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We’ve seen a steady decline in both Christian identity and church attendance with each passing generation in the U.S. A stat that should concern all church leaders is that among teenagers who were active in church for at least a year during high school, 2 out of 3 are not attending shortly after graduation.
This cultural retreat from church is also impacting churchgoing numbers among women. For generations, the number of female churchgoers has been a few percentage points higher than the number of male churchgoers.
Among young adults today, women are engaging in religion at the same rate as men, and among Protestants, there’s no difference between the rate of leaving between young women and young men.
Why are young adults leaving church?
To help us understand what women’s ministry can do to address this trend, we first need to understand why young adults are leaving church. First, it’s worth noting that only 29 percent planned on taking a break from church.
For most of those who drop out of church, leaving the church is not an aspiration. Instead, church attendance gets ignored amid the numerous life changes and activities that come with college life or launching a career.
Young adults who drop out of church list many reasons for doing so (i.e., it’s complicated). The five most common reasons include two major life changes, two perceptions of the church, and a lack of relationships in the church.
Top five reasons young adults drop out of church:
- I moved to college and stopped attending church (34 percent).
- Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical (32 percent).
- I didn’t feel connected to people in my church (29 percent).
- I disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues (25 percent).
- My work responsibilities prevented me from attending (24 percent).
What would help them stay?
Additional analysis of all the young adults’ responses in this dropout study revealed five top predictors of staying in church.
1. Relationships with adults at church
Teens with three or more adults investing in their lives personally and spiritually are 3.5 times more likely to stay in church than those with none.
2. Regular Bible reading on their own
The odds of dropping out are 1.23 times lower for those spending time regularly reading the Bible prior to age 18 than those who didn’t.
3. Having a desire for the church to help guide everyday life decisions
The odds of dropping out are 1.80 times lower for those wanting the church to help guide their decisions in everyday life prior to age 18 than those who didn’t.
4. Agreeing with their church’s political perspective
The odds of dropping out are 1.12 times lower for every additional unit of agreement with their church’s political perspective prior to age 18.
5. Youth leader genuinely caring about them
The odds of dropping out are 1.17 times lower for every additional unit of agreement that their youth leader genuinely cared about them prior to age 18.
Invest in students
Our research clearly identifies that having a variety of adult voices speaking into students’ lives is one of the most influential aspects of their spiritual development. Here are practical ways to encourage women in your church to invest in young women.
1. Look for teens at your church to connect with.
Simply seeking them out on Sunday morning and asking them about their week and talking to them about the things they’re interested in shows you care.
2. Consider volunteering in student ministry.
This could be a weekly role, or ask your student minister if there are special events or activities you could help with.
3. Help them fall in love with the Bible and teach them how to study it for themselves.
4. Show them they’re valued.
Amid the many changes in their lives, they need to see you believe they matter more than politics, jobs, or degrees.
5. Listen.
As they form opinions and make many new choices, listen to their views and care about why they have those views.
6. Get them ready to launch.
Help seniors to begin thinking about church after high school by asking about their plans for church involvement. If they’re going to college, help them find a campus ministry. If they’re moving away, do a little research with them on churches in that area.
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What young women value in a women’s ministry
In a Lifeway Research survey of churchgoing women, the majority of those ages 18 to 29 say women’s ministry provides four things they wouldn’t have obtained from their church without it:
- A safe place for women to be transparent about needs and hurts (61 percent)
- Opportunities for women to be refreshed and restored spiritually and emotionally (61 percent)
- Stronger relationships among women in the church (60 percent)
- A place for women to ask questions and openly discuss faith topics (57 percent)
Create a women’s ministry that welcomes young women
Whether we’re listening to the young women who are leaving or those who’ve stayed, we hear similar needs that should anchor your women’s ministry activities.
1. Create a safe place to talk about their needs and hurts.
2. Offer refreshment and restoration.
Their lives are incredibly busy, and the easy yoke Jesus offers should feel like a respite to the other forces in their lives.
3. Encourage relationship building.
Young women need both peer relationships in the church and relationships with more mature women.
4. Teach them to value church.
Church isn’t a set of activities. It’s a living organism they’re meant to be connected to every day. As we practice the “one anothers” found in Scripture, we create the environment God created them to thrive in.
5. Be quick to give young adults responsibilities.
Every believer is vital to the church body. Offering young women meaningful areas of service and involving them in women’s ministry planning communicates they are valued.
6. Create rhythms of times when they can ask questions and discuss faith topics.
As their opinions are forming, we need non-judgmental moments when they can share their thoughts and discover what Scripture says on those topics.
Your ministry can help young women remain connected to the church by intentionally investing in their lives—because the church flourishes when disciples are being formed.
Note: Carol Pipes is director of corporate communications for LifeWay Christian Resources. This article was originally posted at research.lifeway.com.
