Already Gone! At the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, one of the messengers shared, he had been reading a book by Ken Ham, entitled Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it. I look forward to reading the book but reviewed some reviews and excerpts on the Amazon website.
"We've always been trying to prepare our kids for college... but it turns out that only 11 percent of those who have left the Church did so during the college years. Almost 90 percent of them were lost in middle school and high school. By the time they got to college they were already gone! About 40 percent are leaving the Church during elementary and middle school years! Most people assumed that elementary and middle school is a fairly neutral environment where children toe the line and follow in the footsteps of their parents' spirituality. Not so. I believe that over half of these kids were lost before we got them into high school! Whatever diseases are fueling the epidemic of losing our young people, they are infecting our students much, much earlier than most assumed."
As State Sunday School Director, one of the most disturbing findings by Beemer and Ham was that attending Sunday School did not make a significant impact on those who were surveyed. The conclusion was an indictment on what is being taught in Sunday School. Teaching stories about the Bible are not enough. Children, youth, and adults desire answers to life’s challenging questions through effective Bible Study. I look forward to reading the book and contemplating how Sunday School and Christian Education must change so that changed lives is the product of attending Sunday School.
All Christian Educators, youth and children leaders, and parents will find this book essential reading. Let’s be open to examining our practices and seeking God’s direction to impact the lives of children and youth.
