Creating church for a world that no longer exists

So Christianity Today did a 3 part series on "How Teenagers Transformed the Church".

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

I must say that I had some hopes for the CT series on "How Teenagers Transformed the Church".

First, there were some things I liked. I'm glad they talked to Doug Pagitt and Tic Long. I felt like Part 3 should have been called an "Interview with Tic Long". Tic has some great things to say. His 3 points, Youth Pastors are often better communicators than Pastors, Teenagers as catalysts instead of reactors, and Indigenous ministry are very good points.

I must say though, that overall I was disappointed by the series. I honestly can't figure out what it is about the topic that frustrated me... but I'll try to unearth it in the following thoughts.

- Maybe it was because it felt reductionistic.

- Maybe it's because I'm not sure I like where the church is and has been and thus it feels a bit like a blame. Though that was not the intention.. the series I believe was intended to be complementary to youth ministry. But the fact that most youth pastors today don't like what youth ministry looks like and they don't like what the church their youth ministries exist within look like either is a problem that isn't addressed.

-Was it just plain wrong. Did Youth Ministry really transform the church over the past 30 years? I'm not so sure.

-Maybe it was the corrective nature of Tic's three points, moving us away from youth ministry as it has been to a new future. Or is that... moving us away from the way the church is today to a new future?

-Maybe the church is the way it is for some other reasons and Youth Ministry is more of a symptom.

Some of those reasons might be: (in no particular order)
1. Past WW2 affluence
2. Technology begins to advance at a ridiculous rate, doubling the number of historical technological breakthroughs every year.
3. A shift from a Modern to Postmodern world
4. Tremendous breakthroughs in transportation.
5. The creation of adolescence has a tremendous impact, not only on "teenagers" but on those around them.
6. The American Marketing Machine growing into something akin to a psychological guerilla warefare.
7. The creation of niches within the family by marketing, teen culture, tween culture, college culture, boomers etc.


Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who have served in youth ministry who have gone on to create great change in the church and there have certainly been people who attended youth group as a teen and now are looking for a church that is like their youth group... but I'm not sure that equals "Youth ministry changing the church".

Let me put it another way.

When Tic says the church is 10-15 years behind youth ministry, isn't he really saying, the church is 10-15 years behind what is actually happening the world today?

Church leaders are guilty of creating a church for a world that no longer exists except within the minds of a few church people. Youth Ministry can't survive like that.