Student Ministry Future

The Flow

The Flow for tonight is we will first address the why of some changes we would like to make.

Second, I will briefly address the situation with Jake and Bri.

Thirdly I will open up for questions.

Why

66% or 2/3rds that is the amount of kids who leave the church after they graduate high school. Some leave for a year and come back after, some leave for many years, some never return.

For us when we have 30 kids that means 20 of them leave. I am not ok with this. I want to change this.

Why: The goal is to integrate students into the whole church and give them the tools and faith as they move into adulthood.

Many studies seem to show that students who have less integration and more custom programming are more likely to leave the church after graduation and develop a consumer faith.

Research:

There is a significant body of research from organizations like the Barna Group, Lifeway Research, and academic journals that provides valuable insights.

The consensus from these studies suggests that a key factor in whether young adults stay connected to the church after high school is their integration into the larger, intergenerational church community, not just their involvement in a separate youth group.

Here's what the research generally indicates:

The "Silo" Effect: One of the main reasons cited for this dropout rate is the "silo" or "bubble" effect created by a segregated youth ministry. When a youth group is too isolated from the rest of the church, teenagers may feel that they are part of a separate social club rather than a core part of the church family. Their faith becomes tied to a specific community of peers and a specific youth leader, making the transition to a new community in college or a new city incredibly difficult.

Lack of Intergenerational Relationships: Research from Barna and others highlights the importance of young people having meaningful relationships with adults outside of their parents and youth leaders. When teens are only ever with their peers in a separate service, they don't develop the relational bridges and sense of belonging that tie them to the entire congregation. This makes it harder for them to feel "at home" in the main service after they've graduated.

Consumer Mentality: A youth ministry that is heavily focused on entertainment, high-energy games, and "relevant" teaching can inadvertently foster a consumerist mindset. Teenagers may come to view church as a place that is supposed to entertain them, and when they transition to a more traditional or less flashy "big church" service, they find it less engaging and stop attending.

The "Transition" Challenge: The transition from a youth-centric environment to the main adult service can be a significant hurdle. When youth ministry is a separate service, it often operates on a different rhythm and uses different teaching styles than the main service. This can make the move feel jarring, like they're starting all over in an unfamiliar place.

The Counter-Argument and Nuance:

It's important to note that the existence of a separate youth service is not the only factor. Many churches that have separate services are still successful at retaining their young adults. What makes the difference, according to the research, is how they bridge the gap. Successful models often include:

Intentional Intergenerational Engagement: Creating opportunities for youth to serve alongside adults (e.g., in the sound booth, as ushers, in children's ministry) and fostering mentorship relationships with older members.

Student-Led Ministry: Empowering youth to take on leadership roles and responsibilities within the main service, giving them a sense of ownership and contribution.

Service and Outreach: Engaging youth in community service projects and missions that connect their faith to the real world, moving them beyond a consumer mindset to a contributor mindset.

A Clear "Path to Adulthood": Having a deliberate strategy for transitioning high school seniors and college students into the main church body, connecting them with small groups or mentors in the adult congregation.

I believe that our church does well but we can do better, we can do more.

The goal is to maximize that transition (high school → adulthood) and minimize drop-off, the research leans toward integrating youth more with adult worship and church life, or at least ensuring that youth have regular, meaningful exposure to the life and practices of the “big church.”

What: Starting next year we want to stop having students meet every Sunday and start a staggered schedule so they can get the best of both worlds. 1st and 3rd Sundays would be church with their families and 2nd and 4th Sundays they would have youth specific programming on Sunday mornings.

We also want to move to a year round evening meeting schedule that follows the school schedules. This way we do not burn out or over extend our volunteers.

The Goal is to integrate our students into the fuller life of the church and give them a faith founded and focused on Jesus Christ that they can take with them when they graduate.

I know that some of you have heard different things. I would add that sometimes things change when you talk through it with time to process. Time to process is key. This is something that we have been thinking about for 7 months if not longer. And as we talk new ideas can emerge. This happens every day in every persons life. I am a human being. I am subject to thinking one way and then modifying that idea. That is called being a person and being open to new information.

The goal has always been to have a conversation with parents. I was not expected to be rushed into it.

Jake and Bri

There has been a lot of talk about what happened with Jake and Bri. There are a lot of rumors going around. There are stories about why they were asked to step down.

I have also been called a lot of names. A lot of very hurtful things have been said about me.

The truth is their departure is nuanced. It was not a single issue. However, I am not going to stand up here and talk bad, point fingers, or say things that would dishonor them. That is not Christlike and I am not going to do that. I respect them and the work they have done loving our students, you all, and Jesus too much for that.

I love them and when I told them we needed to go in a different direction for leadership of the ministry I told them I love them and while I understand you will probably want to leave I am in no way shape or form asking you to leave the church.

Now, I learned today that private conversations were recorded and some of those recordings have been shared with students and maybe others. I do not know if it is the whole conversations.

I do know that I am not afraid of that. I cannot think of anything I have ever said that I would be scared of getting out.

I also know that sometimes in a private conversation things are said a certain way for specific reasons. Sometimes as a boss you tell employees something in a very specific way for a specific reasons.

I would not judge any of you on why or how you said something in a private conversation.

Jake and Bri and I had over a year of conversations so we talked about a lot of things.

And sometimes things change when you talk through it with time to process.

I did not go into this lightly. I did not want this. I never desired this. I tried everything within my power to not do this. I love Jake and Bri, but it is where we are.

If you have heard specific things and want to talk to me please do. I would love the opportunity to address the specific things you have heard. If you do not want to talk I understand that as well.

The only other thing I will say is I do not make decisions in a vacuum. Not only do I generally do an absurd amount of research but I also talk to Howie and the leadership team. Many times when I act on something sometimes there are also people and the secrets they have entrusted me with involved. I will not share that privileged information.

Many of you have shared personal, secret, and important things and when I am proposing large scale decisions I take that into account.

How will we lead now. We have an amazing team of volunteers that are prepared to step up and lead. We will have leaders over each age group. Julie Meier has already reset up the Group Mes and as best as we can control we will not miss a beat.

Lastly, because somehow this is going around, Krystal is not being fired. Krystal is not going anywhere. Krystal has been here for 7 years and does an amazing job. She more than most has earned a Sabbatical and she deserves this. She will be out for 3-weeks and I am happy for her to get away and get some refreshment and rest.

Questions?

Additional Research:

What the Research Finds

Sticky Faith Study (Fuller Youth Institute, 2007-onward)

This longitudinal research followed high school seniors for a time into college.

One of the findings: students who had more intergenerational worship (i.e. worship with adults and other age groups, rather than just youth meetings) tend to have higher faith maturity in high school and their freshman year of college.

Also, involvement in serving with younger children or in “all-church” roles is correlated with better retention or stronger ongoing faith.

Case Study: Integrated Youth Ministry (Collegedale Church, Seventh-day Adventists)

This study looked at what happened when the church moved from a segregated youth worship service to a more integrated model, including home-based small groups where both youth and adults are present.

They found that adult involvement increased sharply when youth ministry was more intergenerational. Also, the teens reported more connection to the broader church family. While this study didn’t track all youth into their adult lives, it indicates that integration increases feelings of belonging.

Qualitative / Survey Findings: “Intergenerational Relationships & Worship”

Many articles highlight that youth who worship and serve alongside adults feel more part of the church, are better exposed to what it means to participate in the larger life of the church, and thus are less likely to “drop out” when they leave youth group or high school.

Conversely, too much segregation (youth only with youth, minimal interaction with adults in worship or church life) seems to leave gaps: lack of exposure to adult role models, less understanding of what the “adult church” really is, weaker attachment to core practices.

Attrition Rates & Drop‐Out

Some studies show a large drop in church involvement among students after high school. E.g., in the Collegedale case, there was an approximately 68% attrition (i.e. people growing up in that church who stop participating) before any interventions.

The “Sticky Faith” project similarly noted that 40-50% of students who were very active drop out of church attendance upon graduating high school.

Pros & Cons as Seen in the Research

Here are some inferred pros and cons based on the research (specifically with regard to long-term church participation):

Potential Benefit of Separating Youth (own meetings)

Potential Risks / Costs

• Teens get age-appropriate teaching and fellowship. • Youth meetings can be more culturally relevant / engaging for their developmental stage. • Youth feel safer, among peers, to ask questions and share.

• Less exposure to adult role models, adult worship practices, and the fuller “adult church” life. • Weaker integration into the whole church community can lead to lower sense of belonging beyond youth group. • When youth graduate or leave peer group, they might find “adult church” unfamiliar or unwelcoming. • Potential spiritual immaturity, if they aren’t being challenged by the broader congregation’s practices.

Implications / What Seems to Help

Based on what the studies suggest, some best practices that help mitigate the risks of separation:

Encouraging intergenerational worship: youth attend worship together with adults, participate in it.

Having youth serve in roles in the main church service (ushers, reading Scripture, music, etc.). This gives them ownership and connects them to the whole congregation.

Fostering significant, meaningful relationships between youth and adults in the congregation – mentoring, discipleship, not just peer relationships.

Providing bridges: teaching teens about what it means to be part of the adult church, helping them transition (e.g. inviting them to adult classes, giving them responsibilities).

Tentative Conclusion

Yes — the weight of evidence suggests that having youth separated from the larger adult church for worship and ministry tends to correlate with higher drop-out rates or lower participation after high school, compared to models where youth are more integrated. Separation can help in some ways (peer bonding, age-relevant teaching), but the costs in long-term attachment and faith maturity seem real.