No, I'm not talking about Star Trek. What I am talking about is the enormous population gap that churches are becoming more and more ineffective at retaining: 18-35 year olds. Why is that? There have been many suggestions. Postmodern worldview, worldly temptations, boring services, too early to get up, and on and on and on. We can come up with all kinds of excuses, but what if, what if, the reason is inside us?
While this may not be true for everyone, in my experience churches don't like "kids" messing up the good thing they've got going. Instead of involving them in decisions, giving them leadership opportunities, and mentoring them, churches keep them perpetually children, locked away from the "real" church, throw a bunch of pizza at them, and make them continue to sit at the children's table. Why would anyone want to continue at that kind of church?? I can eat pizza and play video games at home.
Meanwhile, these "kids" are out designing websites, making music, and being trained in management in the secular world.
Southern Baptists like to claim that every believer gets a spiritual gift when they become a Christian, but in practice, the only thing we let youth and young adults do is listen to adults, watch movies, and eat pizza. Maybe instead we should let them exercise their gifts (under encouraging supervision), and find a way for them to be the church, not just an auxiliary to the old people.
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