Church Membership III: Young People Leaving the Church

Growing up in churches that were either North American Baptist (NAB) or Southern Baptist (SBC) the sad reality existed that many of my friends or people in the church that went through the right process......

• Walked the aisle for salvation and made a public declaration of faith
• Were baptized (and received cards and cash for it?)
  
• And were then admitted into church membership by a vote of the congregation.

many of them are not in the church anymore. You've probably heard the statistics from Barna, Josh McDowell or other researchers that the alarming trend of young people leaving the church is at an all time high. I am currently reading Voddie Baucham Jr.'s book entitled Family Driven Faith (Crossway, 2007). Baucham makes some profound, challenging, but true statements. "How can anyone remain faithful to a belief system that is relegated to the outskirts of their lives." Wow! As I read that statement I couldn't help but think of all the competing, time-consuming wastes of time that we pursue. iPod, XBox 360, the internet, the latest movies, fashion, sports, television, stupid magazines on the rack at the grocery store, cars, books on self-help, etc. Baucham goes on to say that, "The problem is that most of them (kids leaving Christianity as they leave home), by their own admission, are not Christian! Hence leaving makes complete sense. What if Christian parents are going through life convinced that their children are regenerate when in fact they are not?" Baucham points out that with this statement he has opened a much needed can of worms.

They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that is would be shown that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:19)

I believe the responsibility of parents isn't to make sure their kids go through the standard procedural process in the church (whatever it may be in whatever denomination), but that much prayer be done in the area of "Jesus - do a mighty work and give our children a new heart - because the heart they have is DEAD until you make it alive" as Regeneration is an act of God by which He imparts and gives new spiritual life to us. We need to make sure that a regenerate heart exists before we call people Christians. That statistics may make a little more sense if we would have a better understanding of what regeneration authentically is.