oa Encouraging an Organic Ecclesiology for Adolescents: Deconstructing the Church from Institution to Instituted

The relationship between adolescents and the church is troubled. Recent quantitative research in the Netherlands has shown that church membership and church attendance of adolescents are at an all-time low. This article tells the story behind the numbers, based on the results of qualitative research among adolescents in five small groups affiliated in some way with the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. Based on their perspectives, it can be concluded that the relationship between adolescents and the church is indeed problematic, mainly because of the institutional and organisational characteristics of the church. This article suggests that a new, organic approach, beyond the traditional institutional and organisational perspectives, is needed for the Protestant Church and its associated youth organisations.