Twentysomethings put faith on the backburner

A News Update from the editors of
Charisma magazine

Millions of twentysomethings --
many of whom were active in churches during their teens -- are
putting Christianity on the backburner. That’s the
conclusion from the latest study by the Barna Research Group
(BRG), which found that Americans in their 20s are significantly
less likely than any other age group to attend church services,
donate, be absolutely committed to Christianity, read the Bible,
or serve as a volunteer or lay leader in churches.

Perhaps the “most striking
reality” of twentysomething’s faith is their relative
absence from churches, according the survey of 2,660 people in
their 20s. Only three out of 10 twentysomethings (31 percent)
attend church in a typical week, compared to four out of 10 of
those in their 30s (42 percent) and nearly half of all adults age
40 and older (49 percent).

Many twentysomethings are
reversing course after having been active churchgoers during
their teenage years. As teenagers, more than half attended church
each week and more than four out of five (81 percent) had ever
gone to a church. That means that from high school graduation to
age 25 there is a 42 percent drop in weekly church attendance and
a 58 percent decline from age 18 to age 29.

“That represents about 8
million twentysomethings alive today who were active church-goers
as teenagers, but who will no longer be active in a church by
their 30th birthday,” said the study, released last
week.

BRG vice president David Kinnaman,
who directed the study, added: “Christianity is not going
to whither away among twentysomethings - more than 10 million are
active churchgoers and very committed to the Christian faith. But
the real issue is how churches will respond to the
‘faithquakes’ that are reverberating through our
nation’s young adults. The notion that these people will
return to the church when they get older or once they become
parents is only true in a minority of cases.”

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