(International)–Next, there’s a disturbing trend developing for youth ministries in the church. YUGO Ministries’ Wayne Freeland says the Barna Research Group’s latest report indicates youth groups in North American churches fall short in training young people to understand or defend their faith. “Of all of the graduating seniors this year, over 50% of them will quit attending church during their first year in college because they are looking for something bigger and better and more exciting. If they have not experienced their faith for themselves by the time they graduate from high school, they are at high levels of risk for losing what faith they have, altogether.” Freeland believes the key to turning the tide requires a hands-on, cross-cultural experience. ‘We take youth groups from churches in North America, provide a training program followed by a week of their being an effective evangelism team in Mexico and they experience their faith for themselves.”
