All Church articles
-
ArticleFour reasons why a traditional Eucharist can be an all-age service
We can all to easily write off formal or traditional models of church as boring, inaccessible or tired. And I admit there is potentially a little fire to the smoke of this – I know of parents who have struggled under the withering stares of congregation members as their infant wriggles, squirms and screeches in their lap. But this is not the only story of families in traditional church services.
-
ArticleIs Christian youth work disappearing?
Tim Gough puts our youth work in a historical context and asks: “What’s next?”
-
ArticleAll together now
When Jesus looks at your village, town or city he sees just one church. You may be a different expression of that from the one down the road. But Jesus sees you as one. Claire Farley unpacks what this might look like for you in your community
-
ArticleTo baptise or not baptise – is that the question?
Do you believe in infant baptism or believers’ baptism? Do you even know the language and why it matters? If you are part of a local church which practises one or the other, or indeed neither, then knowing where the church stands and what you think about it will be important, especially if you are a youth or children’s worker who grew up in a different tradition. Gareth Crispin knows both worlds well and draws out what it’s about, why it matters and asks some significant questions.
-
BlogHow far would you go to attract families to church?
Rochester Cathedral have installed a crazy golf course in their nave this summer. But should we be using places of worship for activities like this in order to welcome children and families into church?
-
BlogBishops urge church leaders to prioritise young people
The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, recently said that he hopes whoever takes over as the new Archbishop when he retires will “see that work with young people is the top priority”. The Bishop of Kensington, Graham Tomlin, seems to agree
-
BlogHow to be a family friendly church? It might involve nappies...
Annie Wilmott asks, who has your back when your toddler poos through their clothes? The answer, she discovered, was her community. And that has a lot to teach us about being a family-friendly church.
-
BlogYoung people are sewing to raise awareness of the persecuted church
With the popularity of the Great British Sewing Bee and the rise of craftivism, Open Doors Youth are encouraging young people to contribute to their Handmade Petition. Could your children and young people get involved?
-
BlogDoes the Church get it wrong when it focuses on young people?
Rachel Turner, parenting for faith pioneer with the Bible Reading Fellowship, responds to a recent blog by Sarah Hall. Sarah argues that the Church’s focus on youth work is misguided. Rachel thinks otherwise…
-
IssuesIs this church?
Ladywood, on the western edge of Birmingham city centre, has suffered with a reputation of crime and poverty. We spoke to Peter and Isaac who run a football project there every Friday.
-
BlogA football-based Bible study to revamp your ministry
The World Cup is upon us, so here’s a football-themed Bible study. Have a read of Matthew 25:14-30 then find out what Paul Martin has to say about football (and youth and children’s work)
-
BlogIs the Church failing to tackle London’s violent crime epidemic?
As two more young people were killed in London on the same night, Ben Lindsay speaks out about what the Church should be doing to stop the rising tide of violence.
-
BlogChildren dropping out of church?
Ali Campbell from The Resource takes a look at recent Church of England statistics to see what it means for our children and young people
-
BlogWhy the Church is failing to reach young people
Did you know that 44.9bn tracks were streamed online in the UK in 2016? Young people will have a soundtrack to their life for almost every minute of it. If Christians don’t speak into this and through this then the Church is missing out on the chance to reach young people where they are at.
-
IssuesWhat's the point of the parachurch?
Jenny Baker talks to the leaders of Christian organisations and asks: is the parachurch a brilliant support to the local church, or a drain on its resources?
-
IssuesThe power of small churches
I grew up in a big church, with a big youth ministry. The smallest church I’ve worked in had about 600 in Sunday attendance, and the other churches I worked in ranged from 2,500 to 8,000 attendees. Much of this was because I was passionate about ministry with younger teens, and only larger churches tend to have the budget for a specialist in that area.
-
BlogHow churches can support unaccompanied minors in Europe
The famous quote from Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer sums up the mood of many this week: “The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” Whilst “its children” could be interpreted as UK children; the parable of The Good Samaritan expands “its children” to anyone in need, the outsider, the one from other countries. This seems even truer today as we recognise the Global Village and Global City we call home.
-
BlogFive inventions that have 'helped' the Church
Inventions are created to make our lives easier. As Christians, we often have to fight for technological advancements to make their way into the Church. Whether that be the fight to get some cool new electric guitars into our worship, or the decision to update the stovetop kettle to an electric urn, there has often been opposition. But some inventions have made things genuinely easier. We look at some of the best below
-
BlogThe Church and its role in youth ministry
The first Youthwork Blog of the year comes from Fraser Keay, who shares his thoughts on youth ministry and the important role the Church has to play.
-
BlogYouth work isn’t dead. The Church needs a reformation.
In the last Youthwork blog, Dave Welch pronounced that youth work was dead, and it didn't need a revolution. Ali Campbell agreed with some of David's points, but he doesn't feel youth work is the problem...
