70% of Youth in America Leaving the Church

According to George Barna, 70% of our youth are leaving church after high school and 80% will be disengaged by the time they are age 29. According to the New York Times, only 4% of teens will be “Bible believing Christians” as adults. That would be a sharp decline compared with 35% of the current generation of baby boomers, and before that, 65% of the World War II generation. (New York Times).

Why has the church become so irrelevant over the past decade? There are many people who are offering solutions to this problem, but the Bible has the best solution. If we look at the early church in the book of Acts, we see that the church was devoted to prayer and the study of the Word of God. According to the book of Acts, the early church continued with one accord in prayer and supplication (Acts 1:14). Another verse says, “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” Acts 6:7 (KJV). So the church was praying and the word of God increased and so did the number of disciples. Not only was the church praying together, but the apostles gave themselves “continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” Acts 6:4 (KJV). So the church needs to pray and the leadership of the church needs to pray.  Jesus said that His “house shall be a house of prayer for all the nations” Mark 11:17 (NASB). When he taught the disciples how to pray he said, “after this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” Matt 6:9 (KJV). I know many don’t like to use the King James Version, but it offers something in this verse that modern translations do not, the pronoun “ye”, which is the plural form of “you”. Not only is the “ye” plural, but so is the other pronoun “our”.  Jesus was instructing the disciples to pray together in the Lord’s prayer. Jesus also told the disciples that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” Acts 1:8 (NKJV). Where is the united prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit in our churches? If our churches became houses of prayer, then we would see more power of the Holy Spirit. Until united prayer returns to the church, revival in America cannot come.

I have more to teach about what God requires for revival, but that lesson is for another day. Please pray with someone, today, for America. We are at a crossroads in America and I wonder which path we are going to take as a church? Remember that the church is the body of Christ, not an individual church. United Prayer for America

Please download our free prayer guide which includes prayers based from the scriptures on how to pray for our youth in America: Prayer Guide “Leaving” 2013