Mon 13 Apr 2009
Stemming the Tide of Church Youth Dropouts
Posted by Mathew Block under Lutheran Leanings, Main
[11] Comments
In a comment on Ken Maher’s article Chew on this…, I began discussing the concern of lessening teen involvement in the Lutheran Church – Canada. There I suggested that while “we’ve got a strong, unshakable foundation in Jesus Christ,” it may well “be time to do some repairs on the ground floor.” In other words, while theologically our faith is strong, the practical application thereof has faced significant difficulties for many years. Ken then asked me what kind of repairs I thought might be in order. This is my response.
Before launching directly into the discussion, it is, I think, important to recognize that the problem of teen dropout is not merely a “teen” problem. This is in actuality merely symptomatic of a much graver issue in our denomination (and many others for that matter). In particular, I am thinking of the lack of spiritual fervour and discipline far too common among our congregants. When teens are raised by parents for whom faith is a Sunday-only concept rather than a life-encompassing reality, it is exceptionally hard for the teens to see the importance of Christianity itself to their daily lives, let alone the usefulness of church attendance. And these Sunday-Christian parents are taking significantly less of a role than previous generations in the spiritual upbringing of their children. They assume, no doubt, that this void will be filled with Sunday School and Confirmation.
No surprise, therefore, that teens are failing to connect with the Church.
In the Lutheran church, we pride ourselves on our strong theological heritage, and rightly so. And so we stress in our Confirmation classes the necessity of knowing the Bible, and texts like Luther’s Small Catechism (because they are faithful expositions of Holy Scripture). But we forget, and inexcusably so, the necessity of teaching devotional practice. We make our confirmants read the Bible in order to complete Confirmation homework, but we do not teach them how to read for daily devotional purposes. We make them memorize the Lord’s Prayer, and Luther’s explanation thereof in the Small Catechism, but we do not have small prayer groups with them, nor make it clear what it is to talk daily with God. We make sure they know all the right answers to all the right theological questions, but we do not give them the tools to face life-problems outside the Catechism. Nor do we stress the necessity of Christian service in the congregation or mission outreach to the world at large.
The problem is clear: our youth have no spiritual grounding. They do not know how to read the Bible devotionally. They do not know how to pray individually or corporately. They are ill-equipped to recognize their own spiritual gifts, and as a result do not know where they should serve. More striking, they do not personally and fully understand the good news of Jesus Christ for themselves and, as such, feel no concern for evangelism.
Should we be surprised then that Lutheran youth are leaving the Church? We focus so strongly on the their intellectual assent to theological statements, but provide no practical guidance as to how this theology should impact their daily lives. As such, Confirmation becomes nothing more than a graduation exercise: “If I know the right answers, I’ll pass.” But where is the testing of their devotional lives? How many youth have we set before the Church and confirmed, all the while knowing that in their personal lives no evidence of faith is visible? “Faith without works is dead,” as James reminds us. And yet, for fear of being misunderstood as preaching works-righteousness, we do not stress the necessity of the evidence of faith in the lives of believers.
Forgive me if I sound blunt or go to far in my rhetoric. As I have said, the issue is close to my heart, as a young person myself, and it grieves my very soul to see such things in the Church.
My practical advice is as follows. Please note that it is by no means intended to be considered a “complete” response.
- Confirmation (and pre-Confirmation) should be expanded to include a continual focus on devotional maturing throughout the classes. Teachers and pastors should not be content to merely have students give the right answers; there should be evidence of spiritual growth in the lives of the confirmands.
- Confirmation should be delayed until youth are older. I know many would suggest that we have to “confirm them while they’re young and while their parents can still make them come to church” (I’ve had pastors tell me as much), but I believe this to be an error, however well-meant. Confirming young people merely because they’re still young enough to be forced to attend classes at the behest of their parents makes a mockery of the rite of Confirmation. After all, they stand before the congregation and make a profession of faith. If it is made merely to placate parents, then the pastor and congregation are, to put it frankly, guilty of bearing false witness before God. I suggest, therefore, that confirmation be delayed until about Grade 10 or 11. Youth at that age who desire to put in the work required for confirmation are far less likely to be doing it merely because their parents want them to.
- Finally, new emphasis should be placed on getting adults to attend Bible Studies and other small-groups. As I have said, the setting of teens’ religious foundations are intrinsically connected with the faith-lives of their parents and elders (see the article “The Truth about Men and the Church”). Older congregants are just as in need of devotional training as are the young.
How then should all this be implemented? To be honest, I really don’t know. And to be honest, I’m sure you’ll all agree that I’ve already ranted enough for today.
What do you think? How should we be approaching the issue of teen-dropout (or, for that matter, spiritual stuntedness in the Church at large)? Leave your comments.
Blunt is good. I know that this is an issue every pastor (and most parents) struggle with. The problem is (as I see it anyway) that by the time a person comes to confirmation the damage is done and undoing it even by waiting until a person is ‘ready’ becomes increasingly difficult.
In that first article I quoted that got all this rolling there was a very interesting comment “beliefs need social support like fish and the rest of us need water” I think this lies at the heart of the issue. The social support that I think is missing lies in the family itself. Church may have you for an hour or two a week, but family has you every single day! The place of the family altar, family devotions etc… has almost disappeared. People say they are just too busy. But if they are not encouraged from a young age to read and talk and pray with their family, no pastor will be able to change their mind in confirmation (even if they were to mark a student on devotional objectives).
I don’t say this to brag (for I will be the first to admit that my son has his own special faults), but my four year old son, through our daily bible story and prayer at supper knows more about the Bible than many of the confirmands I have seen come to my classes over the years. If parents are neglecting the family altar then they are not simply missing an opportunity to teach their children better … they are actually teaching their children something worse! Should it really surprise us then when the children -now-teenagers take up that lesson and begin to apply it with zeal?
I like the image you paint about being zealously apathetic. An oxymoron, perhaps, but far too true. People’s spiritual priorities are more often than not set in their childhood. Trying to reverse these worldviews in their youth/teen years is as impossible as trying to make the sun go backwards.
But thanks be to God He can do such things (2 Kings 20)!
I am curious though what you think about confirming students who don’t really seem to be doing it out of actual faith. Do we not mock God by presenting people of dubious faith before the congregation, asking them to accept them as fellow believers in Christ? Should we perhaps be preventing such students from being confirmed out of concern for their spiritual well-being – much as we attempt prevent visiting Christians who disagree with our theology of Communion from “eating and drinking judgment on themselves”? Just thoughts for which, I am sure, there are no easy answers.
I’ve been enjoying reading this discussion. Captain, you have been presenting some intriguing ideas and thoughts, and, as you say, thoughts and questions with no easy answers.
I still hold with the younger confirmation. The secular education system, to which many of our youth are exposed, are at that time presenting a lot of the groundwork for its morality. (I recall a being in a “Values, Influences, and Peers” programme around that age time at school). I would hope, then that the confirmation curriculum could help our youth in balancing the secular morality with a sound grounding in God’s law and gospel. I acknowledge that I am blessed with a family that encouraged devotions and a Christian walk in all of my life, but, with all that, it wasn’t my family who first suggested that I, personally, start daily scripture reading. Sometimes that other source is heard because it is a different voice suggesting it.
Do we mock God by presenting individuals of dubious faith before the congregation and asking them to accept them as fellow believers? As a sinner yet saint, I know that my faith is dubious, as anything this sinner does is. I rejoice that I am forgiven! We do ask the confirmands to attend courses, which usually are over a couple years. They may or may not be as attentive as we wish. They may not seem to take in as much as we would hope. It may seem that some really haven’t much knowledge, or a very strong faith. I am sure there are Pastors out there who will recommend that a particular student do more, study more before confirmation. Yet at confirmation they state where they have started. They affirm the gift that was given to them at baptism. In turn, the congregation, in accepting them as members, should be willing and striving to nurture their continuing faith. We are the body of Christ, and sometimes I think we forget that we ar that body, worshiping, praying, learning, working, growing and sharing together, from baby to 120+ year old, and so we ache.
(As an aside, I recall one confirmation Sunday I attended where one confirmand finally understood what it was all about during the rite of confirmation, when hearing the vow of being faithful, even unto death, with the help of God. At that point, he paused and walked away from the confirmation for a few minutes. Once reassured that it was with the help of God that he was asked to be faithful, he was able to continue. Would he have acknowledged where he was in his faith walk without the confirmation rite? I don’t know.)
Hi Tracey. Thanks for joining the conversation!
You make a good point about the danger of secular education divorced from spiritual education. For most people, worldviews are set while still youth; if the only formation they receive is from a secular educational perspective, they have a far greater chance of being spiritually deficient as they grow older. To that end, we need to make sure that youth are getting spiritual education from an early age. I actually made a similar comment in a letter to the editor in The Canadian Lutheran some years ago when I was still in high school.
That all said, I think Ken also makes a good point when he talks about the lack of family spiritual formation in the years leading up to confirmation. “If they are not encouraged from a young age to read and talk and pray with their family,” he writes, “no pastor will be able to change their mind in confirmation.” So while spiritual education is necessary at a young age, it should begin long before confirmation for it to make its most substantial impact.
Perhaps, then, I do not target the main problem by calling for confirmation to be delayed. Perhaps it would be better to instead push for the expansion of pre-confirmation programs. By beginning classes earlier, it may be possible to help fill part of the void parents leave in the spiritual formation of their children. I also think that both confirmation and pre-confirmation programs should be expanded to include a new emphasis on teaching devotional life practices in addition to the theological training core to the classes.
Stories like the one you relate at the end of your post, Tracy, give me great joy. They remind me that God is working powerfully through the rite of Confirmation, drawing His children closer to Him. And yet, I cannot help but wonder how many others pass through the ritual without ever experiencing that crisis-moment the confirmand in your story experienced. For many, I fear, the event is not seen as a new step in the life-long walk of faith; rather, it is treated like a graduation ceremony. They’ve passed, and so they no longer worry about religion.
For this reason, I do still think it is important that we be cautious whom we confirm. The confirmation rite is meant to be a public confession of faith before God and His Church. It is for this reason the pastor asks the catechumens a series of yes-or-no questions. Do they recognize the gifts they have received in baptism? Do they renounce Satan, his work, and all his ways? Do they have faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do they confess Scriptures to be the inspired Word of God, and recognize Lutheran doctrine as a faithful exposition of that Scripture?
Then, before they are confirmed, they are asked some few final questions as to whether they purposely intend to live according to this profession of faith: Will they continue to “hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully?” Will they “live according to the Word of God,” remaining faithful to Father, Son and Spirit, continuing “steadfast in this confession and Church” even unto the point of martyrdom (LSB 273)? We stand as witnesses to the catechumens’ professions; we should not have reason to doubt their authenticity. Instead, we should be able to respond with sincere hearts, (the pastor speaking for all the congregation), that “we rejoice with thankful hearts that [they] have been baptized and have received the teaching of the Lord” (LSB 273).
Keep the comments coming guys. It’s good to hash these things out with each other. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
Hey guys, sorry I was out of the loop for a while. Good responses all around. If you are looking for a new / different approach to confirmation “Lutheran Catechesis” by Rev. Peter Bender is an excellent resource. It does exactly what we have been talking about … lays the groundwork through early childhood, so that when youth come to confirmation they are deepening a pre-existing understanding rather than learning stuff that’s all (or mostly) new.
As for mocking God through dubious faith, Tracey said it well, but I would also add … everyone has their moments of dubious faith. Every single one of those congregants has made a mockery of their confirmation vows somewhere along the line (not to mention their church membership vows, their wedding vows, etc.) If we revoked, or withheld all such gifts until we were fully satisfied they wouldn’t be abused, there wouldn’t be a single person in the pews.
God’s shoulders, and His grace in Christ are big enough to handle it. That is not to excuse it. Just to realize that without His help, not one thing we ever vow to do in His name would get done. Most people who get married don’t understand the full weight of the vows they made until long after the wedding day … when the marriage has become real work. The same with confirmation. That is precisely why the congregation makes vows of its own … to continue nurturing, praying for, and helping the confirmand’s walk of faith.
If a confirmand fails to remain faithful to their vows it is not merely the fault of that individual – or their parents – or the pastor – but of the congregation as a whole.
We cannot see into another’s heart, neither should we judge another based upon what we think is in their heart but only upon what the have publicly professed. (Which is why we practice closed communion – the public confession, not the inner faith) What we can do is open our hearts to them and offer every bit of help we can.
Then we’re back to the struggle of how to encourage a life of faith outside of church. There are times where the world about us takes the existence of the Christian church for granted. There are churches of various flavours (ok, denominations) in most communities. They’ve been there for years and some may think it will always be there, so attending church and doing “churchy” or faith things (like devotions) becomes an item on a checklist that you may or may not get around to. We can say that families need to do more to instill faith outside of a Sunday, but with the church “always there”, does it seem important? If it’s just something that’s just been in the background, will families know how to start a devotional life at home? If someone is new to the faith will he or she know what to do? Where should a family look if they have questions or want a resource?
I know, a whole bunch of questions with many possible answers. I do want to encourage families growing in faith and knowledge of the good news. I don’t know if we always provide the ways and supports so they can do so.
Tracey, I think I get what you are saying. Perhaps it would be better to say that we need to encourage families to instill faith in addition to Sunday (rather than outside of). Sometimes we like to make this all too hard. The more difficult the obstacles we put in front of ourselves, the easier it is to give up. (what should we use, when should it be, how should it be done, why even bother …) What it all boils down to is Read Your Bible (how when, for how long is really up to you) Family devotions do not need to be long, or complicated, they don’t need to be new or novel.
There are 3 books that are key to the devotional life of every Christian young or old (or in between). The Bible. The Catechism. The Hymnal.
By going to church you have a wonderful example to follow at home. Read the Bible. Discuss what you read (based on the Catechism). Pray from what you read (by prayers in the hymn book or the hymns themselves -prayers set to music). That is why most every pastor I know encourages every home to have a hymnal. In it you will find a wealth of God’s Word, the entire Small Catechism, plans for reading, plans for praying, 100’s of prayers a dozen or so services that can be used in whole or in part, and a treasure trove of meditations on God’s Word in the form of hymns.
What we do in church and what we do at home should be linked week by week. One should encourage and support the other. Each should be an extension of the other. Neither one is meant to exist without the other. Neither one will be as fruitful as it should be without the other involved.
Other great resources you can find at most churches are family and youth devotional books (in the church library), reading schedules for getting through the Bible, Portals of Prayer, and the ideas and input of other members (what they do). This is also supposed to be a part of the conversation between pastor and parishioner(s) during his in-home visits.
And… read and pray and sing/chant especially the Psalms (the prayerbook of the Bible). The Psalms are the the sum of orthodox Christian piety and they were meant to be sung. I would suggest (and practice this with my family) reading or singing roughly one Psalm/day at dinner time. You could involve all family members by reading/singing antiphonally. There are also many beautiful metrical versions which make the Psalms easier to sing and memorize.
Hello all. Sorry I’ve been away a bit (to Ontario for a wedding); as such I haven’t had access to the internet over the last little while.
I agree with Crypto-Lutheran’s comment about the importance of the Psalms to devotional life. They delve into topics of incredible importance on a variety of life-issues. There are prayers for times of joy and despair; there are songs of laments and of praise. They give us words to express both our own personal experiences as well as the trials of the Church at large, while framing such prayers in relation to who God is: everlasting, faithful, and mighty to save. We can praise Him, because He first opens our lips to praise. We can call on Him to be saved because He has first promised to save us.
Oh, and point taken regarding the matter of “dubious faith” among all believers.
I think the hymnal can be a strong source of family devotions. The services for matins, vespers, morning prayer, evening prayer etc. are powerfully constructed modes of worship which bring our eyes ever back to Christ. Of course, it’s probably fair to say most families in our churches are unaware of such services. Unless you’re already passionate about such things, you’re not likely to be spontaneously skimming through a hymnal and discovering these services. Perhaps we need to be addressing issues of devotion directly from the pulpit, and following such sermons up with small groups teaching members what personal/family devotions really are like. Small groups can provide a necessary accountability for people interested in doing daily prayers and readings, but who aren’t yet in the practice of it. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” we are told; but God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” and through the work of His Holy Spirit, we can be transformed to follow Him more ardently.
Thought you might be interested in another perspective on confirmation, found at the following address.
http://qaz1.bannerland.org/kelly/?p=489#respond
(I have enjoyed this discussion, by the way. Thanks, all.)
Thanks for the link Tracey. (I might also point you to the more recent post on my blog entitled “Video Testimonies in Confirmation?” here).
And thanks for your input on the discussion Tracey! I’ve really appreciated your thoughts.