Iran's "Marriage Crisis"?

I have been so busy with things at work that posting has been light this week. We discussed this interesting article from Time.Com at GNO this week on the upcoming Iranian elections, and how youth are beginning to really change that country.

These days, the phrase "marriage crisis" pops up in election debates, newspapers and blogs and is considered by government officials and ordinary Iranians alike to be one of the nation's most serious problems. It refers to the rising number of young people of marrying age who cannot afford to marry or are choosing not to tie the knot. By official estimates, there are currently 13 million to 15 million Iranians of marrying age; to keep that figure steady, Iran should be registering about 1.65 million marriages each year. The real figure is closer to half that.

Why does this matter? Because Iran's government cannot afford to further alienate the young people that comprise more than 35% of its population.

Will these kinds of issue topple Ahmadinejad? And if so, will it mean anything in a country where the Ayatollahs are the Supreme Court? It should be an interesting time to observe Iran.

Not Invented Here (In the Church)

I have been attending the same church since 4th grade (early 1980s). One of the strengths of this church and of the denomination were a series of events and programs provided by the regional or national church around which youth programs could be built. Every other summer there was a National Youth Conference. Periodically, large churches in the area would set up big events (concerts, superbowls, etc.) which other local churches would embrace. Youth pastors built their programs around these major events and everyone benefitted.

Since I have become a youth leader in 1996, however, I have seen a growing trend away from these large events. It is not that they are not being organized or offered. But youth pastors and leaders are more and more treating them with something ranging from cynicism to outright disdain. Various reasons are given for the trend (uninterested youth, post-modern parents, etc.), but none have stood up under my scrutiny.

"Not Invented Here" syndrome - rejecting new ideas out-of-hand if they originated from an outsider. It is typically a sign of a sick company which has institutionalized itself to a point where the culture and not the customer or the product become the #1 priority. I am beginning to think this is exactly what we are seeing in many local churches. Youth leaders are not interested in embracing a wider Christianity or program structure, but want to focus their programs solely on what happens in the local body of believers. Mixing with other churches is seen as unnecessary. And supporting a regional or national initiative is Irrelevant. If it ain't invented in the local church, it has little to no place in the local church.

I started this off to be a criticism of this mindset, but the more I think about it the less certain I am. What do our Mod-Blog readers think? Where is the balance point between local independence and shared regional or national experience in the Church? (Or am I just wrong that this is a trend larger than my own corner of the universe?)