Already
Gone – A
Must Read
for
Parents and Pastors
By Jim Day
It
has become a troubling, national trend. Churches are losing a growing number of
youth at an unbelievable rate! Sixty-one percent of today’s young adults who
were regular church attendees are now “spiritually disengaged.”
Ken Ham, leader of the world’s largest apologetics ministry, Answers
in Genesis (www.AnswersInGenesis.org), presents a definitive and detailed
study of this disturbing 
phenomenon
and presents empowering solutions in a new book co-authored with a leading
consumer research analyst entitled, Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church
and what you can do to stop it. For parents as well as local and national
church leaders, the trends are frightening.
Ham
teamed up with Britt Beemer, founder of America’s Research Group, to get to the
heart of this disturbing trend. Beemer surveyed 1,000 twenty-something’s who
were devoted church attendees but have since left the Church. The results were
more than just surprising; in some cases, they were shocking.
Research
showed that students who regularly attend Sunday School
are actually: “more likely to defend premarital sex;” “more likely to accept
that gay marriage and abortion should be legal;” and “more likely to believe
that good people don’t need to go to church.”
In
sifting through the data provided by those interviewed, Ham and Beemer were
able to discover what factors have influenced this modern-day youth exodus from
the Church. Results showed that these young adults would prefer good, quality Bible teachings, but had found their churches
to be more driven by man-made tradition than biblical mandates.
Of
these young adults, they can be primarily separated into two groups – one
which attends church possibly during Easter and Christmas, and the other which
never plans to return. What factors first influenced these decisions and what
might encourage one of these groups to reconsider returning to church are
fascinating aspects of the results in Already
Gone.
Already Gone presents specific calls to
action for Christian educators, youth pastors, pastors and parents. As an
example, in chapter 7 Ham addresses parents by imploring: “Parents, it’s time
to search your own heart and know your own ways and see if there is any hurtful
way within you (Ps.139: 24). Do you
love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your might? Do you take the words of God and treasure them in your heart and
teach them to your kids by talking to them about God’s Word as if it’s a normal
part of your life? Is it your life? The faith of your family starts with you.”
“This
unique and powerful book will not only change your thinking, but has the
potential to change the direction of the Church in America and around the
world. You will be shocked and challenged by these results, inspiring you to
make radically needed improvements in our church programs,” Ham stated.
So
why does it matter if this generation is lost? If the trend continues, not only
will this generation be lost, but so will the Church in America. Yes, it can
happen here. Ham makes a compelling connection to the loss of churches in the
United Kingdom and what is already happening in New England – churches being
closed and re-purposed as homes for businesses or private residences. The book
begins and ends by showing the critical importance of keeping churches strong
and relevant so they can thrive.
Recently
the Creation Museum in Cincinnati, OH was the site of the first-ever State of
the Nation web cast featuring the authors of Already Gone and the information discovered in the study. To see
this compelling presentation, visit www.creationmuseum.org.
The
disturbing trends reported in this book makes clear that programs currently
used in the Church are actually ineffective. How do we fix this? It’s not
too late! Don’t wait to find the answers—visit www.nlpg.com or your local
Christian bookstore and get your copy of Already
Gone today!
