V. V.

We were meeting with a couple of our staff today about our Video Venue (V.V.) that meets every Sunday morning in another auditorium across campus.

We're excited about this new opportunity to reach a brand new group of people who perhaps have given up on church 'as is.' It's hipper, darker, more casual - take a donut and a cup of coffee on in with you -- relax -- message is on video but worship is 'cool' and 'live' - the leadership is younger - etc.

The guys we've got overseeing it are really pumped about it - and that makes ME more pumped to see THEM pumped.

We've done this, in part, to respond to the number of out-of-college-aged people and young couples who grew up in church, and yet are now walking away from their faith - not to mention those young people in their 20s and 30s who have never HAD a faith and don't know what church is all about except for what they've created in their minds, none of which is particularly good.

The estimate of those who have walked away from their faith is rising into the 70 and 80 percentile. Staggering. These are not people who have grown up in agnostic homes; they've grown up RIGHT IN CHURCH ... but we're losing them.

It's irrelevant.
It's boring.
It's not for me.
Yawn.

A few of our mainline denominations now have as an AVERAGE age of their constituents nation-wide, age 60 or over. I wonder if any of them are thinking about what happens with their churches in the next 10 or 15 years ... all the while holding fast to their traditions and customs, insisting they are critically important and taking those traditions - literally - to the grave with them.

The bottom line is that the church is losing influence with two entire generations. This is a pivotal time in history when the church needs to re-focus its mission. Time to get those generations back - and not lose any future ones.

And be blessed.