Over the last 10 years, there has been a lot of research on the church 'dropout' rate. We've heard statistics about 85% of university aged students disappearing from the church. Recent Canadian studies have shown that there is more bleed before the end of high school than after. American studies have pointed to an even younger bleed point. What is it in your ministry? Have you followed your people (not just numbers)?
Here is what I think.... write some comments below with a picture of your situation.
I think that, across Canada, the biggest point of drop out seems to be by grade 7. It appears to me, that the transition between children's ministry and youth ministry is the point at which we are losing up to 66% of our people!
With the help of some youth ministry friends, I have tracked attendance for about 12 years in a bunch of churches.
On average (average doesn't mean it is normal - or should be normal) if you had 100 kids in your grade 2 Sunday School class, only 34 of those kids make it to attending your junior high by grade 7. There are a million reasons why.
Of those 34 that attend junior high in grade 7, only 15 are left by grade 12 graduation. Of those 15.... So, ya! We have lost 85% of our people through college!!
Over the last 10 years, I've worked with a lot of churches to try to solidify this important transition. We've seen some very cool things happen and some very creative things to bolster the transition. Hemorrhaging Faith research tells us that it is our transitions that are killing us.
What are you doing to intentionally transition kids from children's ministry to youth ministry?
Share your thoughts below!
Dave Brotherton was a youth pastor from 1984-2006 and now teaches youth ministry at Ambrose University College in Calgary. Dave is also the National Youth Guy for the Alliance churches in Canada and the director of Legacy Youth Conference. Dave is married to Lisa and they share 2 of the greatest kids in the world. Fishing, camping, and cheering on the Leafs are some of his favorite things.
twitter: @oldbrotherdave
3 comments:
Dave - awesome post! Same topic I wrote about today with additional info and resources. Have you read Before You Say Goodbye? Great stuff in there.
Thnx for all you do!
Dave - awesome post! Same topic I wrote about today with additional info and resources. Have you read Before You Say Goodbye? Great stuff in there.
Thnx for all you do!
Great post Dave. One of the things that came out in the Hemorrhaging Faith Survey is that the Canadian Church's biggest loss is really from Children's ministry into youth ministry.
There are many reasons for that and the numbers vary according to denominational types. However, there are some very simple and practical things we should be doing.
The most basic is to have make a plan to transition children into Jr High ministry. Be intentional. Work with those running the children's ministry. Recognize the investment that has already been made and then build on it. Do one or two transition events a year with the leaders from both groups.
Follow up. Sometimes the best follow up can be done from the leaders of the ministry the youth are coming from. This is why it is important all ministries in a church are working together. So the first year the youth are in Jr High the children's and jr high leaders should both be involved with encouraging and calling. The same is true of other age groups.
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