Why ‘Passing on the Faith’ Fails Our Kids

Young adults often leave the church after high school. The problem lies close to home.

The familiar reports are loud and clear. We hear it on Facebook, in our Twitter feed, and through the mainstream news. The reports confirm, at least in part, what we have known for some time: Youth ministry practices are not consistently supporting faith beyond high school graduation.

For those of us who have worked with young people for decades, this news is difficult to swallow because we see God working powerfully in the lives of teenagers. Why is there such a deep divide between our increased effort, devotion, and resources, and numbers of young people leaving the church behind?

As Andy Root and Kenda Creasy Dean argue in The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry, we have spent so long “justifying our ministries for their sociological, educational, or therapeutic usefulness.” In response, a movement is underway that more intentionally reflects theologically on youth ministry practices. The movement brings with it some key theological questions: What is the relationship between a young person and the community of faith? How have we understood this relationship in youth ministry practices, and how should we? And finally, how might our beliefs be shaping, maybe even causing, the worrisome reports about our youth?

People use a variety of phrases to describe their desire to invite the next generation into the Christian faith. Most commonly, church leaders and parents use the language of “passing on the faith.” I hear it everywhere. During worship gatherings, pastors pray for young people to be secure in the faith passed to them. Church leaders hire consultants to find ways to increase their effectiveness at passing the faith, and parents give time and money to ensure a son or daughter owns the faith they ...