Why is the Youth Leaving the Church?
By Dr. Ken Matto
Proverbs 2:13 (KJV) Who leave the paths of
uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
I keep hearing this theme repeatedly, whether it be on
the radio, or just Christians talking about the exodus of the youth from the
churches. The basic reason that the youth is leaving the church is because the
church no longer teaches the true, life-changing gospel. These churches allow
the youth to determine the type of music and that is why we see so many rock and
roll bands in the majority of churches. Youth need to be guided, they are not to
be the guides. The simple fact is that since the church has acquiesced to the
inane idea that we need to reach the youth and nothing else matters. The church
no longer is a place of distinction because it has lowered its spiritual
standards to that of the world.
If you think I am just making this up, then visit a
night club and then listen to the music your church spews out. You will find
very little difference because the world’s music has infected the church. It is
the same beat just with religious lyrics. The church no longer is a place where
the spirit can feel at home instead it is a place of anxiety because instead of
the true Christian spirituality ruling the church, the ministry to the flesh is
ruling the church. Once the old hymns were thrown out and the charismatic 7/11
songs replaced them, the music ministry degenerated into nothing but a
liquorless bar. The Bible teaches that we are to have reverence in God’s
sanctuary. Leviticus 19:30 (KJV) Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my
sanctuary: I am the LORD. How is a high decibel level of music reaching the
youth? It is not. Once the old hymns were thrown out, the spirituality level
went down because there was no more true biblical teachings coming through in
the music.
You see, we not only remember what we are taught from
the pulpit or from listening to a sermon, but it is the music of the church
which added to the spirituality and growth of a Christian. When I was 5 years
old, I used to come home from VBS or Saturday School and sing “How Great Thou
Art” to my mother. Yes, we had spiritual instruction every Saturday from 9 AM to
Noon. In the summer we had VBS for two full weeks, Monday to Friday from 9 AM
till noon and we had well over 100 children attending. We used to sing the old
hymns and we would remember them, plus we even sang them in Hungarian. During
the week, they would help us get through tough times. What I am saying here is
that the churches years ago were committed to bringing up the youth according to
the Scriptures and the youth did not complain nor did they run the churches. Our
church had a pipe organ in it and it sounded so nice when the old hymns were
played and we sang with them.
It created a spiritual atmosphere and you looked
forward to going to church on Sunday morning because it was time of quietness
for your soul. You were able to come out of the world for two hours and it was
spiritually refreshing. But when the rock music starts in the modern church, it
is anything but refreshing, in fact, it is damaging to one’s spiritual growth.
Then we used the King James Version of the Bible. In
fact my confirmation Bible from 1967 was in the King James. It is now on the
mission field somewhere in the world. Now you have a church with a hundred
people and you have 20 different translations which engender total confusion and
we know who causes confusion. 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV) For God is not the
author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Today’s churches are nothing but temples of confusion and the pastors are
responsible for allowing their churches to be that way. These pastors are
nothing but rank failures and should not be in the position. In fact, the pastor
is a spiritual gift and not one that you can choose so you can avoid having to
work in industry. Ephesians 4:11 (KJV) And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; One needs
to be truly called to be a pastor because the pastor’s primary responsibility is
spiritual oversight over the church, disallowing false gospels from entering.
The problem is that with most pastors, the false gospels follow them right into
the church with full acceptance.
So what you have is an amalgamated gospel which
couldn’t convert anyone along with music that deafens you and then you all
wonder why the youth is leaving the church. The church needs to be a place which
is different from the world and it needs to be run by adults, not youth or by
youth pastors who want to turn every church into an amusement park. These church
leaders are forgetting one very serious thing. The youth they are trying to
reach all have eternal souls and if the church is not teaching the true Gospel
along with true biblical music, then you are not reaching the youth, you are
sentencing them to eternal damnation. (Thanks be to God for predestination and
election because they bypass the dunderheaded clergy)
The spiritual needs of youth are no different today
than 100 years ago because they both need to hear the true Gospel to become
Saved. Romans 10:17 (KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God. If you remove the word of God and replace them with all
those compromised Roman Catholic modern versions, then you are allowing Satan to
enter into your church and no one will grow. Once you reinstate the Godly music
and toss out the counterfeit bible versions, you will begin to see youth coming
back to the church instead of running from it. Remember you need to feed their
souls and not their flesh. Romans 13:14 (KJV) But put ye on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Once your church becomes different from the world, you will begin to see growth
in all your people, or most of them anyway. If no one is becoming saved in a
church, then that assembly has ceased to be a church and unfortunately that is
the situation in most churches today. Once the youth start to become saved, then
they will catch on fire and desire to reach others with the Gospel. You see,
there are many spiritual paths out in the world which lead to eternal damnation
such as new age, kundalini yoga, Buddhism, and other eastern religions which
many youth are trying simply because their church has failed to bring the true
Gospel which is what they are really searching for. The church can cut off at
the pass their youth from getting involved with all these esoteric religions and
become their spiritual protectors. This can only be done if the church is
teaching the true Gospel and using true biblical music.
Let us just recap how the youth can be brought back
into the church:
1. Get rid of the Big Bands and bring back the Organ
2. Get rid of the counterfeit Bible Versions and use
the King James Bible for continuity and truth.
3. Church leaders need to dress up on Sunday mornings
in Suits.
4. Get rid of all the praise songs and replace the
hymn book back in the pews.
5. There needs to be an exhorting sermon preached.
If you are not willing to do this, then you are
showing you have no concern for the eternal consequences your people will face
just so you can be popular. Woe unto you!