Social issues are a driving force behind why you might see fewer young people in your pew on Sunday. A Springtide Research Institute survey highlighted in the Wall Street Journal showed about half of the people between the ages of 13 to 25 do not believe their religious institutions care as much as they do about issues such as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual (LGBT) rights, racial justice, and gender equity. It has led to less than half of Americans saying that they belong to a house of worship, which is a drop of more than 20 percentage points since 1999. Less than a quarter of young Americans attend religious services on a weekly basis, compared to just over 30 percent for all adults. Families are having fewer kids than they used to, which explains part of the decline. St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church Pastor Joel McKenney says some congregations also wade into areas that Jesus Christ never intended for His church.

McKenney adds that much of the encouragement and prayers are directed at parents in hopes that they can be good role models for their children when it comes to practicing their Christian faith.