A Phenomenological Study on the Faith Issues of Korean Adventist Youth

This study attempts to diagnose the phenomenon of youth departure from the Adventist Church based on statistics and interviews. According to the statistics, the number of church members in their 20s within the Adventist Church has significantly declined over the past 20 years. This trend, in conjunction with the broader exodus of young people from Protestant churches, has led to a crisis in church regeneration. Recognizing the necessity of diagnosing its causes, this study extracts and reconstructs several reasons through in-depth interviews with Adventist youth who have left the church and youth ministry leaders. The interview results reveal that Adventist youth, regardless of their current church attendance status, are experiencing a crisis of faith and feeling pressures, large and small, to leave the church. A shared reason among them was their awareness of issues with the culture of Adventist faith and worship practices within the church. This paper categorizes their confessions into three categories: church renewal, formation and growth of personal faith, and the role and support of the church. It then summarizes ten detailed themes: worship and church programs, issues related to the formation, establishment, and nurturing of faith, and the comprehensive support and role of the church for the younger generation.