A lot of study has been done recently on why twenty somethings are leaving the faith and what we can do to bring them back. Our staff is currently reading one of the books that addresses this called Generation Ex-Christian by Drew Dyck. I want to quickly summarize the book for you and I highly suggest you pick up your own copy.
Dyck discusses six types of leavers: postmodernists, recoilers, modern leavers, neo-pagans, rebels, and drifters. The book is well organized as it is broken into six sections that explain how to spot each of these and how to reach out to them. It’s best to read the book for explanations of how to figure out which one of these types you’re talking to when you start a conversation about God, but I can quickly run down his points for reaching a couple of them.
Postmodernists
– Postmodernists care deeply about experiences so the best thing you can do is share your story.
– Don’t be afraid to be transparent with them. Be honest about your struggles and be willing to find out the answer to a question instead of pretending you know it all.
– Because they thrive on personal experience, invite them to come along with you if you’re doing a service project or any other event that serves people.
Recoilers
– Recoilers are people who have been hurt by Christians, someone in authority, or feel God has let them down. The best thing you can do is empathize with their pain.
– Because they have most likely been hurt by a relationship, their healing usually comes in the form of another relationship.
– Enjoy your faith. People need to see the joy that comes from living for Jesus.
He goes on to discuss the four other types of leavers and gives his suggestions on how to best reach them. The book is filled with in depth interviews and stories of people who grew up Christian and have since walked away from God. It’s sad to hear at times, but there are also glimmers of hope that they might come back to God some day.
In college ministry we’re likely to come across people like this on a regular basis. I highly encourage you to read this book so that you can be best prepared when you do get into different conversations. You can follow the link in the Books to Read section on the left to find it on Amazon.
With the BASIC conference this weekend I’ll be taking a break from the blog next week to get some much needed rest. If you haven’t registered for the BASIC conference yet you won’t want to miss it! This will be an amazing weekend of hearing from God. The theme this semester is Blueprint: Discovering God’s Plans for Your Life with speakers Pierre du Plessis, Mike Cavanaugh, and a worship session with Phil Wickham. Online registration is open until Wednesday at noon. After that you can call the office (585-624-7930) or register at the Rochester Plaza Hotel on Friday. Registration opens at that day at 5 PM.