Leaving the Big Church Bus

I attended a conference in Seattle two weeks ago led by a guy who describes himself as an "intuitive futurist." His name is Reggie McNeal, and after working with hundreds of Christian leaders in a number of denominations, he believes the church as we know is ceasing to exist. He is not saying that God is giving up the ghost or taken an extended vacaction, but that the current institutional shape of congregations will have a more limited role in what the Holy Spirit is up to in coming years.

One statistic he shared supports his assertion that we are in the midst of a spiritual change as large as the Protestant Reformation if not larger. Spirituality remains significant in this country, but the number of people in each generational grouping to affiliate officially with organized churches is heading for the sub-basement. Here are his statistics:

Generational Percentages Connected To Churches

Seniors (born before 1925) 60+
Builders (1926 - 1945) 60+
Boomers (1946-1964) 42 - 44
Gen X (1965 - 1983) 18 - 22
Millenials (1984 - 2000) Less than 10

McNeal didn't site his source and I have yet to track it down, but if it is true, this is huge... ozone hole huge... for those thinking hard about faith.

Your thoughts on the cause of this rapid drop? Your ideas on what God is up to or how we might engage?