Statistically Speaking...

Good morning class!

OK OK! Don't hit the back button on your browser or surf away towards Facebook.

I'm a bit of a dweeb who gets caught up in statistics and numbers sometimes. Now, I have to pause and say for my ministry friends I don't play the 'number game'. You know what I'm talking about.

"We had 100 students at our Youth Ministry and 115 answered the call of salvation!"

:D

I just spent some time this morning pouring over some localized statistics about the city and area that we live in. Particularly because we are interested in buying a house...SOMEDAY SOON! I just like to be well educated in where I want to live because it helps me be in touch and in focus with the community around me!

I was presented with some eye opening stats about where we live and what many would suspect to be a God-fearing, church going area. I mean drive by one of our many churches, mega-churches and even hear the occasional wood-cutting guy at my local hardware store tell me "God Bless You" and I didn't even SNEEZE!

But a recent survey conducted by the National Research Center in Boulder, CO gave some insight to a delimma that we as the church are facing! A growing gap of teens and young adults that are not as likely to be involved in church or any ministry for that matter!

The question was posed to individuals "In the past 12 months have you participated in religious or spiritual activities.."

Of the respondents aged 55 and above 65% said yes.

Of those aged 35-54, the percentage was lower at 60%.

Of those questioned aged 18-34 those who had participated in religious or spiritual activities was only 32%. Less than a third of the population their age level. This is my age level.

Now, I can't sit here and say that the same would hold true for students in Jr/Sr High schools in Noblesville, Indiana. But what I can tell you is that if statistics are an indication of where religious affiliation and/or spirituality are held in regard to my generation and the one after us (those in school now) it is not very high.

I'd like to make a second observation. The question was vague on what kind of religious or spiritual activity was taking place. Those questioned could have been taking part in a Jewish Bar-Mitzvah or partaking in a Muslim call to worship. They may have attended a service at a LDS church or gathered with other Jehovah's witnesses (a group of which I met recently at a nearby Starbucks...many of whom were YOUNG PROFESSIONALS!)

We need to pray for a great CHRISTIAN influence in the lives of the generations to come. It all begins at home and where they spend their formative years...our SCHOOLS!

I want to remind you, Tiffany and I don't live on the East coast. We're not in a huge metropolitan city. We're actually in a (gasp) Republican county, in a RED state, in a suburban town with a church on every other corner and then some. Yet for some odd reason 68% of young adults and I'm GUESSING many more of our students in local Jr/Sr High schools won't even admit to PRACTICING ANY KIND of religion, let along true faith in the one way to heaven, Jesus Christ.

I know this has been more of a serious and heavy blog post but I needed to share that this isn't just a Noblesville problem, I bet if your city or town published survey results we'd see more of the same.

We have to change this. We need to give the hope and change our students are looking for. I for one know it can truly only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Indiana has 700+ Jr/Sr High School campuses with over 640,000 students in grades 6-12 that walk onto them daily. Latest Assemblies of God Annual Church Ministry Reports indicate that our 240+ Indiana A/G churches can only account for roughly 6,000 of those students. That is just the amount of students that have come through our churches, not attesting to spiritual development of those students. That is less than 1% of our student population. We must do better.

If you're wondering about the statistics I received about our town, Noblesville, you can find them on page 7 of this link. http://www.smcitizens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/statistics-education-research-day1.jpeg