1. YoungLIFE

2. ‘There’s nothing better anyone can do with their life than to become a follower of Jesus Christ’

3. The Need….

4. What we know…. 162,000 0-11’s in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
11,468 attend Church primary schools
150,532 attend LA and Academy (not faith) schools
Nationally 90% do not attend church schools
65% of churches in the diocese have 5 or less under 11’s on a Sunday

5. From Anecdote to Evidence
Growth is found where there is a high ratio of children to adults.
Churches which offer programmes for children and teenagers are more likely to grow.
Three quarters of churches that offer retreats, conferences or camps for children and young people report growth, against half among those who do not.

6. Age at coming to faith Under 5 years 40% 5-10 years 16%

7. Age when leaving faith Under 10 years 4% 11–18 years 34%

8. Rooted in the Church www. churchofengland
Rooted in the Church
For young people, the most important atttribute of a church should be that it is friendly and non-judgemental
Young people value age-specific leadership and activities; they do not want to always be artificially separated from the rest of the church
Young people seek to be treated as equal members of the church with meaningful roles
Many respondents emphasised the importance of intergenerational ministry

9. Sunday challenges… Only 15% of children do Sunday morning sport
Patterns in Sunday activities and family life are changing
Not all children have choice in where they go
Weekend access to non-custodial/shared custody parent (up to 40%)
If the quality is good enough it will attract

10. When I was 7 I lived with... My hope was... I spent money on...
My favourite TV/Radio programme was...
The Prime Minister’s name was...
I spent my time doing…

11. Church as a child

12. Step-Change Video – Sunday Best

13. People of faith

14. Step change – one account

15. Step change – Defining reality…
Numbers of children 0-11 had remained constant
Finding volunteers was an ongoing challenge
Children’s worker 2 days per week maintaining present activity
Losing most boys 9+ staying connected
’s living within 2 miles of the church

16. Step change – Defining reality… (2)
Good partnership with local CofE primary school, plus 3 other schools with primary-age children
When we held annual holiday club it was booked within 48 hours
Precedence of the ‘main service’ over children’s ministry
Accepting we could do better

17. Step change – Create Vision…
Brought together a ‘working group’ to shape a fresh vision for children’s ministry
Went to look at other examples of ‘excellence’

18. Step change – Create Vision… (2)
Thinking the unthinkable:
- What if every week was as popular and engaging as Holiday Club?
- What if the programme was as accessible to unchurched children?
- What if the core team was committed to being present every week?
- What if Sunday became the best hour of every child‘s week?

19. Step change – Build Coalition
Lots of one-to-one conversations
12 month process shaping a proposal for the PCC
Preparing a budget
Looking at our facilities / buildings

20. Step change – Build Coalition…. (2)
Reviewing other services and activities
Bringing together a team
Preparing a communication strategy
Strong launch

21. Step change – What Happened?
Every Sunday (except first Sunday)
Children go straight to the group
Action Stations
Large Group Time and Small Group Time

22. Step change – What Happened? Video - step-change

23. What are your…
Open doors
Growth engines
Big, bold dreams

24. Step-Change - Could you…
Define reality?
Create vision?
Build coalition?

25. Next steps… For the 21 churches: Share the vision with your church
Make an application via the website
In-depth evenings for a range of people from your church
Continued support and participation

26. Next steps… For all churches: Share the vision with your church
Consider how you can move forward
Access Big E Day and other training
Continued support and participation

27. Questions and Comments

28. AWEsome God

29. YoungLIFE