Category Archives: Youth and young adult
State of the Church: Where Are The Young People?
In a Sept. 28 article published by the Barna Group, “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church,” Barna, a nationally respected non-profit research organization dedicated to spiritual development, outlines six reasons why young people stay away from churches: Churches seem overprotective: …
Making churches safe places for gay youth
In Christian Community’s study on the sexual values and behaviors of 5,819 U.S. teenagers who are involved in congregational life (described in Faith Matters: Teenagers, Religion, and Sexuality), we found a surprisingly high number (12% of males; 9% of females) …
Why young people may be avoiding your faith community
The welcome and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in congregations contributes to a positive image of Christianity, especially among young adults, many of whom have rejected the church.
Sadly, the harshness of many denominations and congregations toward LGBT people has contributed to a negative image of the Christian faith, particularly among people in their twenties and thirties, both inside and outside the church.
Why anti-gay bullying is a theological issue
By Cody J. Sanders, as published in Religion Dispatches*