A recent study from Barna Research Group shared that 66% of Christian young people in the United States are leaving the Faith in their first year after high school.

This unprecedented discipleship crisis needs to be on the prayer wall of every Bible-believing, Great Commission-conscious believer in our nation. 

It also needs to be in the planning meeting of every student pastor and senior pastor alike. 

A generation is being stolen from within the Family of God. How can we hope to make disciples of all nations if we can’t make disciples of nearly 7/10 of our own children?

We are in an hour that calls for a radical reemphasis and restructure of next-generational discipleship in the church, in student ministry, and in the family. 

However, more than just providing better church systems and programs, a core need in this cultural moment is to disciple and equip young people to spiritually feed themselves and personally engage with their Faith. If young Christians want to survive the spiritual minefield called 2021 college campuses, they need to practice spiritual discipline in their everyday lives beyond a youth group service or small group. 

Spiritual disciplines can take many forms, but I think specifically the discipline of reading spiritual material needs to be rediscovered and reapplied by Gen Z believers. The average American male doesn’t finish a single book after they graduate from high school. If our young people are going to survive in our post-Christian world, they need to put down TikTok theologians and pick up a book.

Here are some ways the discipline of reading helps us in our Christian Faith:

1. Reading teaches us to spiritually engage our Faith to be self-feeders.

2. Reading teaches us to intellectually engage our Faith and love God with our Mind.

3. Reading teaches us to critically engage perspectives that differ from our own.

Here are five books every Christian young person should read before they go to college:

How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth

Gordon D Fee & Douglas Stuart

This Hermeneutic classic is a must-read for all young people seeking to rightly understand and apply the Word of God. There is a famine of Biblical literacy in our Generation. Fee and Stuart give the practical coaching every young person needs to “rightly divide the Word of Truth.” In a world of competing world views and a deconstructionist agenda, we all need to be firmly rooted and grounded in the Bible. 

School of the Spirit: Living the Holy Spirit-Empowered Life

Lee M. Cummings

In his new book, Pastor Lee summarily teaches on the person, the baptism, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Church of 2021 needs a biblically grounded, holistic theology on the Holy Spirit. I’ve read many books on the person and work Holy Spirit, and this teaching from Pastor Lee stands out as one of the best. Whether you’ve grown up in Charismatic/Pentecostal circles or the Holy Spirit is a new topic to you, School of the Spirit will ground your theology in the Word of God and invite you into a more profound experience with the person of the Holy Spirit. 

Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God

George Eldon Ladd

Ladd’s classic is a robust introduction to the broader world of theology. Ladd succinctly presents several core theological principles and explores the current dynamics of the Kingdom of God. This book is an easy and accessible introduction for young people to begin to theologically grapple with the Word of God and how it applies to the Christian experience today. 

Rooted

Banning Liebscher

This book might be my favorite on the list; Rooted is a book I’ve read every year since I was a teenager. Banning Liebscher explores the life of David and encourages young Christians to surrender to God’s process of growth in their lives. This book imparts a fundamental understanding of God’s practical leadership every young person needs to survive the hidden and challenging seasons of life. 

Secrets of the Secret Place: Legacy Edition

Bob Sorge

Bob Sorge’s classic has been a devotional gem found on the shelves for pastors and leaders for the past 20 years. Secrets of the Secret Place empowers every believer to go deep in God through establishing everyday rhythms of unhurried time with God. This book is a profound mix of practical application and spiritual revelation. Buy it, read it, pray it, reread it. 

This list is not foolproof and I’m sure many of you are thinking now of books that in your opinion should have made this top 5 recommendations. Good. That means that you’ve been reading. 

In the meantime, if you have a young person in your life that’s getting ready to step out into the world, buy them a book or two from this list. 

Written by Pastor Zach Dillon
Richland Campus Student Pastor
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