Cross-posted from youthmesh.org

For a long time now I have been thinking about what it is that keeps a young person committed to the Christian faith (and church) as they transition through their youth and young adult years. Is it because they are part of an amazing and relevant youth programme? Is it because they are part of a discipleship group? Is it because they happened to be wired that way?

Sometimes it seems to be that there are no rules to why some young people stick with Jesus while others give him away in their late teens and early twenties. I know programmes and discipleship are important but I know many young people who were part of good mentoring and discipleship groups but still drifted off when they hit the hard road.

A few years back I heard some strong statistics that talked about the reason that most young adults who were still in church and growing in their faith in their mid twenties. This study said that it was because these young people had a ministry or commitment in church that made them committed to stay and be involved. Those that weren’t in a ministry or didn’t have to be committed to anything drifted off. I think there is a lot of truth to this.

I think underlying this whole dilemma is that that the Christian church hasn’t created a glue or hooks that make young people see church and Christ as non-negotiable in their lives. I have always looked at Jewish young people and wonder why it is that before anything else they consider themselves Jewish. Ask a Christian young person and they might tell you that they are an engineering student, play soccer, have a mobile phone, have got a girlfriend and are a Christian.

Being a Christian for many young people is a part of their lives like soccer and engineering but for young people of other religions it is their first defining aspect of their lives. These young people have grown up in a way where their faith has become the glue in their lives. Is it because we have made Christianity like a club with little glue or ownership to hang their faith on that young people find it easy to walk away from it?

One thing I am learning is that for young people when their faith is outworked in a community where they feel known, understood and committed then they tend to hold more tightly to their faith. Often however church (in a traditional sense) doesn’t provide that close community where young people can learn their Christian identity in supportive, interactive but a challenging environment.

Youth and young adult ministry is so much more than programmes and creating a sense of excitement. These things are starting points but if we do not think about the very structure and style of the way we ‘do church and develop Christian community’ then we will continue to have many young people who consider their Christian faith to be an add on rather than central to their lives. We need to think about how we can create a ‘new glue’ to keep young people committed to Christ.