Resolving Young Adult Attrition

Authors

Martin Weber

Document Type

Contribution to Book

Publication Date

2009

Abstract

Many Seventh-day Adventist clergy suffer the loss of their adult children to denominational attrition, and their pain is shared throughout the general population of North American Adventist parents. To identify the causative factors and design remedies, I devoted a Doctor of Ministry project involving active and retired clergy couples in the Mid-America Union. A 111-point questionnaire was mailed to each of 222 active and retired clergy who have adult children. Data requested was based on the research question: What influences from Seventh-day Adventist clergy parents in Mid-America may affect whether their children experience attrition from that denomination upon becoming adults? Data collected from the 113 questionnaires returned by clergy parents identified 40 attrition factors, yielding the following summary of conclusions: The most significant factors in avoiding attrition are 1) being able to discuss church problems in the parsonage while also 2) managing to sustain joy and togetherness in the family circle and 3) giving teens freedom to develop their own faith experience without the expectation of being super saints.

First Page

185

Last Page

189

Book Title

Ministering with Millennials: A Complete Report on the 180° Symposium

Editor

Roger L. Dudley with Allan Walshe

Publisher

Advent Source

City

Lincoln, NE

Series

The 180° Symposium

ISBN

9781577565307

Recommended Citation

Weber, Martin, "Resolving Young Adult Attrition" (2009). 180 Symposium Publications. 77.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cye-pubs/77

Acknowledgements

Posted with permission, Center for Youth Evangelism at Andrews University