Jump directly to the Content

Teen Spirit

Research indicates a youth group's effect lingers

Consistent Sunday school attendance when we're young has direct bearing on church attendance as grown-ups. Researcher George Barna says more than 8 in 10 adults in the U.S. claim they had weekly religious education before age 12. Of those, 69 percent now attend religious programs weekly.

Fewer adults recall regular participation as teens, with 50 percent of current attenders recalling at least monthly involvement in some kind of youth program.

Our take: Drop by the youth department and make some friends. If the survey is correct, you'll still be seeing half those kids in 2030. They'll be voting on your retirement date.

July/August
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Are You Asking the Right Questions about your Youth Group?
Are You Asking the Right Questions about your Youth Group?
Few youth leaders disagree that there's a need for effective youth work--it's the how that causes problems. Here are four questions youth workers should ask themselves about their ministry.
From the Magazine
My Dreams Had Come True. But the Panic Attacks Remained.
My Dreams Had Come True. But the Panic Attacks Remained.
How I discovered God’s peace and found relief from debilitating anxiety.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close