Dropouts and Disciples: How many students are really leaving the church?

LifeWay Research data shows that about 70% of young adults who indicated they attended church regularly for at least one year in high school do, in fact, drop out—but don’t miss the details. Of those who left, almost two-thirds return and currently attend church (in the timeframe of our study).

Can You Keep Your Kids from “Running Away” from God after Graduation?

As a Dad sometimes I feel like my wife and I are standing by the door. I look at my children (ranging from 2-18) and know what I think is best for them. We try to educate, be transparent, humble, gracious, consistent, and loving with them. We want to build a foundation of thinking and understanding of the world, train them in wisdom, and help them gain understanding. However, as a parent you never feel your work is done, there is always more to do and more you could have done better.

One Second After Worship

I encourage you to shake up your routine Sunday morning. When the assembly ends, say to someone that “God is great!” Say it to several someones. Remind each other that this life is short but eternal life is ours through the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
And if we can’t harness our emotions and thoughts for a few moments on a Sunday morning, maybe we’re the ones who need to be convinced that God is Great!

Struggling To Love In The Face Of Evil

The great theologians understood Christians are called to experience pain, and to endure it, because God is worth so much more than our fleeting comfort and pleasure. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the World War II martyr for Christ, described a Christian as “someone who shares the sufferings of God in the world.” Augustine taught, “It is not the punishment but the cause that makes the martyr.” Hudson Taylor, the pioneering 19th-century missionary to China, proclaimed, “For our Master’s sake, may he make us willing to do or suffer all his will.” And John Calvin explained, “You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy.”

Why So Many Churches Hear So Little of the Bible

Indeed, in many churches there is very little reading of the Bible in worship, and sermons are marked by attention to the congregation’s concerns, not by an adequate attention to the biblical text. The exposition of the Bible has given way to the concerns, real or perceived, of the listeners. The authority of the Bible is swallowed up in the imposed authority of congregational concerns.

Pentecostalization and Pluralization: The New Latino Religious Landscape

In short, pluralization and Pentecostalization are the two great takeaways from the new Pew survey of the Latino religious landscape. I expect that both trends will continue apace in the near future as the competitive marketplace of faith continues to diversify throughout the Americas.