An open letter to church leaders
A case for discipleship over decoration — on why teenagers drifting toward other churches, other doctrines, and other voices online is not a mystery, but a symptom of what was never taught at home.
Contents — jump to a section
- They are looking for what you failed to give them
- Emotional services are not discipleship
- When Christianity is publicly challenged
- Pentecostal churches: revival is not a substitute for teaching
- “Jesus is all I need” — really?
- The Book of Enoch is becoming popular
- Enough with the spiritual circus
- Why do our young people bow so easily?
- Gifts without discipleship?
- Have you equipped your future pillars?
- “Just pray” is not a complete strategy
- The world is not waiting for us
- This responsibility has been entrusted to you
- Stop blaming the youth for seeking answers
- Our future cannot be built on ignorance
“We are losing our teenagers and young people!”
“They are going to other churches!”
“They are learning other doctrines!”
Perhaps these words are being spoken in pastors' meetings and church leadership discussions across Nepal. Church leaders are worried. Pastors are concerned. Parents are anxious.
But perhaps we need to ask a far more uncomfortable question:
Why did they have to go somewhere else to learn the things they should have learned in their own church?
You are worried because your young people are visiting other churches and learning different doctrines. Fine. But have you ever seriously asked yourself whether you have taught them what you believe?
You cannot blame a young person for seeking answers when you never gave them any.
You cannot complain that they are learning theology elsewhere when your church has failed to teach them theology at home.
And if they go elsewhere to learn essential Christian teachings, of course they may encounter other theological positions along the way. You left a vacuum. Someone else filled it.
So before blaming the teenagers and young people, perhaps church leaders should first ask themselves:
Did we equip them?
You left a vacuum. Someone else filled it.
They Are Looking for What You Failed to Give Them
Let us be honest.
Many young people are not necessarily leaving their churches because they hate their pastors or because they suddenly want to rebel against Christianity.
Sometimes, they simply want answers.
They have questions.
They want to know:
- How did we get the Bible?
- Why do Christians believe the Bible is trustworthy?
- How did the early church begin and develop?
- What are denominations, and why are there so many of them?
- What does our own church actually believe?
- How should we interpret the Bible properly?
- How do we distinguish sound teaching from false teaching?
- How can we communicate and defend our faith?
- What is discipleship?
- What does Christian stewardship actually mean?
And the questions are becoming even more difficult.
Today, social media is full of people making unusual claims about Jesus and Christianity.
Someone posts a video claiming that Jesus secretly travelled to India or Nepal.
Another person promotes an alternative story about Jesus.
Someone makes insulting or fabricated claims about Mary and the birth of Jesus.
Someone presents an obscure ancient text and says:
“The church hid this book from you!”
A teenager scrolling through Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, or other social media platforms encounters these claims.
What will they do?
Will they simply close their eyes and say:
“Let's pray about it”?
Seriously?
Prayer is important. But if a person makes a historical claim about Jesus, should Christians not also know how to investigate historical claims?
If someone says, “Jesus travelled to India,” do our young people know how to ask:
What is the historical evidence?
What are the sources?
When were those sources written?
Are these reliable historical documents or later legends?
Or will our young people simply panic because nobody ever taught them how to examine extraordinary claims?
Key takeaway
Youth aren't only drifting toward other churches out of curiosity — they're chasing down real questions about the Bible, history, and doctrine that their own church never addressed. An unanswered question doesn't disappear; it just gets answered somewhere else.
What Happens When They Face These Questions Outside the Church?
A story from the pews
I personally know of a teenage girl who once shared something with me that genuinely concerned me.
She was amazed when she discovered that one of her classmates—who was not even a Christian—knew a great deal about biblical events.
Think about that for a moment.
A non-Christian student knew a significant amount about the Bible, while many Christian teenagers barely understood the basic foundations of their own faith.
And then came another problem.
She was asked a question about suffering.
A question that Christians have been discussing for centuries:
“If God is good and powerful, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?”
This is not some strange question invented yesterday.
This is one of the most significant philosophical and theological questions in human history.
The problem of evil.
Have our churches ever bothered to conduct even one serious session for teenagers and young people on evil and the existence of God?
Have we taught them how Christians have historically wrestled with this question?
Or do we expect them to answer every difficult question with:
“God knows everything, so just pray.”
What will happen when that teenager enters college?
What will happen when a professor, classmate, skeptic, or critic challenges their beliefs?
What happens when someone confidently says:
“If God exists, explain suffering.”
Will our young Christians have anything meaningful to say?
Or will we send them into the world intellectually unprepared and then act surprised when they begin doubting?
Emotional Services Are Not Discipleship
This is where my frustration begins.
Some churches seem to know only one method of keeping young people interested:
Create an emotional atmosphere.
More worship.
More music.
More conferences.
More special programs.
More healing services.
More dramatic testimonies.
More events.
But where is the teaching?
Where is the discipleship?
Where is the serious investment in Christian education?
Where are the seminars on:
- How we got the Bible?
- How to interpret the Bible?
- Church history?
- Christian doctrine?
- Apologetics?
- The problem of evil?
- Biblical discernment?
- False prophets and teachers?
- Denominations?
- The history and beliefs of our own churches?
Sometimes, it feels as though churches would rather organize another unnecessary event than spend one day seriously equipping their people.
We keep entertaining the future pillars of the church while failing to strengthen their foundations.
And then we wonder why they collapse.
A worship service can move someone's emotions. That is not necessarily wrong.
A prayer meeting can encourage someone. That is good.
A spiritual experience can be meaningful.
But an emotional experience alone cannot prepare a Christian to face false teaching, intellectual challenges, persecution, cultural pressure, and spiritual confusion.
Feelings change.
Excitement disappears.
Music stops.
The emotional atmosphere eventually fades.
But truth understood deeply can remain.
Feelings change. Excitement disappears. Music stops. But truth understood deeply can remain.
When Christianity Is Publicly Challenged, What Will Our Young People Do?
There are situations happening around us that should concern every church.
Imagine Christian content being publicly opposed and criticized. Imagine people aggressively protesting against Christian material being shown on a national television channel, claiming that it represents dangerous “missionary activity.”
For example, when Christian programs such as Superbook or other biblical content become controversial in public discussions, how should young Christians respond?
What happens when they see people aggressively demanding that such content be removed?
Will they understand the difference between peaceful disagreement and misinformation?
Will they know how to explain why parents should have the freedom to expose their children to different ideas and religious stories?
Will they understand how to respond intelligently when Christianity is publicly criticized?
Or will our entire response be:
“Let's keep this in our prayer points.”
Again, pray.
Absolutely pray.
But is that all?
Are we seriously telling an entire generation of Christians that prayer replaces knowledge, preparation, communication, and thoughtful engagement?
The world is speaking loudly.
Critics are speaking loudly.
Other religions are speaking loudly.
Atheists are speaking loudly.
Social media influencers are speaking loudly.
False teachers are speaking loudly.
And sometimes the church's only strategy seems to be:
“Don't worry. Just pray.”
Warning
Prayer is not an excuse for intellectual laziness.
Pentecostal Churches: Revival Is Not a Substitute for Teaching
Let us address another issue honestly.
Pentecostal churches often speak passionately about revival.
They emphasize the Holy Spirit.
They discuss spiritual gifts.
They preach about speaking in tongues.
These subjects are important within Pentecostal theology.
But here is a serious question:
Have we taught our young people where Pentecostalism came from?
Do they understand the history of their movement?
Do they know the basic theological beliefs of their own church?
Do they understand why other Christians may disagree with certain Pentecostal teachings?
Can they explain what they believe—and why they believe it?
Or have we simply taught them to experience something without helping them understand what they believe?
A story from the pews
I have personally seen a situation where a Pentecostal believer was unable to meaningfully answer questions raised by a believer from another denomination.
She simply did not know how to explain or defend her own theological position.
Now, this does not mean that Christians must always argue.
Christianity is not a competition to see who can win the loudest theological debate.
But a Christian should at least understand the basic beliefs of the tradition they belong to.
If you claim to believe something, shouldn't you know why you believe it?
If someone respectfully asks you about your doctrine and you cannot explain even the basic position of your own church, then we have a problem.
Is that equipping?
We teach young people about revival.
Wonderful.
But do we teach them church history?
We teach them about gifts.
But do we teach them doctrine?
We teach them about spiritual experiences.
But do we teach them discernment?
Key takeaway
Experience and doctrine aren't competitors — but a church that only offers one will produce Christians who can feel their faith and never explain it.
“Jesus Is All I Need”—Really?
Another disturbing problem is that many young Christians have almost no understanding of Christian denominations.
Ask them about denominations, and sometimes the response is:
“Jesus is all I need.”
Really?
Let us touch only one subject:
Baptism.
Should infants be baptized?
Or should baptism be reserved only for believers who personally profess faith?
Suddenly, the discussion becomes complicated.
Different Christians throughout history have understood baptism differently.
Why?
Where did those differences come from?
What biblical arguments do different traditions make?
What is the difference between a Baptist understanding of baptism and a paedobaptist understanding?
And that is only one subject.
Then there are questions about:
- Church government
- Communion
- Spiritual gifts
- Salvation
- Predestination and free will
- The role of tradition
- Women in ministry
- Worship practices
And suddenly, “Jesus is all I need” is not an answer to the question.
Of course, Jesus is central to Christianity. Nobody is denying that.
But saying “Jesus is all I need” should not become an excuse for theological ignorance.
The existence of denominations is a historical and theological reality.
Our young people will encounter them.
They already are.
So who will teach them?
Who will explain where denominations came from?
Who will help them understand the difference between essential Christian doctrines and secondary disagreements?
Who will help them recognize that not every theological disagreement means that everyone on the other side is automatically an enemy of Christ?
Is the existence of denominations entirely good?
Entirely bad?
Or is the reality more complicated?
These are questions our young people deserve to explore.
But many churches never bother.
The Book of Enoch Is Becoming Popular. Are We Preparing Anyone?
Another example is the growing interest in the Book of Enoch and other ancient writings.
People are discussing them everywhere.
Videos are being made.
Debates are happening.
Someone discovers an ancient religious book and immediately asks:
“Why isn't this in the Bible?”
Then another person confidently says:
“The church removed these books!”
And what will our young Christians say?
Perhaps:
“I don't care. I just believe in the 66 books. The Bible is the same everywhere.”
Really?
Is that a serious answer?
What happens when someone asks:
“Why 66 books?”
“Who decided which books belong in the Bible?”
“What is the biblical canon?”
“What are the Apocrypha and other ancient Jewish and Christian writings?”
“Why were some books recognized as Scripture while others were not?”
“What about books that claim to tell alternative stories about Jesus?”
“What about later writings that contain strange and historically questionable stories?”
Can our young people answer these questions?
Or will they simply repeat:
“I don't care.”
Warning
Indifference is not an answer. And ignorance is not a defense of Christianity.
I am not saying that every teenager must become a professional historian or scholar.
But surely, Christians should be given at least a basic understanding of how the Bible came to us and why Christians recognize certain books as Scripture.
This is precisely why Christian education matters.
Because if the church does not explain the canon, social media will explain it.
And I promise you—social media will not always explain it accurately.
Enough With the Spiritual Circus
And then there are the so-called “special healing services.”
A church announces a special guest.
The guest arrives with dramatic claims.
People are told that extraordinary things are about to happen.
Emotions are intensified.
Music plays.
People are crying.
Someone falls.
Someone screams.
Someone is declared healed.
And everyone is expected to accept everything without asking questions.
No discernment.
No biblical examination.
No accountability.
Just excitement.
Let me be clear: Christians believe that God can heal. God is sovereign, and we should pray for the sick.
But that is precisely why we should not allow people's suffering and desperation to become entertainment.
When vulnerable people are given false hope, exaggerated promises, or manipulated emotional experiences, the church is not serving them faithfully.
We need discernment.
We need biblical accountability.
We need leaders who are not impressed merely because something looks supernatural.
Warning
Not every loud voice is the voice of God. Not every emotional experience is spiritual maturity. Not every person claiming to have a gift is exercising that gift biblically. And certainly, not everything happening on a church stage deserves unquestioning acceptance.
Why Do Our Young People Bow So Easily to Every “Prophet” and “Apostle”?
This is another frightening problem.
Many young Christians immediately bow down to anyone who arrives with an impressive title.
“Prophet.”
“Apostle.”
“Man of God.”
“International Healing Minister.”
The bigger the title, the more unquestioningly some people seem to believe them.
But why?
Because many Christians have never been taught how to test teachings against Scripture.
Someone claims to have received a direct revelation.
People immediately believe it.
Someone claims to have performed a miracle.
People immediately follow them.
Someone speaks confidently and emotionally.
People assume they must be anointed.
But who taught them discernment?
Who taught them that the Bible itself warns about false prophets and false teachers?
Who taught them to examine teachings carefully?
Who taught them that spiritual language is not proof of spiritual truth?
Who taught them to distinguish between:
Biblical teaching and personal opinion?
A genuine Christian teacher and a manipulative leader?
A theological disagreement and a dangerous false teaching?
A Christian denomination and a destructive cult?
Our young people need to understand that not everything that uses the name “Jesus” is automatically biblical Christianity.
Not everyone holding a Bible is teaching the Bible correctly.
Not everyone who calls themselves an apostle should automatically be accepted as one.
Not everyone who claims to speak for God actually speaks for God.
But how will they know this if nobody teaches them?
Gifts Without Discipleship?
Another serious problem is our obsession with spiritual gifts while neglecting spiritual maturity.
We want people to discover their gifts.
Wonderful.
But have we taught them to become disciples?
We teach about power.
But do we teach about character?
We talk about miracles.
But do we teach stewardship?
We emphasize ministry.
But do we teach responsibility?
We want people to serve on the stage.
But have we taught them how to live as Christians when they step off the stage?
A spiritually gifted person without maturity can still cause enormous damage.
A talented worship leader can still lack biblical understanding.
A powerful speaker can still teach dangerous theology.
A person can have enthusiasm for ministry while having no idea how to interpret Scripture responsibly.
The church must stop confusing activity with maturity.
Being busy in church does not automatically mean someone is growing spiritually.
Standing on a stage does not automatically make someone a disciple.
Singing worship songs does not automatically mean someone understands what they believe.
Key takeaway
Activity is not maturity. A gift can put someone on a stage long before character, doctrine, or discernment are in place — and an ungrounded gift can do real damage.
Have You Equipped Your Future Pillars?
Church leaders often call teenagers and young people the “future pillars of the church.”
That sounds wonderful.
But what exactly are we doing to build those pillars?
A pillar is not built by repeatedly telling it that it is important.
A pillar needs a foundation.
It needs structure.
It needs strength.
It needs reinforcement.
Likewise, our young people need to be equipped.
They need more than occasional sermons.
They need intentional teaching.
They need opportunities to ask difficult questions without being treated as rebellious.
They need leaders who can say:
“I don't know, but let's study this together.”
They need to understand the history of Christianity.
They need to understand how the Bible came to us.
They need to understand basic theology.
They need to understand denominations.
They need to understand the biblical canon.
They need to learn how to interpret Scripture in context.
They need to understand how to recognize manipulation and false teaching.
They need to learn how to communicate their faith intelligently and graciously.
They need to be taught about difficult questions such as suffering and evil.
They need to learn how to evaluate historical claims about Christianity.
They need to be discipled.
And frankly, giving them a small Bible study once in a while is not enough.
If the world is spending every day trying to influence them, why does the church think one shallow session occasionally is sufficient?
“Just Pray” Is Not a Complete Strategy
Perhaps one of the most frustrating responses to every problem in our churches is this:
“Just pray.”
Pray when young people are confused.
Pray when they encounter false teaching.
Pray when they lack biblical knowledge.
Pray when Christianity is publicly criticized.
Pray when critics challenge the faith.
Pray when they encounter strange claims about Jesus.
Pray when they discover books outside the Bible.
Pray when they encounter false prophets.
Pray when they are leaving the church.
Yes, pray.
Christians should pray.
But prayer was never intended to become an excuse for refusing responsibility.
Imagine a teacher who never teaches students and then says:
“Let's just pray that they pass their examinations.”
Imagine an engineer who ignores structural calculations and says:
“Let's pray that the building remains standing.”
Warning
That is not faith. That is irresponsibility.
Likewise, we cannot neglect teaching, discipleship, preparation, and leadership—and then expect prayer alone to repair the consequences of our negligence.
Pray, yes. But also teach.
Pray, but also equip.
Pray, but also disciple.
Pray, but also study.
Pray, but also prepare the next generation for the world they are actually living in.
Faith does not eliminate responsibility.
Genuine faith should strengthen our sense of responsibility.
The World Is Not Waiting for Us
Our teenagers and young people are living in a completely different environment.
They have access to thousands of sermons through their phones.
They encounter atheistic arguments on social media.
They encounter teachings from different Christian traditions.
They encounter strange theories about Jesus.
They hear critics making historical claims.
They watch charismatic preachers making extraordinary promises.
They discover ancient books and immediately hear conspiracy theories about the Bible.
They hear former Christians criticizing the faith.
They see skeptics asking difficult questions.
They are surrounded by competing philosophies, religions, ideologies, and worldviews.
And what are we offering them?
Sometimes, unfortunately, nothing more than:
“Don't listen to them.”
“Just believe.”
“Don't ask too many questions.”
“Just pray.”
That is not enough.
The next generation does not need leaders who are afraid of questions.
They need leaders who are willing to face them.
Key takeaway
Someone will always answer your young people's questions. The only choice is whether it's the church, or whoever gets there first.
If we do not teach our young people how to think biblically, someone else will teach them how to think.
If we do not help them understand Christianity, someone else will explain Christianity to them—perhaps incorrectly.
If we do not teach them church history, someone else will distort it.
If we do not teach them about the Bible, someone else will spread conspiracy theories about it.
If we do not teach them discernment, someone else will manipulate them.
And if we do not prepare them to encounter other doctrines, we should not be surprised when they are influenced by them.
Church Leaders, This Responsibility Has Been Entrusted to You
This is not written to attack every pastor or insult every church leader.
Many pastors and leaders are faithfully serving under difficult circumstances, with limited resources and enormous responsibilities.
But sincere service does not mean we should refuse necessary criticism.
There is a serious gap in many of our churches.
And pretending that the problem does not exist will not solve it.
Church leaders have been entrusted with a tremendous responsibility.
You are not merely responsible for organizing Sunday services.
You are not merely responsible for managing church programs.
You are helping shape the faith of people who will one day lead churches, raise families, teach children, influence society, and represent Christianity to the next generation.
That responsibility should terrify us—in the right way.
Because the young person sitting quietly at the back of your church today may be tomorrow's pastor, teacher, missionary, parent, or church leader.
What are you giving them?
Emotional memories?
Or biblical foundations?
Church activities?
Or genuine discipleship?
Religious excitement?
Or spiritual maturity?
A stage?
Or a solid understanding of the faith?
Stop Blaming the Youth for Seeking Answers
Perhaps our young people are not the greatest problem.
Perhaps they are exposing a problem that has existed in our churches for a long time.
When a teenager leaves your church searching for answers, do not immediately call them rebellious.
Ask yourself whether you answered their questions when they were still sitting in your church.
When young people become attracted to another denomination, do not simply condemn them.
Ask whether they even understood the theological position of their own church in the first place.
When they become vulnerable to false teaching, do not blame them alone.
Ask whether you equipped them to recognize false teaching.
When they encounter an unusual claim about Jesus, ask whether you taught them how to investigate historical claims.
When someone challenges the reliability or contents of the Bible, ask whether you ever taught them how the Bible came to us.
When they cannot answer questions about suffering and evil, ask whether your church ever seriously addressed those questions.
When they blindly follow a self-proclaimed prophet or apostle, ask whether you taught them biblical discernment.
And when they finally leave, please do not automatically say:
“Satan stole our young people.”
Perhaps sometimes we lost them because we never properly discipled them.
That is a painful thought.
But perhaps it is a necessary one.
Our Future Cannot Be Built on Ignorance
The future of the Nepali church will not be secured merely by louder worship, larger events, more dramatic services, emotional gatherings, or an endless stream of special programs.
The future will be strengthened when we raise Christians who:
What a discipled generation looks like
- Know what they believe.
- Understand why they believe it.
- Know how the Bible came to us.
- Understand how to interpret Scripture responsibly.
- Can recognize false teaching.
- Know the basic history and beliefs of their own Christian tradition.
- Understand the existence and differences of denominations.
- Can intelligently engage difficult questions.
- Can recognize manipulation disguised as spirituality.
- Can examine extraordinary claims instead of blindly accepting them.
- Can communicate their faith in a confused world.
Our young people do not simply need another event.
They need to be equipped.
They do not simply need another emotional experience.
They need to be discipled.
They do not simply need to be told that they are the future pillars of the church.
They need to be built into pillars that can actually carry weight.
Nepali churches, we cannot continue like this.
The challenges are already here.
The questions are already being asked.
Critics are already speaking.
False teachers are already influencing people.
Social media is already teaching our teenagers.
Other religions and ideologies are already challenging their beliefs.
The question is no longer whether our young people will encounter these challenges.
They already have.
The real question is:
What have we done to prepare them?
And if our honest answer is “Not enough,”
THEN PERHAPS IT IS TIME TO STOP BLAMING THE YOUNG PEOPLE—AND START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY.
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