Recently several publication, both Christian and secular have noted the growing erosion of youth from the churches. Many things are blamed on this, but there is a general disgust and frustration amongst adult Christians towards the youth because of this. There is a belief that there is something wrong with the youth culture today or that they are just simply broken.

Many factors contribute to this problem, break down of the family unit, our culture, liberalism, and George Bush (why not him, he’s blamed for everything else going on in the world today?). But I believe it is this simple fact: the church has become so consumed with itself as an organization/institutional/business that it has forgotten why it even exists.

The youth of today (as well of any age) have a keen sense of weather or not you’re BS’ing them. They don’t see it’s purpose. They don’t see that it has anything to offer them. They see it as a system of ritual and tradition all of which does not connect with their hurts, problems and struggles. The church becomes distant from the youth because they don’t openly beg to be apart, after all, if you deny the church you’re denying Jesus… Aren’t you?

What the church has forgotten is that its sole purpose for existence is to spread the message of hope and redemption in Christ to the lost world. Does the world still need Christ? More than ever. Does the world still need the church (in it’s current institutionalized state)? That’s yet to be determined.

This generation is no different that the past. Still born into sin. Still have a Christ shaped hole in their hearts that only He can fill. So if this is still the same, then has the church changed?

[continued in part 2]