The Top Reasons Young People Drop Out of Church

Even with 1 in 4 leaving over politics, college kids are more likely to return after a hiatus than leave for good.

Slightly fewer young adults are dropping out of church after high school, but those who do have more serious reasons for leaving than a decade ago.

In a 2017 LifeWay Research survey released today, 66 percent of Americans between 23 and 30 years old said they stopped attending church on a regular basis for at least a year after turning 18, compared to 70 percent in 2007.

Most young churchgoers skip out on Sundays at some point amid their transition to going to college, moving away from home, or starting their first jobs. LifeWay has found that historically about two-thirds of dropouts return to services once they get older.

But these days, young Christians are more likely to cite weightier political and spiritual concerns as pushing them away from the church, with 70 percent listing such beliefs as a reason for their departure in 2017 compared to about half (52%) 10 years before. Read More

One of the things that we should not conclude from this research is that we can be complacent. Think to ourselves, "Oh, they'll be back." And do nothing. See also "How Can Churches Keep Teenagers Connected?" and "Most Teens Drop Out of Church When They Become Young Adults."