People leave the church. The dropout issue is well known and widely discussed. Perhaps less known is the alarming rate of young adults rushing for the exit doors of churches. We discovered this disturbing trend when we analyzed the results from a national survey of 18- to 22-year-olds.

Our research revealed that more than two-thirds of young adults in this age group leave the church. In the short four-year transitional window of teen to adult, the church loses the majority of its students.

Before you assume that this demographic is prone to dropping out in all areas of life, consider this: Most 18- to 22-year-olds that we surveyed do not leave their families during this time; they don't ditch their social networks; they don't drop out of school. But nearly 70 percent of them do fall away from the church. Attrition like this is astounding.

So how do churches reclaim a generation of dropouts? To find this answer, we listened to the other one-third of 18- to 22-year-olds from our survey who chose to stay in church. Their reasons for remaining part of a faith community were surprising.

Young adults are more likely to come back to church if they have been grounded in Scripture. Similarly, young adults are more likely never to leave church if they are taught the truths of God's Word. And people outside of the church are attracted to a body that stands firm on the foundation of biblical truth.

In short, spiritual and biblical depth attracts people to the church. While our research focused specifically on young adults, we believe the attraction of biblical depth applies to all generations.

The Difference between Staying and Leaving

Those who remain active in the church expressed two overarching reasons for staying: they have a personal commitment to the church, and they see the benefits of remaining in church. All of these relate to the biblical foundations they have.

For example, two thirds (65 percent) of the churchgoers indicated that church was a part of their vital relationship with God. Well over half (58 percent) of this group said that the church provides them guidance for everyday decisions. More than four out of ten of the churchgoers (42 percent) told us that they remain at church because they are committed to the purpose and the work of the church.

A significant portion of the churchgoers saw the personal benefit of remaining at church. One half (50 percent) of them saw church as helping them become better persons, and one-fourth (24 percent) actually said that they were afraid to live a churchless life without the spiritual guidance it provides.

The evidence is clear. The church and its teachings are a major reason people return to church. They are a major reason people never leave the church. And those who are not taught the depths and riches of God's Word are the most likely to enter the ranks of the dechurched.

Seekers and faithful attenders both want deep biblical teachings. They want to hear the whole counsel of God. They want to hear truth, even if it makes them uneasy or uncomfortable.

In football, "going deep" refers to a receiver running many yards in anticipation of catching the quarterback's long pass. These deep passes are the most spectacular and the ones that get the crowd on their feet. There's nothing quite like jumping to your feet with 90,000 other screaming fans, cheering while you watch the wide receiver go deep for an amazing play. If the play is successful, I don't hold back: I scream at the top of my lungs!

Going deep is exciting in football; going deep is essential in church.

Depth and Relevance Are Not Mutually Exclusive

Many leaders think a church can't be "cool" and deep at the same time. Some argue that people are turned off by deep teaching and preaching, that it loses its relevance. Through our research, we've found the opposite to be true. People are more likely to drop out if the teaching is watered down. While the church will always include individuals who prefer to skim spiritually, our research reveals that churches with a culture of biblical depth are more likely to keep members and attract others.

Here are three specific areas that surfaced from our research where biblical depth is imperative for the overall health of a church:

Depth starts with the pastor. Those pastors that excel at communicating God's Word spend much time in God's Word themselves. Pastors and church leaders must give a priority to biblical depth. Unfortunately, the demands of many church members pull pastors in so many directions that only the leftover time is given to Bible study and sermon preparation.

In Acts 6 the Apostles were confronted with that reality even as the early church was just beginning. Do you remember the problem? "In those days, as the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution" (Acts 6:1-2).

Simply stated, ministry was being overlooked. And the church was complaining, murmuring just like the Israelites in the wilderness. A group of widows who depended on the church for their meals was being overlooked. They likely expected the Apostles to drop everything they were doing and take care of their needs. Pastors and church staff will undoubtedly recognize such an attitude!

But the Apostles took another approach. They knew that if they became personally responsible for all the ministry needs that other areas of the church would suffer. "Then the Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, 'It would not be right for us to give up preaching about God to wait on tables. Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching ministry'"(Acts 6:3-4).

Instead of carrying the burden of meeting almost every ministry need themselves, the Apostles selected twelve lay leaders to do the ministry. And note what the Apostles spent their time doing: prayer and preaching. They recognized the importance of the preaching ministry, and they refused to neglect it.

But the church did not neglect the real ministry need. The widows could not starve. So the church unleashed the laity to do the work of ministry and the Apostles got back to the business of prayer and preaching.

And here is the good news. Not only did the widows get fed. Not only did the Apostles get time to pray and preach. To top it off, the whole church was happy with the resolution: "The proposal pleased the whole company" (Acts 6:5). Imagine that. A church that is well fed with meals and God's Word is a happy church.

Depth proliferates through small groups. While "deep" preaching is normative in healthy churches, it is likewise important for church members to be involved in small group Bible studies. The healthy churches we have consulted and researched over the years all make small group Bible study a priority. Some churches call it Sunday school; some call it small groups. Others use such nomenclature as connect groups, life groups, and home groups. The name is not the important issue. What is important is for churches to lead their members toward regular and ongoing Bible study.

Depth becomes part of the culture through personal commitment. The third component of churches that go "deep" is their encouragement and exhortation for all members to study the Bible on their own. Some churches, for example, suggest a weekly Bible reading for the members. Some lay out a plan where the members will read the Bible in a year. But the point is that the churches demonstrate that personal Bible study is critical in the spiritual maturity of believers. Only when the members of the body maintain a personal commitment to biblical depth will it become part of the culture of the church.

Biblical depth has a sticky quality. Christians who hear sound sermons each week, who are involved in small group Bible study, and who study the Bible on their own rarely drop out. Biblical depth also has an attractional quality. Spiritual seekers are most drawn to churches that maintain this culture of solid preaching and encouragement to study the Word of God. Go deep. Get excited about diving into the Word. And watch God do an amazing work in your church.