A new look at today’s teenagers

Grace Wesleyan Church thought they had everything together. They prided themselves on being an intergenerational church where all felt welcomed and loved. But recently, they noted a concerning trend—more and more young people were leaving their church. At first, the leadership team wasn’t too concerned. There are always people coming and going. But eventually, the trend became more noticeable.

Taking that first foray into the realm of science and faith can be difficult. But it is increasingly necessary if we are to facilitate lifelong faith in our youth.

I don’t like Lent. Maybe it’s my personality: “7” on the Enneagram. I run from pain—seeking happy, fun experiences. Advent’s more my speed: lights, presents, parties, and Jesus arriving.

I sat in the stadium looking around at the thousands of young adults with their hands up, eyes closed, singing worship songs that were unfamiliar to me. What is this? Where am I? I asked myself. At this evangelical conference in Miami, I was introduced to speakers like Christine Caine and Francis Chan who shared about making the most of your life for God. I want that, I thought. While I had known about Jesus growing up, I became captivated about the idea of doing something big for Jesus—of giving of myself in order to serve and help others. As an angsty young adult, I wanted my life to have real purpose—not unlike many young people today.