Why Our Youth are Leaving the Church – Ed Stolle pt 1
Why Our Youth Are Leaving the Church
Ed Stolle pt 1
There is no doubt today, that our youth are in trouble, spiritually speaking. Many consider the faith of their grandparents and parents as being “narrow minded” or “old fashioned.” Many think the church is too hypocritical or not applicable to today’s society. As Christians, we need to figure out what is wrong inside the churches that is driving our youth away.
My guest today is Ed Stolle. Ed has spent the last 15 years teaching in youth ministry. He currently teaches the middle school age class at the First Baptist Church of Crofton, in Crofton, Maryland. In addition to youth ministry, he has been speaking at conferences around the nation. Some are fairly well known, like at the Colson Institute of Christian Worldviews our at River Valley Ranch camp. He has spoken in churches, on radio and podcasts and is an expert on topics related to church youth.
Ed has served as a financial audit investigator for over 29 years in various government agencies.
Because of his extensive experience in investigations, he has developed an ability to teach, what he calls, “evidence-based apologetics” to youth as well as adults. I know, we are going to learn something today! Praise God!
Help me welcome to the program, Ed Stolle. Ed, thank you for taking time away from your very important day job and coming on the program!
How did you get started down this particular path of teaching Christian Apologetics?
You shared a statistic with me that approximately 70% of the youth brought up in the church, leave the church after high school. Is that right?
What percentage of them come back?
Has there been any surveys or anything that you are aware of as to “Why they left?”
If they were brought up in the church, what are some circumstances that would bring doubts into their minds that the Bible stories they have learned are not true?
Do see the “anti-Christian bias,” on display across America, as a major contributing factor in our young people abandoning their Faith and fleeing the church?
When do they start to actually take notice of the attacks on their Faith? In high school?
What kinds of questions are the youth seeking answers to? What are some of the things they are struggling with when it comes to the Bible?
How do the youth today view the Bible in relation to our culture and everything they see happening in the news?
Are there enough knowledgeable teachers who can teach basic Apologetics at the appropriate grade levels for our youth?
Folks, this is a major crisis that is happening right now in our churches, all across America. In fact, it is beyond crisis mode. Using a term that is popular right now, you could call it a pandemic. But instead of natural lives being lost, it is the spiritual lives, the spiritual future of our youth today. These are YOUR KIDS. These are YOUR GRANDKIDS. These are the future leaders of America, in politics and in business. Do you care? That is the question I’m asking you today. Do – YOU – care?
If so, go down into the show notes and reach out to Ed Stolle. Do it right now, while you are thinking about it. Just click the link and get in touch with him. Invite him to speak at your upcoming youth rally or event. Invite him to come out and speak at your next Bible Conference.