The Crisis of Youth Faith—Rediscovering Discipleship at Home and Church
Introduction: The Tension We Feel
If you read our other post, It Takes a Family, you saw how discipleship begins at home and continues in the church. As we talk about how, we also need to talk about why. Scripture makes it clear that raising disciples is central to God’s design, and our culture is sounding the alarm that we can’t afford to ignore.
Over the last decade, students have been leaving the church at alarming rates. And it’s not just students, but it’s the Church as a whole. Nationwide, fewer people than ever consider following Jesus important in their daily lives. Yet in the middle of this decline, there’s surprising good news: Gen Z is driving a resurgence of spiritual interest. While the research is still catching up, one theme is already clear: young people are hungry for an authentic faith.
That’s something to celebrate, but it’s also something to steward carefully. If we’re not intentional, we could slip back into old cycles of students walking away once again. The temptation is to think bigger events, cooler programs, and flashier experiences will keep them. But as even cultural researchers are pointing out, the real key isn’t flash, it’s faithfulness. Authenticity, humility, and discipleship are what students truly need.
As parents, leaders, and mentors, our calling is to give them just that: a discipleship that lasts, a faith that holds strong no matter the cultural climate, and a passion for Jesus that equips them to go out and disciple others for the rest of their lives.
Why Students Have Walked Away
A 2019 LifeWay study found that nearly two-thirds of students stopped attending church within a year of graduating high school. Their top reasons were clear:
Faith felt optional once they left home.
They experienced judgment instead of grace.
They lacked meaningful relationships in the church.
Other studies done by groups like Barna also conclude that students often walk away because they’ve never been shown why Jesus is worth their whole lives. Research shows that too often, churches have prioritized numbers over true community.
I remember reading these statistics a few years ago and realizing how easily I had fallen into that same trap—hoping for more students instead of faithfully caring for the ones God had already entrusted to me. The temptation is real for all of us.
For churches, it’s easy to think the answer is bigger programs and louder events while neglecting the slow, steady work of discipleship. For parents and mentors, it’s easy to send kids off to youth group or revival events while forgetting that discipleship begins at home and that our own walks with Jesus matters most.
But here’s the good news: those temptations don’t have to define us. We don’t have to chase numbers or excitement. We get to disciple students. We get to walk with them, point them to Jesus, and remind them that their faith is not optional—it’s essential, life-giving, and worth everything.
The Answer Isn’t Flashy—It’s Faithful
As mentioned earlier, Gen-Z is coming to Jesus at encouraging rates, but not because of anything flashy. What they crave is authentic, faithful discipleship. It’s the slow, intentional work of walking with students over time that forms a faith that lasts. The goal isn’t just that they “ride a trend” of revival for a season, but that they carry their faith into adulthood and prayerfully, into their families for generations to come.
That’s why my hope and prayer for our students is not just that they learn to read their Bibles, but that they also learn to teach the Bible. Even more than that, I want them to learn how to teach others to teach the Bible, so that the ripple of discipleship continues long after they leave our ministry. Discipleship isn’t about the short seven years I may have with them in youth group, hoping they “get faith” after high school. It’s about the long game of raising up believers who thrive for the long haul and who disciple others to do the same.
For parents and mentors, this connects directly back to what we talked about in the last blog. Prayer, Scripture, and “gospeling ourselves” are foundational, but the next step is to show students how to share those things with others. They need models of faith who don’t just point them to practices, but point them to the person of Jesus and His gospel. Programs and events can be wonderful tools, but they only bear lasting fruit when rooted in the steady, faithful discipleship of parents, mentors, and the church family.
So let’s stay focused on the long game. Discipleship is slow, intentional, and deeply relational, but it’s also what transforms lives for generations to come. If you have a chance, take a moment to reflect and ponder on the Scriptures below as to what these God-breathed words can do to change your life and how you pour into your students.
Key Scriptures:
Matthew 28:19–20 — discipleship is the mission.
2 Timothy 2:2 — faith is meant to be passed on.
Conclusion: Revival From Generation to Generation
My hope in writing this blog is not to stir up fear or guilt you into discipling your students. Rather, it’s to remind us how significant their faith journey truly is. If history has shown us anything, it’s that new waves of revival are often carried by the younger generation’s hunger for authenticity. Right now, we’re seeing that same hunger rise again.
This is an incredible opportunity. Instead of standing by and watching students drift from the church, we can step in with intentional care and discipleship. What they need most is not another program or trend—it’s an authentic relationship with Jesus, modeled and lived out by the people who love them most. When we teach them to walk with Christ, and even more, to teach others to do the same, we equip them to carry faith far beyond their teenage years.
That’s how revival doesn’t just spark for a moment, it spreads from generation to generation.