3 ways to help your children stick to the faith in a culture that teaches them to rebel

Of the hundreds of evangelical clergy and parents in Britain, Canada and the United States that I have interviewed over the last two decades, passing on the faith the next generation is a top priority. Yet their best efforts often fail. I’ve listened to many parents grieve when their children leave the faith. I spoke with Joe, a committed evangelical father of four. Three of his adult children no longer attend church and two are no longer Christian. “Was I too pushy to force them to go to church? Or was I not? You know, did I not show them enough love? Or was I too soft?”, he wonders out loud.

Joe is not alone. In Britian and Canada, books of faith transmission titled ’Mass Exodus’ and ’Hemorrhaging Faith’ leave little doubt about what is happening. Between one-third and one-half of evangelical-raised kids no longer affiliate with any faith (much less attend a church), and have become what Stephen Bullivant calls “nonverts”. Why is it so hard to pass down the faith?