Amazing Facts' Bachelor to address youth exodus from church
Church leaders have often lamented the high rates at which young people choose to stop attending church. An Adventist Church supporting ministry next week will address questions from teenagers in an attempt to keep them engaged in seeking their own spirituality.
Doug Batchelor of the Sacramento, California-based Amazing Facts ministry will host the Most Important Questions series for teens, running from October 8 to 16.
The series, to be broadcast from Great Lakes Academy in Cedar Lake, Michigan, will address questions on topics such as Christian hypocrisy, culture and sexuality. Questions are already being posted on the event's website miqteens.com.
The series will be broadcast on the Inspiration Network, Hope Channel and 3ABN.
"This is a real opportunity for people to look around their church and see that there may not be a lot of people between the ages of 18 to 24," said Sam Godfrey, marketing director for Amazing Facts.
Godfrey said as many as 70 percent of young people no longer attend church after reaching their 20s. "This is attempt to stop that exodus and keep that generation of young teens in the church," he said.
Godfrey said nearly 1,000 locations have signed up to host the series.
Amazing Facts is a self-funded supporting ministry of the Adventist Church, and is owned by the church's Northern California Conference, based in Pleasant Hill.