From an email forwarded to me from the North Texas Youth Ministries Department:
“We’ve always been trying to prepare our kids for college (and I still think that’s a critical thing to do, of course), but it turns out that only 11% 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” From the research of Ken Ham author of Already Gone
Since I don’t have the book, I don’t know how they came up with the numbers. However, my observation (most likely with some bias) is that students come to college already having left the church. They don’t come and “fall away”.
From the books promotion:
The study found that we are losing our kids in elementary, middle school, and high school rather than college, and the Sunday school syndrome is contributing to the epidemic, rather than helping alleviate it. This is an alarming wake-up call for the church, showing how our programs and our children are paying the price. Though the statistics reveal a huge disconnect taking place between our children and their church experience, Already Gone shows how to fight back for our families, our churches, and our world. We can make a difference today that will affect the statistics of tomorrow in a positive and Christ-focused way!
You can buy the book here.
