I think this is a good article in that it lays out what we're seeing happen.  Alas, it really doesn't yet offer the solution (at least for the religion component...)  It has a real gem however:

"I was always struck by the fact that during the last two papacies Catholic leadership was willing to dialogue with people of any other faith but was not willing to dialogue with Catholic dissidents."

The common problem here, I think, is that both institutions have effectively redefined themselves to believe that those in power ARE the institution.  In so doing, those the institutions  represent become little more than pawns, necessary for funding and support, but most preferred when they otherwise remain silent and just follow along.

If the answer is to address the needs of those who would be led, the first step would seem to be to find out what those people really think they need.  The second would be to seriously listen to what those people are actually saying.