#015: The Great Exodus: Why One Million Young People Leave Church Every Year

Welcome, Family

This week's been heavy. Maybe it's because we keep hearing the same story over and over: another friend who "grew up in church" but walked away.

Another person who says they're "deconstructing" their faith. Another young adult who's done with Christianity because it "didn't work" for them.

The statistics hit us like a gut punch: One million people leave the church and give Jesus their hand yearly, according to recent studies.

Fifty-four percent of Gen Z adults who left their formative religion are women; 46 percent are men—a complete flip from previous generations.

But here's what's been stirring in our hearts: What if the problem isn't that people are leaving Christianity? What if the problem is that they never really had it in the first place?

Jesus saw this coming. Two thousand years ago, He told a story about different kinds of soil and what happens when the Word of God lands in hearts that aren't prepared to receive it.

He warned about counterfeit faith that looks real for a while but has no root.

Maybe the Great Exodus isn't a crisis of faith. Maybe it's the harvest Jesus predicted—the separation of genuine believers from those who never truly believed.

🍞 This Week's Bread

• ⏳ The Sign: The statistics behind the Great Exodus and what they reveal about modern Christianity

• 📖 The Word: Matthew 13:18-23: Jesus explains why some "believers" fall away

• 🌍 The Witness: What church history teaches us about seasons of separation

• 🔥 The Work: Three diagnostic questions to test if your faith is real

• ⚡ Midweek Power: Wednesday night prayer for authentic faith

• 🙏 Prayer Corner: Intercession for those questioning and those staying

⏳ The Sign

The headlines keep coming: "One in four Millennials and one in three Gen Z members say they have no religious affiliation, compared to just 9% of baby boomers" according to Pew Research.

But here's what caught our attention in the research: "Only 11% of young adults who left the faith said they had a strong faith as a child. The other 89% reported no real faith. Our kids don't retain what they never really had."

Think about that. Eighty-nine percent of young people who "left the faith" admit they never really had authentic faith to begin with. They left something they never truly possessed.

This isn't a failure of God's Word. This isn't evidence that Christianity doesn't work.

This is exactly what Jesus predicted would happen when the gospel is preached widely—some will receive it with genuine faith, others will have temporary emotional responses that fade when life gets hard.

The tragedy isn't that people are leaving. The tragedy is that so many grew up in churches that gave them religion instead of relationship, ritual instead of regeneration, behavior modification instead of heart transformation.

📖 The Word

Jesus wasn't surprised that some people would fall away. He predicted it. He explained it. He prepared us for it.

Look at the different responses to the same gospel message:

The Path: Some people hear but don't understand. The present form of the Kingdom will be one in which those of genuine faith and counterfeit faith will co-exist in the world until a future harvest. Satan immediately steals the word before it can take root.

Rocky Soil: These are the ones who worry us most. They "receive it with joy"—they get emotional, they make decisions, they might even get baptized or join the church.

But when pressure comes, they fall away because their faith was emotional, not rooted in genuine understanding and transformation.

Thorny Ground: These people seem to believe, but their hearts are divided. They want Jesus AND wealth, comfort, worldly success. Eventually, the competing loyalties choke out their faith.

Good Soil: Only this group produces fruit. They hear, understand, and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.

Here's what we need to understand: Most people express a shallow, superficial interest, but not a truly repentant, submissive faith. The current exodus isn't revealing a problem with Christianity—it's revealing the difference between genuine conversion and religious experience.

🌍 The Witness

Church history is full of seasons like this. In the early centuries, when Christianity became socially acceptable under Constantine, many joined the church for political or social reasons rather than genuine faith. The result?

A diluted Christianity that looked impressive numerically but lacked spiritual power.

The Reformation happened because the medieval church was full of people who had religious ritual but no personal relationship with Christ.

Martin Luther's call to genuine faith exposed how many were trusting in works, tradition, and church membership rather than Christ alone.

The Great Awakenings in America came after periods when churches were full of people who had inherited their religion rather than personally encountering God.

Jonathan Edwards preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" to church members who thought they were Christians but had never been born again.

Each time, the preaching of authentic gospel separated genuine believers from cultural Christians. Some were offended and left. Others were awakened to their true spiritual condition and found real faith for the first time.

What we're seeing today isn't unprecedented. It's the normal pattern of gospel ministry—the word of God divides between those who truly receive it and those who only had a superficial response.

🔥 The Work

Before you get comfortable thinking, "I'm not like those who left," let's do some honest heart examination with three diagnostic questions:

1. What happens to my faith when life gets hard? Rocky soil faith crumbles under pressure. Real faith may be tested and strained, but it endures. When you face trials, loss, or persecution, does your faith weaken or deepen? Do you run from God or run to Him?

2. What's competing with Jesus for my heart's devotion? Thorny ground faith gets choked out by competing loyalties. Be honest: What do you think about more—Jesus or your career? What do you spend more time pursuing—God's kingdom or your comfort? What would you be unwilling to give up if Jesus asked?

3. Is my faith producing fruit? Good soil faith bears fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. But also evangelism, discipleship, service, sacrifice for others. If your faith isn't changing you and impacting others, what kind of soil are you?

⚡ Midweek Power

This Wednesday night (August 6th, 8-9 PM ET), we're praying specifically for authentic faith—both for ourselves and for those who are questioning.

We've been seeing God move powerfully as people get honest about the condition of their hearts. Some are discovering they need genuine conversion, not just religious experience.

Others are finding fresh assurance of salvation as they see the fruit of real faith in their lives.

Come ready to pray for:

• Those who are deconstructing or questioning—that God would lead them to authentic faith, not just away from fake faith

• Honest self-examination for all of us about the genuineness of our own faith

• Churches to preach the gospel clearly, not just offer religious experience

• Young adults who grew up in church but need genuine conversion

🙏 Prayer Corner

We're interceding for:

• Young adults who are questioning their faith—that God would use this season to lead them to authentic relationship with Him rather than away from Him entirely

• Those who realize they may have had religious experience but not genuine conversion

• Church leaders who need wisdom to distinguish between cultural Christianity and genuine faith

• Our generation to seek authentic faith that produces fruit, not just emotional experiences

• Families walking through the pain of loved ones who have walked away from faith

Send us your prayer requests about faith, doubt, and authentic relationship with God. We believe God wants to give this generation real faith that endures, not just religious experience that fades.

📅 What's Next

Friday, August 8th (8-10 PM ET): Virtual Bible Study on Zoom - Link here

Missed Friday night? Reply "REPLAY" and we'll send you the August 1st session recording.

📣 Take Action

Forward this to someone who's been wrestling with religious hurt or moral confusion.

Follow @mogakaeventsministry on Instagram for daily encouragement and biblical clarity.

DM us for prayer or if you need wisdom about a specific moral decision.

✝️ Final Word

Here's what we need to settle: The Great Exodus isn't a crisis of Christianity. It's the natural result of Jesus' teaching being proclaimed widely. Some soil receives it genuinely, some doesn't.

The real question isn't whether other people's faith is real. The question is whether yours is.

If you've been coasting on childhood religion, family tradition, or emotional experiences, maybe this season of questioning is God's invitation to examine your own heart. Maybe He's calling you from cultural Christianity to authentic faith.

And if you discover you've been rocky soil or thorny ground? Good news: soil can be cultivated. Hearts can be prepared. The same gospel that exposed counterfeit faith can produce genuine faith in hearts that are ready to receive it.

Don't let the exodus around you cause panic. Let it cause examination. Let it drive you to the kind of faith that hears the word, understands it, and bears fruit that lasts.

The harvest is coming. The question is: what kind of soil are you?

With you always,
Mogaka Events Ministry

Come As You Are is a Spirit-led devotional for young adults hungry for God's presence. Written by Ravi Patel and Chris Mogaka.