship is more important than being cool or relevant.”
The church is having a rough time in America today, he said. “Right now people are swinging away at the church like a low-hanging pi?ata on Cinco de Mayo,” said Stetzer. “But I’m not giving up on the church.”
The Connect Conference is teaching church leaders how to connect with young adults and the strategies that will help young adults connect with the church.
During a question-and-answer session, one woman in her 20s asked how to relate to the primarily senior adult congregation at her church. Stetzer said, “Emphasize to them that you are talking about their children and grandchildren.”
Stetzer told about working with a declining congregation where the median age was 68. He had members of the congregation survey the neighborhood to find out why people weren’t coming to the church. He also had church members visit churches that were doing a good job reaching young adults.
That congregation is no longer in decline. He acknowledges that change is difficult but worth it to engage young adults in the church. Stetzer said, “Remember, people never change until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing.” – CSU