We hear a lot of alarming statistics about how many teens leave church, never to return—with some suggesting the dropout rate could be as high as 94 percent. According to Ed Stetzer for Christianity Today, the stats aren’t nearly as alarming as they sometimes seem, but there’s still reason to be concerned.

Stetzer quotes a LifeWay study from a few years ago, which found that 70 percent of protestant youth (mainline and evangelical) ages 18 to 22 had left church for at least a year. Taken alone, the dropout rates for evangelical youth were much lower, and nearly two-thirds of them were back in church by the end of the study.

Of those who dropped out, nearly all said it was due to some lifestyle changes: moving to college or simply wanting a break from church, for instance. Nearly six in 10 also listed some more pointed reasons for leaving: More than a quarter felt their churches were hypocritical or judgmental. One in five said they didn’t feel connected. Stetzer says these and other findings suggest many youth simply didn’t own their faith. “They may have grown up in church, and perhaps they faced pressure from parents and even peers to be involved in church,” he said, “but it wasn’t a firsthand faith.”

“We cannot posture our student ministries to think like and act like a four-year holding tank with pizza,” Stetzer said. “Instead, we need to prepare young adults for the spiritual challenges that will come and the faith questions they will face. Firsthand faith leads to life change and life-long commitment.” (Christianity Today)

Paul Asay has written for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for PluggedIn and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He recently collaborated with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, on his book The Good Dad. He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Check out his entertainment blog or follow him on Twitter.