The Church Podcast

Why Catholic Teens Leave the Church Before College

Written by Christopher Wesley | Nov 3, 2026, 1:44:42 PM

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"The head and the heart leave the church much earlier."

We usually blame college for young people leaving the Church. Kedon Gumerson thinks we're looking in the wrong place. Citing Springtide Research Institute, which found that 87% of young people who leave the Catholic Church have done so by age 18, he argues that college is only where they stop going to Mass. The real departure happens in high school, where faith too often becomes "a school subject, and sometimes not even the most exciting one."

Kedon started a weekly Catholic apologetics channel at 11. Now a senior at Franciscan University of Steubenville and possibly the show's youngest guest, he leads Kinetic Catholic, a team of young adult missionaries running retreats in Catholic high schools. He and Christopher talk about why Gen Z is all in when they love Jesus, the age gap in our parishes, how older leaders can empower young people, what happens on a Kinetic Catholic retreat, and how to keep going without burning out.

In This Episode

  • 0:00 Cold open: "It's old people"
  • 1:01 Welcome and introduction
  • 3:50 Meet Kedon Gumerson
  • 5:09 Kid Catholic: an apologetics channel at 11
  • 13:06 Building a team at Franciscan
  • 18:04 Why teens leave before college
  • 23:59 Why Gen Z is all in
  • 28:41 The age gap in our parishes
  • 34:22 How older leaders can empower young people
  • 38:56 Inside a Kinetic Catholic retreat
  • 44:51 Avoiding burnout
  • 48:55 Kedon's hope, and how to connect

Key Takeaways

  • Look earlier than college. Most young Catholics who leave are gone by 18. High school is where the head and the heart decide.
  • Jesus is not a school subject. In Catholic schools, faith can become one more class. Young people need to meet "a living person who desires an authentic relationship with them."
  • Gen Z is all in. Young people can spot inauthenticity quickly, and when they do love Jesus, they commit. They are the Church of now, not just the Church of the future.
  • Close the age gap. Asked about the Catholic faith, many teens answer, "it's old people." Young adult missionaries who love Jesus help the next generation see the Church differently.
  • Listen like they matter. The adults who shaped Kedon "talked to me like I was another human being and not like I was a kid."
  • Make the introduction. Kinetic Catholic's aim is to "bring them the face and name of Jesus of Nazareth." Like setting someone up on a date, you can't make the love happen, but you can introduce them.
  • Their salvation is not on your shoulders. Have people in it with you, be a cup that overflows, and when you are rejected, shake the dust off and keep going.

About Kedon Gumerson

Kedon Gumerson is the founder of Kinetic Catholic and a senior at Franciscan University of Steubenville. At 11 he started Kid Catholic, a YouTube apologetics channel, posting a new video every Tuesday until he was 18 and giving talks at Catholic high schools and youth groups. At Franciscan he built a team of students and renamed the ministry Kinetic Catholic, "to set the faith in motion in the lives of young people." Kinetic Catholic runs day-long retreats in Catholic high schools and plans long-term accompaniment on campuses.

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Kinetic Catholic

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Recorded on Riverside (affiliate link).

The Church Podcast is produced by Marathon Youth Ministry and Stephen Herrera of Be Well Creative.
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