For the past decade I have said that we are nearing the time when it will no longer be true that the vast majority of people are converted before the age of 18. I think by the year 2050, that the majority of people will be converted after the age of 18. If this is true, then everything we know about evangelism will go out the window.

An article in USA Today puts more fodder into this hopper. The front page says, “Civil Marriage on the Rise Across the USA.” Although there is no national study yet, in the 18 states that have been tracking this phenomenon, the trend is that 40% of all marriages are civil. And here is what caught my attention, the civil marriage rate in Alabama was 43% and in South Carolina 47%. The Bible belt is coming unbuckled! Vermont was 64%. This is just another example of why Tom and I have been saying for a decade that youth are not the future of the church?

So, here are some Track Three Questions:

Are you continuing to staff to reach children and youth or have you made the switch to staffing to reach and disciple adults?

What are you doing to reach non-Christian adults that is working?

Are you still putting more money in educating the people who are showing up at your church rather than switching to putting more money into reaching out and touching those who are not coming to your church?

Those who want to move out of Track One church environments need to spend more time on Track Three issues like this one.