Doctors often advise older people to connect to a church if they aren’t already. They want them to have a place for personal relationships to grow, for people to care for them, and for someone to know them. In addition to experiencing God’s love, we grow in faith, experience God’s holiness, and understand our imperfections.
But it’s not just a benefit for older folks. There is a ton of research that tells us that those who are actively involved in their church have stronger marriages, often a longer life span, less depression, and the list goes on.
I just read a small Thom Rainer book called We Want You Here. It’s written and designed generally for any church to hand out to guests. In one portion of the book, he shared statistics about teenagers and their connection to the church.
Being involved in a church makes a teenager stronger and less likely to participate in harmful behavior.
Here’s a list:
- Alcohol abuse is lower
- Cigarette use is much lower
- They are safer drivers
- Less prone to criminal behavior
- Less likely to buy, use, or sell drugs
- They are more engaged in school
- They enjoy life
- They feel like their lives are useful
- They have a sense of hope for the future
- They enjoy school more
- They have an overall higher self-esteem
Some of these aspects were from a National Youth And Religion Study study at the University of North Carolina.
The most significant determining factor for teenagers to be actively involved in church is for the parents and family to be actively connected, modeling their commitment and growth in faith.
But even if a family does not participate, a student can still be connected, and it’s often a compelling witness for a student to encounter Christ, grow in faith, and be the catalyst to share Jesus in their home.
I’m praying for more students to be connected to the church! On a side note, I pray for (and probably need to say more) about school schedules, Wednesday night activities (when our church has their primary ministry to students) and weekend special event / activity schedules on Sundays. I once heard a quote from someone who said, “Tell me where your high school students are on Sunday mornings and I will tell you what your nation will be like in fifty years.”
At the time of this posts, books were around $5. You can order here.
