The Bleeding Out of Christian Youth

Understanding the Causes, Consequences, and Hope for the Next Generation

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• Understanding the "Bleeding Out"

• Root Causes of Youth Disengagement

• Consequences of the Exodus

• Responding with Hope and Action

• Conclusion

• Additional Resources

Introduction

In the past decade, churches across America have faced a steady decline in youth engagement and retention. This phenomenon is not new; it is a pattern witnessed throughout the Old and New Testaments. Today, this falling away among youth is often referred to as the "bleeding out" of Christian youth, prompting many leaders, parents, and young believers to ask hard questions about faith, culture, and the future of the Church. However, few Churches will take the necessary steps to address this issue.

The questions that will be addressed are these…

• Why are so many young people leaving the Christian faith after graduation?

• What are the root causes?

• How can we respond with Scripture, hope, and wisdom?

Understanding the "Bleeding Out"

The phrase "bleeding out" evokes the imagery of a patient on an operating table in dire straits or a soldier wounded on the battlefield, with his life's blood pouring out on the ground like water from a broken radiator. Recent studies estimate that the number of youth turning away from Christianity is as high as 88 percent.[1] This spiritual disengagement begins as early as middle school[2] and is accelerating quickly. The loss of youth is alarming; it is a modern-day exodus of young people from the pews and communities they once called home. Churches that were once lively and full of members now struggle to fill seats and maintain programs for teens and young adults.

Root Causes of Youth Disengagement

• This problem is not new; it is a repeating pattern of God's people found throughout Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments.

• It's a famine, the kind of famine we read of in Amos 8:11: One not of bread nor of water, but a famine of the Word of God.

• This is a famine of knowledge of God's Word, which is also the destroyer of God's people. In Hosea 4:6, we read God's Indictment against His priests, those responsible for teaching God's Word. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being priest to me. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children." The priest rejected the very truth that sustains God's people. They were entrusted to teach God's Word, but refused. The Priests fed on the people rather than feeding the people God's Word (v. 8).

• Unexamined beliefs tear families apart, and youth reject faith because scientific debates weren't addressed in the Church.

• Ignorance of God's Word breeds doubt and division; avoiding addressing doubt on cultural topics that flood the minds of the youth today leads to departure.

• Authenticity and Relevance are what many young people look for in Church, but what they find is disconnected from real-world issues, causing many to lose trust, interest, and faith.

• Faith can easily become another item on a crowded to-do list that constantly shifts down in priority from middle to high school.

• Often their faith was lost not in college but at home, not when they left their homes, but while attending Church and living with their parents.

Consequences of the Exodus

The lack of knowledge of God's Word destroys the Children of God, and the priests are to blame. They do not die physically; there is no dramatic moment where they reach up to the heavens, asking… WHY? Really, there is no single moment, but a series of mental moments in which they slowly fall back, show up less, and finally wander away from the Church, their faith, and their God. The youth's downward spiral is a snowballing effect, growing in size and momentum each passing year.

Responding with Hope and Action

While the bleeding out of Christian youth is serious, it is not new; it echoes throughout Scripture, and there is an easy fix: Make Churches Teach Again. Afterwards, Churches and families can take meaningful steps to address this crisis. Here are the steps:

1. Fostering Open Dialogue: Encourage conversations on faith, doubt, and complex topics at home and in Church. Create a place where questions are welcomed, encouraged, and explored together.

2. Investing in Relationships: Build genuine and supportive relationships with your youth. Be a mentor and start a small group. In doing so, you will create connections that can help them feel valued and heard.

3. According to 2 Chronicles 15:3, the people of God often are "without the true God and without teaching priests," and they usually do not know they are in this pitiful state. This concept goes hand in hand; locked together, they are like peas in a pod. The passage could as well read this way: God's people were without teaching priest, which left them without the true God." God's priests/pastors need to teach again. Build up a robust theology and a grounded apologetic within the Church. In doing so, God's people will be saved due to an abundance of knowledge.

4. Integrate technology into the service or teaching to amplify the Word of God. Bring digital discipleship into your ministry. You may not be able to be with this 24/7, but God can, and He can guide them to better use of their time.

5. Pastors, remember, we all live out what we believe. A life lived for Christ and others is a witness without words to those you lead. A life lived as Christ demonstrates integrity, humility, and compassion, let youth see your faith lived out.

6. Addressing Social Issues: Equip your youth to engage with the social and ethical challenges they face today. Help them to face these issues from a faith-based perspective, reinforcing the Relevance of God's Word.

Conclusion

The bleeding out of Christian youth must stop, and the churches must wake up to this crisis. As pastors, we must listen, adapt, and invest in the spiritual lives of the next generation. By teaching the youth and the Church at large the Word of God, combined with digital discipleship and the building and strengthening of relationships, we can slow the loss of church youth. Let's not bury our collective heads in the sand and hope for a better future. Instead, let us work to nurture the hearts and build up the minds of our youth, ensuring that the Church remains a vibrant home for generations to come.

Additional resources

For help in Theological and apologetical understanding, please visit…

https://bythelightoftruth.com.

References

[1] Natasha Crain and Warner J. Wallace, Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2016), 11.

[2] Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2002–2013).