You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church...And Rethinking Faith

"Every person does on a unique journey related to his or her faith and spirituality, and every story matters."
​- David Kinnaman 

I can remember when I first gave my life to the Lord at the age of 9, being so excited to share Jesus with other people. I was zealous in my mission to share Him with the world; through the way I lived my life, through the conversations that I had, through the work that I did and through the things that I created.  I had grown up in a household with my sisters, where Biblical principles were not just taught, but they were the very foundation on which my family stood. It is through the lens of Christianity and faith that we as a family made decisions, and operated. My parents did well to also teach my sisters and me the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

In the very early stages of my faith journey, Jesus introduced Himself to me as the Friend in Proverbs 18:24, the One "who sticks closer than a brother."  As I matured spiritually, it was really my desire to know the person of Jesus more intimately that I began my quest through scripture, mentorship and prayer to find answers to the questions I had.  Throughout my life, the experiences that I had gone through growing up, and the divine interventions  and encounters that I'd had solidified for me the validity of Who Jesus was and that He is very present and very real. 

It wasn't until high school and college that I began to have more in-depth conversations about faith and the questions that my peers had. I quickly began to understand that not everyone's experience with God and the Church was the same. As I listened to different perspectives, and heard the hurt in their stories, I felt such compassion in those moments, and it lit a fire under me to be more purposeful in coming into agreement with The Great Commission, "to make disciples" (Matthew 28-19-20).  

My desire to work with young adults who have grown a bit weary in their faith journey was the inspiration for adding You Lost Me to my growing book collection.  This book was one of the top recommended for youth, young adult and church leaders.   If I were to rate this book, I'd rate it a 3 out of 5.  There are a lot of great points throughout the book and those points are backed by research conducted by author and majority owner of  Barna Group. I am of the opinion that You Lost Me more stats than solutions. At the end of each chapter I desired more, but not to necessarily read more, rather to find answers.  I felt like I was on a constant search to settle a nagging unsettling.  
I was encouraged at the end of the book, however because that to me was where the real gems lied.