wfn.org | Why Teenagers Leave Church: Research Published

["Beckett, John" <BeckettJ@gc.adventist.org>]

ANN Bulletin
Adventist News Network
Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters
May 17, 2000
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Why Teenagers Leave Church: Research Published
Berrien Springs, MI, USA .... [ANN] 

"Why are our teenagers leaving the church?"  It's a question that crosses
every denominational divide and brings commonality among varying religious
beliefs and practices.

Dr. Roger Dudley, director of the Institute of Church Ministry at Andrews
University, an institute of higher learning of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, has spent the last 16 years researching young people and their
attitudes about religion and the Church. His newest book, "Why Our Teenagers
Leave the Church: Personal Stories from a 10-year Study," is the outcome of
a pioneering, decade-long longitudinal study of why young people leave the
church and why they remain in it. More than 1,500 teenagers were randomly
selected from Seventh-day Adventist churches throughout the United States
and Canada and surveyed every year for ten years.

"While the study was conducted on Adventist youth, the pioneering nature has
made it of general interest," says Dudley, who is the author of 12 other
books on various religious topics.  "I have found that many denominations
are concerned over this very problem. Extensive literature reviews have
revealed that these common factors are found in all religious communities." 

Prior to the book's publication by the Review and Herald Publishing
Association, Dudley was invited to share his research findings at a meeting
of the Religious Research Association in Boston, a professional organization
of scholars who conduct research on religious topics. "Members of many
faiths packed the room to hear my presentation and to request copies of the
research," he says. "No other religious group has ever attempted such a
comprehensive and extensive study on church youth." Excerpts from his
research have been published in the Review of Religious Research, Journal of
Psychology and Christianity, and Religious Education.

"I want Christians to understand the severity of the crisis, why it has
developed and what parents, teachers, pastors and church leaders can do
about it," Dudley says about his decision to pursue the study.

The author admits that though he is surprised at the number of young people
who leave the Church, he is pleased with the depth of loyalty of the many
who remain in it.  "Parents, pastors, local church leaders, teachers, school
administrators, denominational leaders, and intelligent adults who care
about the future of the Church can all benefit from this knowledge," he
says. [A. Monise Hamilton]
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