Well, according to Walt Mueller, founder of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding and author of such books as “Youth Culture 101″ and “Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture,” it’s “this.”
I don’t know if “this” surprised me or not. If somebody would have asked me that question instead of Walt Mueller, like maybe a parent from Shoal Creek, I probably would have thrown out a much broader culture shift, like increased access to information. But Walt Mueller, who I probably admire and respect more than anyone else that throws themself in front of trucks for our students, is able to be very specific and list 5 ways that this culture shift WILL affect our students with no option for escape.
What happens to spirituality through adolescence?
March 5, 2009
Kind of a big question. I read a research report of the “National Study of Youth and Religion” that did some longitudal surveys with adolescents. I had to look up longitudal—iapparently it means “over time.”
Anyways, I’d like to spare us all the details (which you can read by following the link) and just relate the significant things I think were pointed out, or at, depending on how you look at it.
The most important statistic I think, was when the researches asked students to name their religious affilation (Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Morman, Buddhist, etc) and then followed up with the same students three years later to see if their religious affiliation had changed at all. Out of the 16 different choices of religious affiliation they could’ve choosen from, only two categories saw a change of more than 1%. Basically, 8.16% of Protestant students dropped out of their Protestant faith from 2002 through 2005. Conversely, students claiming NO religious affiliation grew by, guess what…8.33% from 2002 through 2005. Hmmm, how similar those numbers are.
How should a statistic like this be interpreted? I just feel a sense of loss with that number. I mean, churches had those students coming, in attendence enough for the students to claim affiliation. Then, somewhere along the way, those students walked out. We know how hard it can be to get new people to walk through our church doors, but those students were already there! What was it that failed to capture their hearts? What misrepresentation of Jesus did they run into that made church unnecessary for their life? But no one is immune. I see the same thing happen in the youth of Shoal Creek.
That one statistic, that 8% swing from affiliated to NOT-affiliated, really summed up the biggest observation they study picked up on. Students gradually step away from their faith. 8% is NOT a big number. Out of a 100 people, do you notice 8 leaving? 8% goes unnoticed. 8% slips through the cracks.
Students rarely make dramatic shifts in what they believe. They slowly lose interest over time as Jesus finds less and less relevance in their lives. Students aren’t leaving the faith in droves, so no real alarms sound off. Just all of a sudden, you look up and you don’t see the faces you used to remember.
I know that students/people will always walk away from their faith. I know that can’t totally be avioded. The biggest reason why students became less religious over a three year period was “disinterested or just stopped attending” (32%). The second biggest reason was “life change or specific life event” (30%). I can’t help but wonder, “Was there a follower of Jesus in their life leading up to the time they decided to leave? If they became ‘disinterested,’ was someone there to help keep their interest alive? Or when that specific life event/change happened, was someone there to speak of comfort and love to them?”
Again, I know I’m an idealist and that I want everything to go perfectly, but I can’t help to think that there is an answer to every problem, and most of the time those answers come in the form of people who are willing to just “be there” with a student, with a person, listening, being curious, trying to be Jesus to the world.
This Sunday…
March 4, 2009
Hey Everyone,
Just a little reminder of stuff that’s going on this Sunday.
If you are at all involved in going down to the Mission Adelante Workday March 14th, please come to the prep meeting directly following 2nd service in the Underground. There you will learn all the info you need about what to bring, who’s driving, etc.
Also on Sunday, I’m going to order Pizza to eat for any student or family that wants to help paint from 1-3pm on Sunday. I’ll get the pizza to show up at 12:30, we’ll eat, then paint the Willy Wonka Hall. Some of you have let me know you’re coming, so thanks, but we still have more spots for people who want to. I’d like an RSVP so I can get the right amount of pizza.
Thanks!
Justin Talley