Building Flourishing Youth Ministry in the UK

At CONCRETE we want to enable Christians who work with young people, both in and outside of the church building, to thrive. We want to ensure that they are able to live fully into their calling and vocation.

Why do we want to do this?

Because we believe that life changing youth ministry brings lifelong faith to young people’s lives and brings renewal to the Church, regardless of age.

Working with young people, introducing them to the ongoing work of Christ in their lives, is both a privilege and one of the most exciting jobs in the world. It is almost unheard of that a Christian who works with young people will leave their post because of the young people themselves. Those working with young people, and those who have left full-time ministry, are committed to seeing young people transformed by the power of the gospel.

“ life changing youth ministry brings lifelong faith to young people’s lives”

THE CONTEXT

For the last 10 years, and with over 100 years of experience in the team, we have been working with both young people and the Christians who work with them, both in the UK and overseas. Through many hundreds of formal and informal interactions we have helped and facilitated the development of practice and vocational calling.

What we have observed is that we appear further from this flourishing than ever before.

The training of Christians working with young people is a flux, youth workers are leaving their posts, and working within the structure of the church in their droves. On top of this churches and other organisations working with young people are finding ever more difficult to find suitable candidates for their posts.

The anxiety ‘the church’ has around youthfulness has led to a short-termism to ministry and a haemorrhaging of resources never experienced in youth ministry before.

However, we don’t believe that the situation is hopeless.

There is no ‘silver bullet’ or quick and easy fix, but the tide can be turned. We believe that this requires systemic change and believe that by 2030 we can reverse these trends and build a more flourishing youth ministry in the UK.

“ There is no ‘silver-bullet’ or quick and easy fix, but the tide can be turned”

FACING THE CHALLENGE AHEAD

In order to to make a more flourishing youth ministry in the UK we believe that there we must develop in three key areas:

Growing and Developing Faith in young people must be at the centre of all we do with Practice in dialogue with Theology

Christians who work with young people need to be ‘Hope Bringers’ to the church with vision and mission that is Spirit Guided

Pathways to Training and Vocational Practice must be transformed with an increased commitment to Continuing Professional Development after training

“ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

2023-2030 AIMS

1. 2.

GROWING and DEVELOPING FAITH in young people must be at the centre of all that we do

3.

Vision and Mission must be SPIRIT GUIDED

Practice needs to be THEOLOGICALLY INFORMED

4.

Christians who work with young people must be ‘HOPE BRINGERS’ to the church

5. 6.

Pathways to TRAINING and VOCATIONAL PRACTICE must be transformed

An increased commitment to CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) after training