According to research by Ed Stetzer’s group Lifeway, 70% of teenage church-going Protestants have stopped attending church by age 23.
Top 10 Reasons:
- They simply want a break from church (27%);
- They felt church members are judgmental and/or hypocritical (26%);
- They moved to college and didn’t find another church (25%);
- They have work responsibilities that keep them from attending (23%);
- They moved too far from church (22%);
- They just got too busy, even though they’d still like to attend (22%);
- They didn’t feel connected to the church in the first place (20%);
- They disagreed with the church’s political/social stance (18%);
- They decided to spend more time with friends (17%);
- They were just going to church to please their parents (17%).
Read the press release here.
Read the USA Today story here.
