This is one thing you have to watch about old people who have lived long, successful lives.(and even, perhaps those who have stumbled badly) Educated, uneducated, self made or what, they have had so many been there done that, seen the result situations. Then here comes a young person who is trying to do something that they have seen have a bad result over and over. The youngster doesn't know any better. They think that youngster is being stupid. See enough of that and they begin to class the whole group as stupid. That is especially true when they won't listen to anything you say, but doggedly hang to their ways/ideas thinking that the oldsters need to sit down, be quiet and eat their pablum cause they just don't know anything.
When it comes to modern technical, cyberspace skills, the youngsters are miles ahead. Oldsters will readily admit that. Remember, though, when the youngsters get older, they will also have those skills plus wisdom and experience. The times that they are living through make that more true than for my generation in America.
There has to be enough old and young who will recognize the asset that they both are to the program. The young has to know that there is something to be learned and wisdom to be gained from their elders. They have got to also know that adults, especially mature ones, are not going to suddenly change to hip hop, nouveau think churching.
The mature have to respect the youngster, because they are the church of tomorrow(and an important part of the church today). It is all about bringing people into the knowledge of Christ anyway. A lot of the other stuff is so much man made dogma/denominational/confusing/intertainment non-essentials mixed in with the essentials of organization.
I think a lot of churches have very good youth programs, but some don't, or haven't come to grips with needs of the youth. In order to do so, both have to recognize and adjust.
We also gotta realize that sometimes people just don't want to go to church. They can come up with a reason.
