Forgotten Churches and Their Youth
In rural and remote communities, churches are waiting, wondering, and worrying about how to keep a pastor, pay the bills, and attract warm bodies. Many congregations are simply viewed as irrelevant. In most cases, there are no teenagers to be found, and effective youth ministry is practically nonexistent because these locations have been long overlooked, underserved, and essentially, forgetten.
We are losing the next generation of leaders.
“Rural America is the most neglected geographical area of our nation.” — Verley Sangster, Young Life Executive Vice-President
“The problems of rural areas and communities have been grossly overlooked by our society. These problems, especially those surrounding adolescents need immediate attention.” — National Rural Development Institute
“If people continue to shove rural kids underneath the table, they will wake up to the realization that all the kids we “throw away” are coming back. It’s sort of pay now or pay later.” — Bill Harris, Founder of KIDPAC
According to research, rural students are hurting as bad as inner city kids.
- 39% of junior high and high schools are identified as rural (100,000 schools)
- 27% of high school students in America attend rural schools (7 million students)
- 90% of rural youth connected to a church have no organized youth ministry
“The social and economic strains facing a rural student in every category of risk are every bit as bad if not worse that those facing inner city youth. In fact, rural children fared worse than non-rural in 34 out of 39 critical (i.e. depression and suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual experimentation and teen pregnancy, family instability, poverty, etc.) statistical comparisons.” — National Rural Small Schools Consortium
Knowing how to serve churches in rural communities continues to be a problem that puzzles many youth ministry organizations. While the stratgic efforts of CEI work in churches of any demonination or demographic, they are especially effective for these rural congregations with solo pastors or smaller ministry staffs made up predominantly of volunteers.
Many Christian leaders who have had a profound impact on the church over the last 130 years have come from rural communities with Christian Endeavor Societies, and CEI is determined to maintain our focus on these locations, as we train and mobilize a new generation of Endeavorers to lead the cause of Christ.
You can help CEI provide support for youth in these neglected locations through prayer, you can tell churches in these communities about the ministry of CEI, and you can donate to our kingdom cause.
