Why are Christians Leaving the Church?

Is there a problem?

As you can tell from our previous posts, we’ve been talking about the idea of the Church and that theme will continue throughout the month. Last week we addressed the ideas of who should be at church and why lately, that hasn’t been the case. This week, however, I want to dive deeper into that issue and ask not just why Christians aren’t going to church, but why are they leaving the Church. It’s one issue if people who claim to follow Christ don’t want to be a member of His local body, but it’s an entirely separate issue if people who were once a member of that body, no longer want to be a part of it. 

Statistically Speaking

From recent studies, we saw that the biggest reason Christians don’t go to church is that they claim to practice their faith in other ways, and while we addressed that issue already, I believe it’s that same ideology that shows us why Christians are now leaving the Church. According to gallup.com, church membership in 2021 has dropped under 50% for the first time in eight decades and is on a steady decline. You read that right, for the first time in 80 years, a majority of our adult U.S. citizens no longer affiliate themselves with a local church. While this is a major issue in the Church today, I believe the answer to why this issue has occurred can be found in a more recent pole. Gallup.com also did a survey in 2022 asking adults what their church attendance habits looked like and what their parents looked like. As you can guess, the numbers are very staggering, 25% of adults today say they attend church almost every week. However, when asked about their parents’ attendance, 67% said their parents attended every week or almost every week. Gallup.com then notes, “The changes in church attendance have occurred within the current generation of parents and children.” It would appear that one of the biggest reasons that Christians are leaving the church then is because of the lack of prioritizing church as a child. As sad as it may be, this hardly comes as a surprise. Whatever we are taught to prioritize as children, we often continue to do into our adult lives. 

Who’s to blame?

Now, am I blaming the entire fall of church attendance on bad parenting? Not at all. I believe that when young adults are old enough and are no longer under the influence and direction of their parents, they will naturally go their own way about things, and sometimes, that unfortunately will be away from what they were originally taught. On the contrary, however, we can’t look at parenting and say that this has nothing to do with it either. I know that I’m not a parent myself, but as a former youth pastor, I can certainly confirm that the urgency to get kids to church is just not the same with this generation…and I think parents would agree with me. For whatever reason, newer parents are finding it less and less important to urge their kids to be a part of the Church and are placing the ball in their court. And while I understand that forcing kids to go to church can turn them off from it completely, parents must also follow their biblical mandate as the primary leaders of the next generation at the same time. Perhaps no book is more adamant on this topic than the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 22:6 states, “6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.”

Even in the very first chapter of Proverbs, we see in verse 8, “8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And do not ignore your mother’s teaching; 9 For they are a graceful wreath for your head And necklaces for your neck.” It is not just the job of the parent to raise the child, but it is their job to raise them ‘in the way they should go.’ While this is a huge, terrifying, and yet honorable responsibility, we must remember that the path a child ultimately ends up on will become their responsibility, not the parents. Ezekiel 18:20 makes this clear; “20 A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.” This is where I as a youth pastor, would encourage parents as much as I could to do their best to bring their kids to church. Whereas whether or not they enjoyed attending, would you rather have your child walk away from God knowing you had nothing to do with their decision, or knowing you did everything in your power to make sure that this scenario never occurred? I think I speak for a vast majority of parents when I say I would rather stand before God with tears in my eyes, knowing I did everything I could to lead my child to Christ and trusted Him with the rest, rather than the alternative. 

Above all else

I know this may seem like a dark path, but it’s a path of reality that all parents must face, and because of that, I wanted to share probably the most important Proverb on this issue at the end. Proverbs 29:15 mentions, “15 The rod and a rebuke give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.” Regardless of what path your child may choose one day, may their childhood never be void of discipline. Discipline is quite possibly one of the most vital and loving acts you can give a child and I could probably find 10 more verses to back that up. If our newer parents in this upcoming generation will hold tight to these proverbs, lead their children in loving discipline, and make church a priority in their lives, I believe we can see a resurgence in our nation where all ages are filling the church and not just adults from previous generations. 

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Sources

[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023. 

[2] Jones, Jeffrey M. “U.S. Church Membership Falls below Majority for First Time.” Gallup.Com, 31 May 2023, news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx.