Rainer: why the drop-outs?

Our journey started with a study of eighteen- to thirty-year-old adults in America. These young adults attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year while they were in high school. Here is the incredible but sad finding of this study: More than two-thirds of young churchgoing adults in America drop out of church between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two!

Why Did They Leave?

We will explore this issue more fully in the first section of this book. For now, let's hear from the dropouts. Look at the ten most common reasons the dechurched said they left the church between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two.

Top Ten Reasons Church Dropouts Stopped Attending Church

1. Simply wanted a break from church.
2. Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical.
3. Moved to college and stopped attending church.
4. Work responsibilities prevented me from attending.
5. Moved too far away from the church to continue attending.
6. Became too busy though still wanted to attend.
7. Didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.
8. Disagreed with the church's stance on political or social issues.
9. Chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.
10. Was only going to church to please others.
We listed these top ten reasons early so you could see a common theme among most of the dropouts. Stated simply, they just did not see that church was essential to their lives. For example, the first reason, cited by 27 percent of the church dropouts, clearly depicts the nonessential attitude of the dropouts toward church: “I simply wanted a break from church.”

But even reason number eight, a disagreement with the church on political or social issues, indicates a noncommittal posture. In this case the dropouts easily could have found another church that was a better fit with their social or political views. Instead, they decided to drop out from church totally.

Essentially This

Churchgoing students drop out of the church because it is not essential to their lives.

Rainer, T., Geiger, E., & Rainer, S. S., III. (2010). Essential church. Nashville: B&H.

Sam Rainer will be speaking as part of the All Star Sunday School Training team in Jackson, MS on August 23, 24. David Francis and Josh Hunt will also be speaking.

To schedule an All Star Sunday School Training event, see http://allstarsundayschool.com/ or contact Josh Hunt at josh@joshhunt.com 575.650.4564