young adults

We know from a myriad of previous reports and studies that young adults (ages 18 to 23 or 30, depending on the research group) are the least likely to attend church, and the most likely to feel unwanted. The Barna Group reports that three in four will drop out of church after high school. LifeWay Research recently took the research one step further to answer the "Why?"

According to a new report, the most common reason young adults give for leaving church is, "I simply wanted a break from church."

Among those young adults who did not drop out of church, most said, "Church was a vital part of my relationship with God." A close second-place reason was, "I wanted the church to help guide my decisions in everyday life." The third and fourth reasons given also spoke of the church's relevance to the young people's lives.

Scott McConnell, the associate director of LifeWay Research, commented, "The vitality and everyday relevance these young people experienced in church is a stark contrast to church dropouts who wanted a break from church and felt unconnected." You can read the whole report here.

Is your ministry speaking to young adults? Is there space in your facility that reflects and serves their culture? Where they can feel at home? Remember, the Rainer Research Group reported earlier this year that inviting social space is the most important part of a church facility to those between the ages of 18 and 24. How are you connecting with them?