At this week’s Online Training Conference 2011, one of our presenters, Kara Powell, raised questions that are part of her research at Fuller Youth Institute. First, Kara mentioned that in her research with 500 teens, the kids were asked to define Christianity. One in three youth did not mention Jesus in their definitions – and these were church kids who were active in youth groups across the country.
Kara also mentioned that in her studies, 40 percent of committed Christian high school kids walked away from their faith in their first year of college. The number struck home when Kara said something like: “So picture five great high school kids you know right now; then draw a red ‘X’ through two of them, because they are not going to hold onto their faith as they go through college.”
Why is that? One of the reasons Kara and her team believe kids walk away from their faith is that it isn’t deep, isn’t “sticky.”
She talked about Dallas Willard’s concept of a “Gospel of sin management” that replaces a real, vibrant relationship with Jesus, and instead presenting a list of do’s and don’ts, because that’s the easiest thing for parents and youth leaders to identify, to discuss and teach.
How would you go about ensuring that the children and teens in your sphere of influence understand that the most important thing about being a Christian is maintaining a close relationship with Christ? What does that look like to you? How would you describe it to them? How would you go about helping them develop a “sticky faith”?