I read a frightening statistic recently that 43% of Jr. Highers have sex before graduation and 1/4 are engaed in sexting via cell phones likely bought by mom or dad. I also read via the Barna Group that 69% of young adults leave the church by the age of 19.
If we truly care we likely wonder at this. Is it boredom, culture, distraction, multi-tasking, rebellion, tradition, or distrust in authority? It could be a little of each or it could simply be the lack of church to adapt its trusted truth to the worldview and proclivities of a new generation.
For thirty years the entreprenurial mega-church has founded itself around "lifestage" ministry. The churches funnel children from classroom to classroom, craft to craft, trip to trip, and new pastor to new pastor in a valiant attempt to change lives. However, the 69% dropout rate aforementioned signals something is broken. So, for a split second let me ask you to analyze a different platform for ministry in the large church setting.
For centuries the age of 12 was when a child became an adult. Work was required. Marriages entertained. It's America and millenial thought that has decided to detour our children until 18 to accept responsibility, work ethic, and passionate diligence.
Imagine if the church returned to its roots and adapted the philsophy that much is expected of their youth? Crazy you say? Continuing in a broken model may be just as crazy.
Right now in a large church setting a child is expected to forcefully adhere to the teachings of a Jr. High Pastor. Two years later parents funnel their son or daughter to a new life-shaper called the High School Pastor. In college the kid is now required to gravitate to another leader. Finally, we hope that magically at age 22 they'll walk into a Sunday service, appreciate the Sr. Pastor's vision, and enjoy the corporate experience to which they’ve had no previous allegiance. Crazy.
Why do we keep launching ministries into the same failing system? Why is more money being spent on the next generation of youth ministry and less being shown for it? Why are 1500 camps closing a year? Yet, they keep having sex by age 13.
It’s time to let the church be the church. A place where a generation can collectively gather for passionate world change and not sit in subdivided culdesacs of non-influence.
When we start framing our next generational ministries around the idea of unity everything changes. When we place someone 15, 20, or 28 in a room together we suddenly have numbers, maturity, future, and movement.
At Crossroads, we've really attempted to highlight and motivate a generational gathering each week. Our midweek service titled Generate runs each Wednesday at 7:30pm and is stylistically targeted at the 22 year old. We've intentionally left age descriptions or designations off in an effort to reach anyone (both younger and older) who feels this paradigm of ministry fits their worship needs. We've found that both High School and Jr. High students tend to raise their maturity in a natural quest to fit in among older peers and this truly allows an audience age 14-26 to rally around common cause and common experience.
We've refused to back down from the core truths of Scripture and instead have found that asking this generation to be true passionate world changers (disciples of Christ) yields greater reward then mitigating speech, seeker sensitivity, and watered down gospel as they plead for a semblance of purpose.
We've also intentionally built in smaller lifestage communities that meet throughout the week to support age specific needs as they relate to Generate and provide deeper community. These communities all stem from the main Wednesday gathering and all point back to it as we maintain a ferocious resolve of laser focus around this one night together.
A generation wakes each day to the same technology, culture, sarcasms, globilization, media, advertisements, Friday night football games, and social initiatives. Why won't we allow them to wake each day to the same church, same kingdom, same Jesus? If you can have sex at 13 you should be allowed to have hope at 13.