Should we segregate children from adults in Sunday School?

As a youth ministry worker, this topic intrigues me. A documentary recently published (and viewable online for free) called “Divided”, seeks to condemn youth ministries as unbiblical because they’re never mentioned in the New Testament (although neither is the word “trinity” but that would take much longer to explain). I agree that the Bible depicts a strong family model for discipleship (Deut. 6:7, Prov. 22:6, and Eph 6:4). As Gene Getz says, “each believing family in a given community, ideally speaking, was to be the ‘church in miniature’ and the father the primary spiritual leader” (1 Timothy 3:4-5). But at what point does a father and mother allow other influential Godly men and women to help instruct their children in the knowledge of the Lord? As Gene Getz explains in his book Elders and Leaders, we must look through the lenses of Scripture, history, and culture to reach decisions on such delicate matters (28). Getz further explains that the church can “use cultural insights without compromising divine absolutes” (29). The history of educating American youth began in large, single-story buildings of 30-40 students, ages 5-16. As the American education system grew, culture had to adapt and segregate it’s children using age as it’s primary criteria. Since those early pioneer days, the act of separating children by age has become an American tradition. We train our children, for eight hours a day, five days a week, 9 months a year, for 16 consecutive years, to learn in an age-segregated environment. We teach them to “find kids your own age to play with” and to have birthday parties where they invite other children in their age group. Why would the church separate from this culturally ingrained learning style for one hour a week, because the first century church implied that children were present at home church gatherings (Acts 2:46-47; 4:32-35; 16”31-34)? Christians are often guilty of adding to Scripture what isn’t intrinsically there. To combine adults and kids into a large corporate worship service each week is not commanded in the New Testament. Rather, the New Testament directive to “teach what is in accord and sound doctrine”, and “to encourage the young men to be self-controlled” (Titus 2:1,6) is not hindered because the form of that command has changed.