“Teens who find their pastor’s sermons relevant to everyday life also are more likely to keep attending as young adults, the research indicated. More of those who stayed in church – by a margin of 63 percent to 42 percent – agreed their pastors’ sermons were relevant. A similar margin said the worship style of the church they attended as teens was appealing to them.” 

“Attending worship is the basic level of involvement for most who attend church at all. Many never add to or go beyond this as teens,” McConnell said. “If as teens they can’t relate to the sermons at their church or don’t enjoy the worship style, then as young adults they can easily fall away from their only connection to the church.

“While it is a constant challenge for a pastor to communicate biblical truth to multiple generations simultaneously, the importance of targeting teens with the message is clear,” McConnell added.

Stetzer concurred, stating, “It comes as no surprise that the relevance of teaching has a direct impact on a teen’s connectedness to the church. Churches with irrelevant sermons ought not to expect young adults to flock to and connect with their churches.”

“Many teens have parents who are separated or divorced,” he said. “A church’s worship style won’t and can’t appeal to everyone. But this is an exciting study because it shows there are several tangible things parents and churches can do to prepare teens to want to stay in church.”

Written by Mark Kelly

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The study indicated other factors that make a difference in young lives – ranging from creating a welcoming environment to giving teens responsibilities at church. Stetzer and McConnell discuss this research with student and collegiate ministry leaders in Inside LifeWay (www.lifeway.com/insidelifeway), the official news podcast of LifeWay Christian Resources.

Read more about what these findings mean for church leaders by going online to www.lifewayresearch.com and www.edstetzer.com.