The influence of a changing society on young adults’ exodus from the church over the last fifty years in South Africa

Abstract

Today’s world in the new Millennium is a far cry from church and home life for young people (18-30) fifty years ago, where quantum change on top of change, and disconnectedness in family structures, have all contributed in various ways to an exodus of young people from mainline churches throughout the world. To counteract this ongoing trend, significant effort has been applied by mainline churches throughout the world, and South Africa in particular, to grow young people in the “Faith”, all of which has resulted in young people continuing to exodus the church after confirmation or graduating from high school. However, the bottom line challenge being faced is not simply one sided with young people exiting the church - for so called ‘better’ activities, but that the church has also not found an effective strategy for engaging with non-churched young people (those who have never been to a church) and those who used to actively participate, but have now abandoned the church and its ministry. Parents of today’s young people to a great extent have failed to understand and recognize that it is impossible for their children to accept the ‘faith and truth’ if they don’t role model and practice it in their homes. Similarly, if they don’t help their children to see and understand how faith is applied and has meaning in their everyday lives, then the current status quo between children, family and church will continue to grow exponentially. The church, and more particularly parents, need to understand and listen to the young people’s postmodern views and how it has reshaped their lives, in comparison to the preceding generations. By adopting the conclusions and broad practical recommendations from this research, churches may be able to reach out more effectively to parents, children and young people, to help them discover a life changing relationship – in their walk with Jesus Christ