Mind the Gap!

When someone feels a calling, a desire, and it does not go away for a number of years, there is a good chance that it is there to stay. Unfortunately, the place that should be resourceful and the most welcoming of such heartfelt desires (the Church) can often be the place where someone falls through the cracks. Many young adults, male and female, do not have a place to "fit" between high school graduation and mid- to late-twenties. Why is this? Does Christ not have a place and a purpose for their lives too? Are they, for some reason, considered to be less valuable to the overall Church body and gathering of Believers? This is the time when most young adults "fall away" from their faith, because they are forced to make a decision as to whether that faith is their own, or their parents'. Where is the Church meeting this need?

There are some churches which hold small group meetings and Bible studies for ages 18-25, but word quickly travels that they feel more like matchmaking services than anything else. At least, that's how it seems in the North East.

Christ had a desire during His earthly ministry, too. When others would push the younger generations (specifically children) away, He said "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." (Mark 10:14-15, NASB) Jesus also prayed that Christians would be one as He and the Father, God, are one (John 17, NASB).

How is the Church united, as Jesus prayed, while the next generation is being pushed away?