LifeWay research recently undertook a groundbreaking study of when, why, and how many teenagers, active in church during the High School years, drop out in the years after.

Find the:
Research findings here.
Lifeway press releases here and here.
USA Today story here.

RESEARCH REFLECTIONS

- Mark Lydecker
- Jim Johnston
- Scott Stevens
- Jeff Schadt
- Ed Stetzer

There it was. My brand new Pontiac coupe. Shiny and spotless--except for the bubble in the factory paint. Ugh! I was so disappointed. But with my workmanship warrantee in hand, I was confident the dealer would fix it. Eighteen repair trips later I gave up. My view of "Mr. Goodwrench" was changed forever. From that time on, I vowed NEVER again to purchase a Pontiac. However, about 14 years later I did buy a 'pre-owned' GM product but only for two reasons. First, it was sold to me below market price. Who can resist a good deal! Second, any guess? It wasn't a Pontiac. Could there be any connection between their current marginal auto market share and the way they have responded to their customers understanding and desires? See here.

Unfortunately, the local church has been ignoring an unsightly blemish on the face of the church hoping the problem will just fix itself. No one is going to be shocked by the newest LifeWay research released on the dropout rate of 18- to 22-year-olds from church. If anything, I suspect that many will be surprised that the numbers are not higher than 70%! But do we really need numbers to tell us that we've had and do have a serious issue that desperately needs to be addressed? No, not really.

We will have several guest bloggers this week here at the Lifeway Research Blog.

Scott McConnell from Lifeway Research will interact about the research itself. You can post your questions on any of the guest blogs.

Also, Mark Lydecker and Jim Johnston will be engaging in the conversation in the comments as will Chad Childress, Director of Student Evangelism at the North American Mission Board.

Here are the details:

Mark Lydecker
Tuesday, August 7
Collegiate Evangelism Director -- NAMB
"Lost in Transition"

Jim Johnston
Wednesday August 8
Director, Young Adult Ministry -- LifeWay
"Dropout Study Illustrates the Great Opportunity We Have"

Scott Stevens
Thursday August 9
Director, Student Ministry -- LifeWay
"Why Young Adults Drop Out of Church and What Can Be Done to Stem the Tide"

Jeff Schadt
Friday August 10
Executive Director, Youth Transition Network
Learn about the new initiative at http://www.liveabove.com