The Statistics Are Alarming!

For my 2009 book Already Gone, we commissioned America’s Research Group (ARG) to research why two-thirds of young people are leaving church. And last year we expanded this research, again with ARG, to understand more about the state of the modern church and particularly the younger generations that remain in church. What we found was absolutely shocking and sobering. Here’s just some of what ARG’s research uncovered about the beliefs of those who attend church in their 20s and 40s:

• Twenty percent (20.6%) said they don’t believe the Bible is true and historically accurate.
• 27% said they don’t believe homosexual behavior is a sin, and two in five said gay couples should be allowed to marry and have all the legal rights of heterosexual couples.
• 30.6% said abortions should continue to be legal in most instances.
• Almost 40% said they think premarital sex is okay.
• 62% (again, those surveyed attend church) said they believe if you are a good person on earth, you will go to heaven upon your death.
• Less than 50% said someone taught them how to defend their Christian faith if they were challenged.
• 50% do not believe in a young Earth.

Again, this research was conducted on those who are regularly attending church. This should generate prayerful concern about the state of those in church today—these are our future church leaders, Christian educators, and Christian parents. We should be alarmed by these statistics! But we shouldn’t feel hopeless. In my book I reveal areas where the church can (and needs to) address issues to help alleviate these problems.

I encourage you to order a copy of Ready to Return for your pastor, youth leader, Christian school teacher, church library, or your own personal library.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.