Out of Ur points to an interesting article in USA Today about the high rate of young adults who stop attending church by age 23.

The poll was conducted by LifeWay Research, an affiliate of the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. 70% of young adults drop out of Protestant churches, and 34% do not attend even sporadically after age 30. That means at least one in four young people who leave the church never return.

Interestingly, the survey also found that those who stayed or returned to the church tended to grow up in a home where both parents are committed to the church.

Maybe we could say that the most important indicator of whether a person remains a part of the church has to do with whether their family and community has a deep commitment to the church.

Any thoughts?