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Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church
The statistics are troubling: 6.5 people leave the Catholic Church for every one that joins, and 50% of young people who were raised Catholic are no longer Catholic today. The Catholic Church is hemorrhaging young people.
Behind these statistics are countless stories of wounded families. Millions of mothers and fathers are longing for their prodigal children to come home to the Church, crying: “Where did we go wrong?”
The passive wait-and-see approach is no longer an option. We need a different strategy. We need to understand the real reasons why our young people drift away, and we need a game plan to bring them home. We need Return.
Behind these statistics are countless stories of wounded families. Millions of mothers and fathers are longing for their prodigal children to come home to the Church, crying: “Where did we go wrong?”
The passive wait-and-see approach is no longer an option. We need a different strategy. We need to understand the real reasons why our young people drift away, and we need a game plan to bring them home. We need Return.
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2021
249 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Vogt
32 books75 followersBrandon Vogt is a bestselling writer, blogger, and speaker. He write about new media and theology, as well as book recommendations and reviews.
He serves as the Content Director at Word on Fire, the Catholic ministry founded and run by Fr. Robert Barron.
Brandon's work has been featured by several media outlets including NPR, FoxNews, CBS, EWTN, Our Sunday Visitor, National Review, and Christianity Today, and he's a regular guest on Catholic radio.
In May 2011, he was invited to the Vatican to dialogue with Church leaders about new media. His first book, The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops who Tweet (Our Sunday Visitor), won first-place at the 2012 Catholic Press Association Awards.
In May 2013, he started StrangeNotions.com, the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. He also launched the Africa eBook Project, which raised thousands of dollars to send digital libraries to seminarians across Africa, and Support a Catholic Speaker Month, where 11,000 people joined to promote new and upcoming Catholic speakers.
Brandon entered the Catholic Church on Easter 2008.
He serves as the Content Director at Word on Fire, the Catholic ministry founded and run by Fr. Robert Barron.
Brandon's work has been featured by several media outlets including NPR, FoxNews, CBS, EWTN, Our Sunday Visitor, National Review, and Christianity Today, and he's a regular guest on Catholic radio.
In May 2011, he was invited to the Vatican to dialogue with Church leaders about new media. His first book, The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops who Tweet (Our Sunday Visitor), won first-place at the 2012 Catholic Press Association Awards.
In May 2013, he started StrangeNotions.com, the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. He also launched the Africa eBook Project, which raised thousands of dollars to send digital libraries to seminarians across Africa, and Support a Catholic Speaker Month, where 11,000 people joined to promote new and upcoming Catholic speakers.
Brandon entered the Catholic Church on Easter 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 4, 2021
This is a good book. I do not actually have a child who I'd like to see return to the church, but this books helps to give great insight into beginning a journey of evangelisation for every person. It gives helpful ideas and suggestions equipping you to help any person encounter God. Would recommend.
July 20, 2025
What a truly unique book. I haven't seen anything quite like it. It certainy fills a need in my ministry. A book written specifically for parents with children who have fallen away from the practice of the faith. But could be a guide for general Catholic parenting...how to pray for your children, how to care for their relationship with Jesus...I really like his thorough review of that relationship between parent and child.
May 1, 2021
A sensitive, loving approach to bringing fallen-away Catholics home
I appreciated this book because it tackles one of the biggest problems in the Church today: the high attrition rate of Catholics. I often hear parents lamenting that their children have left the Church. Now I have a helpful resource to give them. While it doesn't necessarily break new ground theologically, it gathers a lot of helpful resources into an easy-to-understand "game plan" which I think will be helpful for parents who find themselves in this situation.
Obviously, this book is not meant to be given directly to the child who has left the Church, as much of the advice in it is to broach difficult topics over time and doing a lot of listening. It has a balanced view of being faithful to Church teaching while being sensitive to the needs of each individual by focusing on establishing a relationship rather than immediately hitting them over the head with Church teaching.
I appreciated this book because it tackles one of the biggest problems in the Church today: the high attrition rate of Catholics. I often hear parents lamenting that their children have left the Church. Now I have a helpful resource to give them. While it doesn't necessarily break new ground theologically, it gathers a lot of helpful resources into an easy-to-understand "game plan" which I think will be helpful for parents who find themselves in this situation.
Obviously, this book is not meant to be given directly to the child who has left the Church, as much of the advice in it is to broach difficult topics over time and doing a lot of listening. It has a balanced view of being faithful to Church teaching while being sensitive to the needs of each individual by focusing on establishing a relationship rather than immediately hitting them over the head with Church teaching.
July 19, 2024
Fantastic insights and strategies for how to love on and save a fallen away child. Acknowledges the intense heartache, but offers hope and encouragement.
April 29, 2021
Don't Read this Book if you're child left the church because because they're part of the LGBT community
I read this book because I found it on my mother's bedside. I'm trans and queer and I was curious as to what it had to say about people like me. The stance on sexuality is you can be it but not act on it. The stance on trans people is "you should read this book that lables it as a mental disorder". I'm a former catholic and my mother is a former protestant converted to Catholicism. My sexuality and gender were at many times heated topics but I brought to her several Jesuit books that talk about these issues much better and with much more love and understanding without the idea of "trying to change people's "lifestyles"" I would suggest 'Building a Bridge' and 'Space at the Table' as not perfect reads but much better ones to start having these conversations with people you care about. I am not catholic but my mom and I are able to talk about religion much more openly and kindly than we used to because of those books. If the LGBT reason is why your child has left the church don't turn to this book for help on that. As my mom has shown even a catholic can find teachings in similar denominations to fully understand and accept me and I have found the same for her in them as well.
I read this book because I found it on my mother's bedside. I'm trans and queer and I was curious as to what it had to say about people like me. The stance on sexuality is you can be it but not act on it. The stance on trans people is "you should read this book that lables it as a mental disorder". I'm a former catholic and my mother is a former protestant converted to Catholicism. My sexuality and gender were at many times heated topics but I brought to her several Jesuit books that talk about these issues much better and with much more love and understanding without the idea of "trying to change people's "lifestyles"" I would suggest 'Building a Bridge' and 'Space at the Table' as not perfect reads but much better ones to start having these conversations with people you care about. I am not catholic but my mom and I are able to talk about religion much more openly and kindly than we used to because of those books. If the LGBT reason is why your child has left the church don't turn to this book for help on that. As my mom has shown even a catholic can find teachings in similar denominations to fully understand and accept me and I have found the same for her in them as well.
May 31, 2022
This book has a very finely defined target audience, and a few sentences from the introduction make that clear: "Few experiences cause more despair than having a child leave the Church. Parents become deeply concerned about what will happen to their child after death if he continues to reject the faith. How will God judge him? How will God judge us? Will we all be together for eternity?" (xiv) Vogt is writing for parents who are worried that, because their children no longer go to church, they put their eternity at risk. That's how Vogt frames the problem of the growing "Nones" as they deconstruct and leave the faith. The book is intended as a guide for getting one's late-teen or adult children back to church.
Vogt begins with what not to do, and this list is admirable. (Vogt uses strictly male pronouns in order to avoid confusion; critics might see another motive lurking.)
1. Force him to go to mass
2. Criticize his lifestyle
3. Nag him
4. Dismiss his objections
5. Assume you can change him
From this start, though, Vogt provides little else that I think could be helpful to someone who has left the Catholic Church for intellectual reasons. He does cover a few objections that the "Nones" have, but not in any manner that would convince. That's to be understood, though: Vogt can't really think outside the box because the Catholic box is very strictly defined. For instance, he admits that laypersons have very little influence of the quality of sermons or the choice of music in a Catholic church. Of course, Protestants can just fire their pastor if they find his preaching to be substandard, or they can leave. Catholics are stuck, and if Vogt is trying to help parents get kids back into Catholic Church and not just a church, he's necessarily limiting his options from the beginning.
Take, for example, how Vogt deals with homosexuality: many young people who leave the Church do so because of a fundamental disagreement with the Church's teachings on sexuality. Vogt suggests that these folks are leaving over a misunderstanding that the Church condemns homosexuals. "The Catholic Church doesn't condemn same-sex-attracted people but instead lifts up their dignity, even while recognizing the disorder of sexual acts outside of marriage," Vogt writes. Of course, this means that homosexuals must live celibate lives and deny an entire element of their person, and their attractions are, according to Vogt, disordered. I don't exactly think most young people who left the Catholic Church because of this are going to find this reasoning convincing.
In fact, I think many would find the worries Vogt expresses in the introduction cause enough to keep Catholicism out of their lives. To suggest that "[p]arents become deeply concerned about what will happen to their child after death if he continues to reject the faith" because they are worried about how God will judge him and whether the family will "all be together for eternity" is to affirm and validate the guilt and worry these parents are feeling, and those negative emotions were likely part of the cause for leaving the Church in the first place. Vogt tries to deal with the objection that the Catholic Church thrives on creating a sense of guilt, but all he says is that the Church is the answer to that guilt: like Christianity in general, then, Catholicism creates the problem and then prescribes itself as the solution.
I read this book as a "None," as one who left the church for many of the reasons the book purports to explain. From that perspective, I can say that the superficial way the book deals with most objections will not convince most "Nones." Vogt even frames some of the objections in the most easily-contested formulation. The problem of suffering, for example, comes out as "Why does God let bad things happen to me?" Dealing with that is easy: to make you stronger. Much more challenging is, "Why does God allow toddlers and infants to suffer meaninglessly." This is much more difficult to deal with because "to make you stronger" doesn't work in any sense.
In the end, this book is trying merely to soothe the fears of believers and make parents think they've done something to help bring their children back to the faith. Given the fact that more than six people leave the church for every one that enters, it's a losing fight for Catholics. Their church is dying, and there's very little they can do about it.
Vogt begins with what not to do, and this list is admirable. (Vogt uses strictly male pronouns in order to avoid confusion; critics might see another motive lurking.)
1. Force him to go to mass
2. Criticize his lifestyle
3. Nag him
4. Dismiss his objections
5. Assume you can change him
From this start, though, Vogt provides little else that I think could be helpful to someone who has left the Catholic Church for intellectual reasons. He does cover a few objections that the "Nones" have, but not in any manner that would convince. That's to be understood, though: Vogt can't really think outside the box because the Catholic box is very strictly defined. For instance, he admits that laypersons have very little influence of the quality of sermons or the choice of music in a Catholic church. Of course, Protestants can just fire their pastor if they find his preaching to be substandard, or they can leave. Catholics are stuck, and if Vogt is trying to help parents get kids back into Catholic Church and not just a church, he's necessarily limiting his options from the beginning.
Take, for example, how Vogt deals with homosexuality: many young people who leave the Church do so because of a fundamental disagreement with the Church's teachings on sexuality. Vogt suggests that these folks are leaving over a misunderstanding that the Church condemns homosexuals. "The Catholic Church doesn't condemn same-sex-attracted people but instead lifts up their dignity, even while recognizing the disorder of sexual acts outside of marriage," Vogt writes. Of course, this means that homosexuals must live celibate lives and deny an entire element of their person, and their attractions are, according to Vogt, disordered. I don't exactly think most young people who left the Catholic Church because of this are going to find this reasoning convincing.
In fact, I think many would find the worries Vogt expresses in the introduction cause enough to keep Catholicism out of their lives. To suggest that "[p]arents become deeply concerned about what will happen to their child after death if he continues to reject the faith" because they are worried about how God will judge him and whether the family will "all be together for eternity" is to affirm and validate the guilt and worry these parents are feeling, and those negative emotions were likely part of the cause for leaving the Church in the first place. Vogt tries to deal with the objection that the Catholic Church thrives on creating a sense of guilt, but all he says is that the Church is the answer to that guilt: like Christianity in general, then, Catholicism creates the problem and then prescribes itself as the solution.
I read this book as a "None," as one who left the church for many of the reasons the book purports to explain. From that perspective, I can say that the superficial way the book deals with most objections will not convince most "Nones." Vogt even frames some of the objections in the most easily-contested formulation. The problem of suffering, for example, comes out as "Why does God let bad things happen to me?" Dealing with that is easy: to make you stronger. Much more challenging is, "Why does God allow toddlers and infants to suffer meaninglessly." This is much more difficult to deal with because "to make you stronger" doesn't work in any sense.
In the end, this book is trying merely to soothe the fears of believers and make parents think they've done something to help bring their children back to the faith. Given the fact that more than six people leave the church for every one that enters, it's a losing fight for Catholics. Their church is dying, and there's very little they can do about it.
March 5, 2022
I read this book as a part of the book club at my church. I was shocked and saddened to read the statistics of catholics leaving the church. As a parent whose children still attend church with me (occasionally ), I had a hard time relating to this based on bringing my children back.
That being said, I can see where the conversation starters are helpful. What I do not see, is the total judgement at the end of the book. The views about gays, cohabitation, annulments and those not married in the church/but attending church, are judgmental. These views are why people have left and may not return.
That being said, I can see where the conversation starters are helpful. What I do not see, is the total judgement at the end of the book. The views about gays, cohabitation, annulments and those not married in the church/but attending church, are judgmental. These views are why people have left and may not return.
September 23, 2022
This book had great points, not just for children who stray from the faith, but for anyone who is questioning their Catholicism. A great setup for difficult conversation in a loving environment.
October 28, 2021
A loving approach to bridging the gap between Catholic parents and children who have left the church. The author lays out an approach that doesn't read like a book in Catholic apologetics. It's far less about winning arguments and much more about winning hearts and minds and souls, which is much more likely to draw them back into the Church and a loving relationship with Jesus.
May 24, 2025
*Thank you to NetGalley and Word On Fire Publishing for the free copy*
This book has a number of flaws, both as I try to read this as someone of the target audience (older Catholic parents/relatives) and as someone who was never raised Catholic.
Part of the issue stems from the fact that much of this book points to other books if you’re genuinely looking for advice. The author gives some answers to questions, but ultimately asks you to look elsewhere, which isn’t really helpful if you came to this looking for answers directly.
Some of the advice is ‘pray about it’ and ‘fast about it’ which is something that I’d imagine a religious person would *already be doing* before picking up this book. Ultimately much of the advice seems redundant as a Catholic person must’ve already considered some of these options.
Another part of the issue is that when it comes to the reasons why (young) people leave is sparingly explored deeply, and the material suggested is incredibly inaccurate and offensive.
I can’t say much for the books listed that I haven’t personally read, but recommending parents read ‘When Harry Became Sally’ is egregious. I’ve explored that book more in my own review, but the summary is this book is this;
“…the most conservative of all anti-trans books, and its direct ties to The Heritage Foundation make it clear that it’s not in for the benefit of trans or gender non-conforming people. It refuses any and all input from trans people themselves…The citations it made in (especially in regard to detransitioners) have since been deleted or the creators of said citations themselves have called out this book for its appropriation of their work/experiences.”
Saying that gay people are perfectly welcome is also a misnomer, as the author and a large portion of The Church will not be ‘welcome’ to Catholics who are in gay marriages/relationships. The book only offers lifelong celibacy as the only way for a gay/lesbian person to participate.
Criticisms of abuse and sexism are also brushed aside, and if this is to be used on a person who was directly abused/mistreated with sexism because of The Church, having one’s experiences be responded with ‘Well that’s sad but not *all* churches are like that’ is unhelpful.
A nitpick, but I also dislike that the book refers only to the child as ‘he/him/his’, and the author gives a poor excuse that it would be too ‘confusing’ to use ‘they’. It’s not confusing, and it’s more fitting than just defaulting to calling someone a boy.
This isn’t a great book, and is way too shallow on too many topics to actually dive into why people leave Catholicism and go elsewhere. Please do not implement these methods, especially when many of them are dismissive of other people’s perspectives and lives.
This book has a number of flaws, both as I try to read this as someone of the target audience (older Catholic parents/relatives) and as someone who was never raised Catholic.
Part of the issue stems from the fact that much of this book points to other books if you’re genuinely looking for advice. The author gives some answers to questions, but ultimately asks you to look elsewhere, which isn’t really helpful if you came to this looking for answers directly.
Some of the advice is ‘pray about it’ and ‘fast about it’ which is something that I’d imagine a religious person would *already be doing* before picking up this book. Ultimately much of the advice seems redundant as a Catholic person must’ve already considered some of these options.
Another part of the issue is that when it comes to the reasons why (young) people leave is sparingly explored deeply, and the material suggested is incredibly inaccurate and offensive.
I can’t say much for the books listed that I haven’t personally read, but recommending parents read ‘When Harry Became Sally’ is egregious. I’ve explored that book more in my own review, but the summary is this book is this;
“…the most conservative of all anti-trans books, and its direct ties to The Heritage Foundation make it clear that it’s not in for the benefit of trans or gender non-conforming people. It refuses any and all input from trans people themselves…The citations it made in (especially in regard to detransitioners) have since been deleted or the creators of said citations themselves have called out this book for its appropriation of their work/experiences.”
Saying that gay people are perfectly welcome is also a misnomer, as the author and a large portion of The Church will not be ‘welcome’ to Catholics who are in gay marriages/relationships. The book only offers lifelong celibacy as the only way for a gay/lesbian person to participate.
Criticisms of abuse and sexism are also brushed aside, and if this is to be used on a person who was directly abused/mistreated with sexism because of The Church, having one’s experiences be responded with ‘Well that’s sad but not *all* churches are like that’ is unhelpful.
A nitpick, but I also dislike that the book refers only to the child as ‘he/him/his’, and the author gives a poor excuse that it would be too ‘confusing’ to use ‘they’. It’s not confusing, and it’s more fitting than just defaulting to calling someone a boy.
This isn’t a great book, and is way too shallow on too many topics to actually dive into why people leave Catholicism and go elsewhere. Please do not implement these methods, especially when many of them are dismissive of other people’s perspectives and lives.
August 14, 2024
I admit to reading this as a Sample initially through my Kindle library. I also read 1- and 2- star reviewers, because we are not all nut-balls. It gets a 2-star only out of justice to the fact it was not borrowed or purchased, nor will be. Without getting into too much morality and (all) church politics, especially the Catholic dioseses, this 'direction' book is a simplification and demonstration of the problems that currently plague all Christian institutions, i.e, political church institutions, not just the Catholic church. But, yes, the Catholic Church continues to ignore its street cred vs. all other Christian churches.
The pro - it is a short book.
The cons - the overused Prodigal Son metaphor.
And, really, there is only one author who was definitive with this metaphor: Henri Nouwen who embraced the spirituality of the bible teaching.
Other cons - Not clear for whom this is written. (Older,traditional Catholics? Makes sense....) (Contemporary Catholic parents?) If parents cannot lead by example (do as I do, not as I say), are there other ways to be considerate and respectful of their children's own spirituality and wishes?
Suggestion: There are better books out there. one of the reviewers provides two titles that open conversation, 'Building a Bridge' and 'Space at the Table'. Go for it.
Visit Scotland. The Scots take on religion is refreshing, as is finding solutions for churches no longer used for worship.
The pro - it is a short book.
The cons - the overused Prodigal Son metaphor.
And, really, there is only one author who was definitive with this metaphor: Henri Nouwen who embraced the spirituality of the bible teaching.
Other cons - Not clear for whom this is written. (Older,traditional Catholics? Makes sense....) (Contemporary Catholic parents?) If parents cannot lead by example (do as I do, not as I say), are there other ways to be considerate and respectful of their children's own spirituality and wishes?
Suggestion: There are better books out there. one of the reviewers provides two titles that open conversation, 'Building a Bridge' and 'Space at the Table'. Go for it.
Visit Scotland. The Scots take on religion is refreshing, as is finding solutions for churches no longer used for worship.
January 17, 2024
I liked the book and Vogt gave me things in the first part that I hadn't realized which I should be employing more often. The book is a kickstarter for families on ways to bring their kids or family members back to the church. The main points are prayer, fasting, and patience. Many of us try and bull rush our kids into the faith using scary terms we were brought up with that simply turn our kids or family away. We fail to include God in our efforts and fail in the message of Christ. Many people today proclaim this or that about religion and the church but when they take an honest look at the church everything they complain about or think the church teaches is wrong. There are some tough ones, abortion, same sex relationships, death penalty, divorce and remarry, Vogt does his best to explain and offers a good list of sources to draw from. I still struggle with certain teachings but knowing why has helped me. I gave a 3 star because the last 1/3 of the book was more of a review. For those that are new and want a great foundation to begin evangelizing then this is the book for you.
July 5, 2021
Brandon does a wonderful job helping any parent looking for a starting point for talking to their kids about the Church. He does the research for you and gives the reader the resources to expand on any topic they are looking for more detail on, but for this book the focus stays on the idea that no one is a lost cause. Brandon keeps this a short enough and easy enough read as to not be intimidated by it. I feel this is also realistic while being very hopeful; a sweet spot that is not a simple task.
I may not have been the perfect audience for this book (father of 3 younger children) but I now feel prepared and am excited to pick up other titles he has recommended throughout Return as well.
I may not have been the perfect audience for this book (father of 3 younger children) but I now feel prepared and am excited to pick up other titles he has recommended throughout Return as well.
March 13, 2022
Inspirational
This book is not a quick read. There is so much information and bibliographic reference throughout. Reading this book has led to the purchase of several other books. There's just so much food for thought in the pages of this book. It fills the reader with hope I recommend this book to anyone who has a loved one that is searching for spiritual food.
This book is not a quick read. There is so much information and bibliographic reference throughout. Reading this book has led to the purchase of several other books. There's just so much food for thought in the pages of this book. It fills the reader with hope I recommend this book to anyone who has a loved one that is searching for spiritual food.
May 1, 2024
I really enjoy Brandon Vogt's writing. It is very engaging. There is a lot of insight from understanding why someone left to the church, to talking with him and trying to understand and how to engage the person into opening up and coming home. There is a lot of support material in the book which I really like. I
July 5, 2025
4.5/5 stars- A great handbook for explaining the reasons our children are leaving the church and how parents can help them find their way back. This is also a great resource for titles of other books that parents can read to deepen their own theological understanding as well as build knowledge about topics your loved ones have concerns about.
July 17, 2025
If you have a child or loved one who's left the Catholic Church, and you are interested in finding ways to bring him or her back, please read this book. It is full of encouragement and helpful tips along with fantastic concrete tactics to use in bringing people back to the faith. Highly recommend!
April 28, 2022
The issues discussed in this book are complex and complicated. Each person’s situation is unique and there is no easy guaranteed solution. This book does a good job of addressing a wide range of common factors involved. It offers concrete ideas and many references to turn for more information.
March 19, 2021
Highly Recommended!
February 2, 2022
We’re going through this right now as a parish book study. It’s been well-received so far and has generated good discussions.
June 25, 2023
A great book! I liked the many examples he brought and the clarity of arguments he provided for parents desperate to bring back their children into the Church.
July 23, 2024
This book is an excellent resource for anyone who has family members who have left the Church. Not only does it provide helpful insight but it also gives tons of resources for further reading.
February 23, 2025
Excellent book with practical advice on bringing back the lost sheep into the Catholic fold. I continue to pray for those who have left for one reason or another.
August 29, 2025
Very helpful and encouraging book. Lots of resources.
October 9, 2025
Wonderful book, giving many insights, suggestions, and actions to create a dialog with your children to return to the Catholic faith
June 26, 2023
This book couldn't have come at a better time.
We Catholics can no longer say "I'm concerned that our millennial children will be leaving the Church." In far too many cases, they've already left. They don't see the need for religion, let alone Christianity. For those of us who raised our children Catholic, yet see them fall away from their faith, what should we do?
Step 1: Read this book.
Step 2: Follow its action plan.
Vogt provides a practical guide to Catholic parents who want to help their adult children back to the Church. He starts with the observation that doing nothing and allowing kids to back "naturally" will probably not work, for a whole host of reasons. Instead, parents need to decide to engage with their children to bring them back.
That doesn't mean parents should either lecture or scold their kids. That would backfire. Rather, parents should ask their children why they left the church, then address their concerns on their terms.
While this approach makes complete sense, it ain't easy. Parents need to get right with their faith. They need to know what they're talking about. They need to not only know the catechism, but discuss it in a way that's approachable to their children. While none of this easy, at least Vogt has identified a discernable path with which parents can interact with their kids to help them back on the right path.
I strongly recommend this to Catholic parents who are looking for anything that can help them bring their children back to the Church.
We Catholics can no longer say "I'm concerned that our millennial children will be leaving the Church." In far too many cases, they've already left. They don't see the need for religion, let alone Christianity. For those of us who raised our children Catholic, yet see them fall away from their faith, what should we do?
Step 1: Read this book.
Step 2: Follow its action plan.
Vogt provides a practical guide to Catholic parents who want to help their adult children back to the Church. He starts with the observation that doing nothing and allowing kids to back "naturally" will probably not work, for a whole host of reasons. Instead, parents need to decide to engage with their children to bring them back.
That doesn't mean parents should either lecture or scold their kids. That would backfire. Rather, parents should ask their children why they left the church, then address their concerns on their terms.
While this approach makes complete sense, it ain't easy. Parents need to get right with their faith. They need to know what they're talking about. They need to not only know the catechism, but discuss it in a way that's approachable to their children. While none of this easy, at least Vogt has identified a discernable path with which parents can interact with their kids to help them back on the right path.
I strongly recommend this to Catholic parents who are looking for anything that can help them bring their children back to the Church.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews