I recently spent some time reflecting upon strategic issues related to the church.
As I have done a personal and strategic review, I’ve pondered some very important material. Some is information I’ve had for years, and some is new.
God’s call
In the early 1990s, I received the simple numeric results from a survey conducted by the Assemblies of God. They asked their ministers and missionaries two simple questions: “At what age did you receive Christ as Saviour?” and “At what age were you aware of God’s call to full-time ministry?”
The results are beyond instructive. Just shy of 80 percent of the respondents received Christ before their 20th birthday. By the time they turned 25, the statistical results for individual age groups within the over-25 group were close to none.
When it came to calling to ministry, the results were similar: 63 percent of those in ministry with the Assemblies of God at the time said they knew God called them to full-time ministry before they were 25 — with the vast majority saying it happened before they were 19.
Now a new and broader survey by the Barna Group tells us 77 percent of Christians made a decision to follow Jesus before the age of 21, with the vast majority making their decision before age 18. This means three out of every four Christians made their decision for Christ before their 21st birthday.
The conclusion from both these surveys is very straightforward — and is, in fact, the title of Barna’s published survey results: ‘Evangelism is Most Effective Among Kids.’
Some general conclusions reached from this research:
- Between the ages of five and 12, lifelong habits, values, beliefs and attitudes are formed.
- Whatever beliefs a person embraces when he or she is young are unlikely to change as the individual ages.
- If a person does not embrace Jesus Christ as Saviour before they reach their teenage years, they most likely never will.
So: what happens later, which makes human beings harder to reach with the gospel?
Life happens
The truth is that it is mostly the business of life. By the time a person reaches 25, finishing school and the transition into career and marriage take centre stage. The older a person becomes, the harder it is to make big changes in life.
The die is cast, so to speak: win them or lose them. This is the urgent reality for the church of Jesus Christ. Spend the money and use the manpower necessary to educate, win and disciple children and youth — or by default, watch them turn their back on the church as young adults.
It is important to understand that we are referring to the children and youth from outside of our church community.
While we should disciple the young people from our church families and provide a welcoming environment for them, it is absolutely vital that we address the reality beyond our church walls.
The relative cost and effort to win a child or youth to Christ is quite low compared to winning an adult. This speaks strongly to the allocation of church finances and resources. If the greatest and most lasting response is from children and youth, shouldn’t that area receive the greatest focus?
The simple truth is that money and effort expended in reaching children and youth with the gospel is money extremely well spent, yielding huge long-term dividends for the church. It’s a very good investment.
At one time, our churches were known for our education programs — Sunday schools, VBS, youth, Crusaders, summer camps. They reached well beyond the walls of our church and constituted some of our most effective evangelistic efforts.
Certainly the trend continues with many of our churches. Unfortunately, the day when it was the expected standard for a thriving church has apparently passed.
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17-year-old Justin Bieber recently got a tattoo of Jesus on
Experts say that our belief systems and worldviews are set by the time we reach 18. Christianity has been marginalized. Kids grow up being inundated by secular beliefs at school and through the media. After age 18, it is hard for us to “unlearn” what we have been taught, even if it is a pack of lies. That’s why it’s harder for adults to come to the Lord. It has nothing to do with adults having superior reasoning or intellectual skills leading them to reject God. It has to do with conditioning through their formative years. That’s why it’s imperative that we make sure young people have the opportunity to hear God’s truth. Thank you, Mr. McIntyre, for bringing this all-important topic to our attention.
In order for people to be saved, the Holy Spirit needs to convict them. But first, the right Gospel, the true Gospel, the biblical, New Testament Gospel needs to be preached. A watered down Gospel will only produce false converts, so called Christians. It is a miracle that God saves people in days like ours, a time of apostasy. So, never think that getting saved is easy. It is a supernatural work of God. God first brings me to a point of being broken over my sin, to a point of realizing that I need His intervention otherwise I am lost forever. Then, I will welcome His grace.
Traditional church as it is done today is irrelevant to todays world of youth. Those who have not grown up in the church are not attracted to it. In another decade we will see a major change and fortunately it won’t look anything like it does today. The message will be the same but the Holy Spirit will be more active and many youth and adults will find Jesus. Can’t wait! Today most youth believe as does #2. I don’t blame them; the church has not represented Christ well.
Wrong. Many people have come to a strong belief in God well into adulthood.
Responding to wil: The point is not that no adults come to faith – it is that statistically they are very few compared to those who do in their childhood or teens.
Responding to Linda: It is unfortunate that many churches have apparently sunk into a sort of “fortress church” with little concern for anyone outside their walls.
Responding to Pilgrim: Don’t forget the part where someone needs to go and preach.
My favourite quote: “Let’s quit fiddling with religion and do something to bring the world to Christ.” – Billy Sunday
Rob McIntyre (author of article above)
People do not accept Christ after the 25th birthday because “Life Happens” – don’t you think its rather that youth do not have the reason and intellect to decide for themselves and when mature they make a rational decision that superstition has no place in their life? Fundamentalism is a destructive force in the world today.
Excellent points in this article. Reaching the youth of the world has been a priority for us ever since I started our music ministry back in 2003 with our website http://www.downloadfreechristianmusic.com and we continue to reach many thousands of youth through our weekly ezine (electronic newsletter)and it is exciting to hear from young people all over the world as they send in their prayer requests, testimonies, Christian music and more. I found it particularly interesting that there is a kind of “cut-off” point in terms of the best time to reach people with the gospel.
In reflecting on my own acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior in my life, I realize that it took place when I was 21 years old, pretty much on track with the point that Rob is making, and, indeed, heard the call to full time ministry shortly after that.
I believe we need to reach the youth in new ways but not with a new message, for the message of the cross and resurrection of Jesus cannot be changed or replaced with some new “theology” or “way to God,” apart from what God has revealed in His Word and throuh the voice of His Mystical Body, the Church.
Pete Mason