If there is no place for children to learn love, respect and responsibility, we may expect the next generation to produce hate, selfishness and irresponsibility. The problem that concerns me is that people in the church are not producing a strong counter-model of the family for society. In fact the church in its practice actually fragments the family rather than supporting it. While there are some excellent parenting seminars circulating around the churches, the structures of the church itself serve mainly to divide age groups and to break down intergenerational community. As soon as a family enters the church, it is separated out by age groups.
Young children go to the nursery.
The next age group attends the children's program. The pre-teens and early teens have their own arena. The youth segregate themselves into their own events. Young adults find people who share their problems. Singles have their own peer group.