This afternoon I went to a workshop on Pastoring Difficult Conversations, which was on how ministers could "talk" about racism, heterosexism, and ablism with their congregations. It was a useful discussion exploring the relation of the prophetic to the pastoral. Can we separate prophetic ministry from pastoral ministry, and have effective ministry. It was a good discussion, but we could have had more focus than we did.
After the workshop Bill Sinkford spoke to the ministers and answered questions. The ministers asked probing questions, and Bill was able to answer them candidly and with informed answers.
The one question that Bill could not answer is what are we doing to keep the young people who grew up Unitarian Universalist. He answered that they hadn't studied that question. Actually many life time UUs have opinions similar to the one Christian Robinson offers in her blog.
What we ARE doing?
Dunno.
What we're NOT doing, I think, is what we ought to have learned by now from wrestling with all the issues and questions arising out of doing what we need to do to keep/attract all the other groups of people we explicitly include and embrace.
What does it take to attract and keep youth?
The same thing that it takes to attract and keep BGLT folk--treatment that is both appropriate and which acknowledges and values them as "just like everyone else," and taking up the interests and concerns of youth as being of import and worth.
Watching an adult in her late 40s (or so) speaking to a youth just under 20 in a way that can only be seen as demeaning--speaking down to--tonight was an example. Even when you think someone's wrong, and doing something that's foolish and self-destructive, you just don't talk "down" to them and expect any useful response.
Actually, his behavior seemed pretty damned adult to me. He politely didn't engage and moved along.
So--be engaged, be relevant, be active (doing).
My 2 cents, from the balcony, since youth's a long time back for me...