Various organizations have found that between 64 and 94 percent of Christian youth are leaving their faith within two years of high school graduation. For real?

This video depicts the crisis by showing painful challenges teens encounter every 2 hours, the length of an average church service or episode of American Idol.

The shock value of these stats and the story they tell won’t fade away soon.

If young people are leaving the church in these numbers, I have no doubt many church leaders are praying their hearts out and feverishly working on solution focused strategies.

The question for those of us involved in Christian communication and technology is, how can we more effectively help the church accomplish its mission of evangelizing the iGeneration?

• Making disciples of those that have grown up in a digital world?
• Equipping iGeneration believers to use the digital tools always at their fingertips for the gospel?
• Sending iGeneration believers out to serve in the virtual social worlds they have come to love so much?

The process must begin by understanding the connected generation.

Pastor Craig Groeschel says, “This generation wants to talk. Conversation matters. Relationships matter. Intimacy matters.”

Second, technology is intimately woven into their lives. As this generation grows up, they will live “online” most of their waking hours, comfortably participate in social networks, and generate and consume vasts amounts of information.

Third, the technology part of reaching 18-29 year olds will depend heavily on cooperation and collaboration. No individual organization can put together the combination of innovation, technology, and market expertise needed to effectively compete with the large communication and technology players that want to capture this generation.

Any Christian church or organization using communication technologies for outreach is in position to lead. They can put together coalitions, consortiums and partnerships to help objectively and strategically address the challenge.

Working together, new technology and communication strategies can be developed to present the Good News and Bible to the iGeneraton in a way that is relevant, active and instantly useful.

Five communication strategies

Write this down for the next generation so people not yet born will praise God. Psalm 102:18

1. Build a communication network for distributing evangelical, Bible-based content in your region, as defined by Designated Market Areas.

2. Develop applications and interactive services that can reach seekers everywhere they click … for 24/7 connectivity, primarily through mobile devices.

3. Incorporate social collaboration technologies, including social networks, voice channels, and online groups to connect thousands of unchurched young people with the gospel, trained counselors and each other.

4. Equip iGeneration believers for being positive role models online and for transmitting positive peer reviews of engaging and inspiring faith-based content.

5. Resolve to be the leading evangelical cooperative enterprise in your region, preferred by the iGeneration when they are faced with a spiritual need.

Surely more of us working together can produce new communication platforms for connecting our youth and young adults with the living God they are so desperately searching for.

The eternal destiny of the iGeneration, and the world they will impact, is at stake. Who will be the first to cast the vision in your community?