You Lost Me

Author: David Kinnaman
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441213082
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Close to 60 percent of young people who went to church as teens drop out after high school. Now the bestselling author of unChristian trains his researcher's eye on these young believers. Where Kinnaman's first book unChristian showed the world what outsiders aged 16-29 think of Christianity, You Lost Me shows why younger Christians aged 16-29 are leaving the church and rethinking their faith. Based on new research, You Lost Me shows pastors, church leaders, and parents how we have failed to equip young people to live "in but not of" the world and how this has serious long-term consequences. More importantly, Kinnaman offers ideas on how to help young people develop and maintain a vibrant faith that they embrace over a lifetime.

You Lost Me

Author: David Kinnaman
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 9780801015892
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Is the Church Losing the Next Generation? More than half of all Christian teens and twentysomethings leave active involvement in church. Based on research conducted by the Barna Group, You Lost Me exposes ways the Christian community has failed to equip young adults to live "in but not of" the world--to follow Christ in the midst of profound cultural change. This wide-ranging study debunks persistent myths about young dropouts and examines the likely consequences for young adults and for the church if we maintain the status quo. The faith journeys of the next generation are a challenge to the established church, but they can also be a source of hope for the community of faith. Kinnaman, with the help of contributors from across the Christian spectrum, offers ideas for pastors, youth leaders, parents, and educators to pass on a vibrant, lasting faith, and ideas for young adults to find themselves in wholehearted pursuit of Christ.

unChristian

Author: David Kinnaman
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441200010
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Based on groundbreaking Barna Group research, unChristian uncovers the negative perceptions young people have of Christianity and explores what can be done to reverse them.

Leaving Church

Author: Barbara Brown Taylor
Publisher: Canterbury Press
ISBN: 1848253575
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Tells how a renowned preacher left her ministry to rediscover the authentic heart of her faith. A moving reflection on keeping faith amidst the relentless demands of modern life.

Almost Christian

Author: Kenda Creasy Dean
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199758662
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

Book Description
Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.

You Lost Me Discussion Guide

Author: David Kinnaman
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 9780801014994
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Close to 60 percent of young Christians who went to church as teens drop out after high school. In You Lost Me, the bestselling coauthor of unChristian trained his researcher's eye on Christians aged 16-29, exposing why they leave the church and rethink their faith. Now small groups can study this groundbreaking book with a new DVD and discussion guide. This DVD and discussion guide will inform, equip, and empower groups and churches to understand the unique challenges that are affecting younger Christians. It's not eough for us to know that they are dropping out and rethinking their faith; this video study and discussion guide provides key insights and practical ways that we can actively enage this generation with thoughtful conversation.

Our Church and Our Children

Author: Sophie Koulomzin
Publisher: St Vladimir's Seminary Press
ISBN: 9780881412741
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Book Description
This book is a re-release of a classic by a distinguished Orthodox Christian religious educator and a foundational read for Christian parents and educators. Koulomzin, who taught Religious Education at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary from 1954 to 1973, writes as a laywoman, teacher, mother, and grandmother about the task of Christian education. The work is a remarkable compendium of her wisdom. The contents of the book comprise a deep understanding of children, a wise appropriation of educational and developmental theory, a lived knowledge of the Orthodox faith tradition, and a keen sense of Orthodox church life in America. The book is peppered with engaging anecdotes from her half-century of experience working with children in the Church. For Koulomzin, recognizing that children are full members of the Church was of utmost importance, and her life's vocation was encouraging others to see this. Among the key topics addressed in Our Church and Our Children are: the task of Christian education, developmental stages of children, Christian education in the family, the challenges and opportunities of the church school, and a vision and goals for the Christian teacher. It makes an excellent book for either group or personal study. Included in the re-release are a foreword, which gives a glimpse into her incredible personal life, a bibliography, and a chapter-by-chapter study guide.

Already Gone

Author: Ken Ham
Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group
ISBN: 0890515298
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 190

Book Description
NATIONWIDE POLLS AND DENOMINATIONAL REPORTS ARE SHOWING THAT THE NEXT GENERATION IS CALLING IT QUITS ON THE TRADITIONAL CHURCH.

Churchless

Author: George Barna
Publisher: Tyndale House
ISBN: 1414395981
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 223

Book Description
Churchless people are all around us: among our closest loved ones, at our workplaces, in our neighborhoods. And more and more, they are becoming the norm: The number of churchless adults in the US has grown by nearly one-third in the past decade. Yet the startling truth is that many of these people claim they are looking for a genuine, powerful encounter with God—but they just don’t find it in church. What are they (or we) missing? How can we better reach out to them? What can we say or do that would inspire them to want to join a community of faith? Containing groundbreaking new research from the Barna Group, and edited by bestselling authors George Barna (Revolution) and David Kinnaman (You Lost Me), Churchless reveals the results of a five-year study based on interviews with thousands of churchless men and women. Looking past the surface of church attendance to deeper spiritual realities, Churchless will help us understand those who choose not to be part of a church, build trust-based relationships with them, and be empowered to successfully invite them to engage.

Growing Young

Author: Kara Powell
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493405829
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
Unleashing the Passion of Young People in Your Church Is Possible! Churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage. Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation's leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15- to 29-year-olds and as a result are growing--spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically. Packed with both research and practical ideas, Growing Young shows pastors and ministry leaders how to position their churches to engage younger generations in a way that breathes vitality, life, and energy into the whole church. Visit www.churchesgrowingyoung.org for more information.