{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.025283347863993024, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 5.9156626506024095, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Cultivating Faith in Young Adults

Current data on trends toward agnosticism, atheism, and religious disaffiliation is compelling and deeply challenging for religious leaders who want to be effective in transmitting faith to succeeding generations and cultivating mature, adult faith in their churches’ members. However, where there is present the desire for meaning, belonging, forgiveness, self- and communal improvement, joy, consolation, or a deeper understanding of life’s big questions, there is a need for religious leadership and pastoral care. There are eight principal insights that can help redress the trend of young adults to eschew religion altogether or to drift and disaffiliate from their religious upbringing. Among the core components that the most effective religious leaders are mindful of are early, personal invitation; leadership formation and training; allowing for mentors; creating a welcoming atmosphere; attending to cognitive expectations; attending to affective expectations; striving for excellence in liturgical, sacramental, communal, and programmatic life; and recognizing the role of parents and family members.