As a diocese we are excited to see young people come to know and love Jesus and learn how to live as a follower of Him. As the world is constantly changing, we need to be creative about how we reach out to young people and their families with the good news of Jesus.
In the coming years we will continue to encourage churches to have a focus on children, youth, young adults, families and schools and will be engaging churches to inspire, support, equip, engage and multiply.
We’re excited about all that the next few years will bring in this area!
Inspire Programme
Inspire is a programme for churches to be inspired to work in new ways with the younger members of our communities both in their churches and beyond. The past few years have seen huge challenges in working with children, young people and their families and so we want to give an opportunity for church teams to come together, be refreshed with great teaching and worship and be challenged and inspired around what youth, children and families’ ministry could look like.
Inspire takes place over a year (September – June) which includes 3 in-person weekends for a team (Friday evening & Saturday morning) and 6 learning community small groups (for the group leader). The weekends include worship, teaching and prayer on the Friday night and worship, training (children & families / youth specific) on the Saturday. On both days, there will be time to gather over food.
At present churches are invited to take part in this programme. If you would be interested in your church taking part in the future, click the link below.
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Students & Young Adults: Younger Leadership College
The Apprentice Track
The Apprentice Track is our discipleship programme for all 18-30s who want to go deeper in their journey of following Jesus.
Starting in October and finishing in July, this is a 10-month discipleship journey for those who are set on pursuing Jesus with their whole lives – learning what it means to be with Jesus, become like Him, and do the things he did. We believe it all starts with God’s presence and are committed to shared practices that put our relationship with God front and centre in our lives. We believe that as we create space to be present with Him, with one another, and with ourselves, we will be transformed into his likeness.
The programme is intentionally designed to sit alongside normal working life or study – in practice this looks like committing to a monthly gathering for worship and teaching, meeting in small groups throughout the year, and adopting a daily rhythm of reading scripture and prayer.
Interested?
Leadership Track
The Leadership Track is a space for those in leadership to be supported as they step into what God is calling them to, both in the church and wider world. We believe leadership really matters and is worth investing in.
Starting in October 2023, with a mixture of retreats and midweek evenings, this track offers teaching on the spiritual life of a leader as well as practical tools for the journey. You’ll discuss what it means to discern God’s will, how to lead from your authentic self, as well as how to handle conflict well and create cultures that thrive. You’ll hear from established leaders about their own leadership journeys, and importantly, you’ll be part of a dynamic cohort of leaders – growing in honesty and friendship with one another as you listen, talk, and pray together. Interested?
The Internship
The Internship is an exciting opportunity for 18 to 30-year-olds to invest in their discipleship and leadership by serving in a local church between September and July each year.
You will be a part of a dynamic cohort of other interns, students and young adults who are committing to the same journey of learning what it means to live everyday with Jesus, become like Him and seek his purposes in our churches and beyond as you track with the teaching of The Apprentice Track. Interns will also receive extra theological and ministry training, as well as the opportunity to spend time in different contexts within the Church of England throughout the year.
The internship is an amazing opportunity to grow in leadership, get to know your gifts, and develop your sense of calling. This all happens in the context of serving in a local church, where you get to put into practice all that you are learning. This could be in any area of ministry, e.g. children’s or youth work, worship, prayer, media & communications, community engagement, and more. You’ll be a part of a church staff team that will invest in you and support you throughout the year.
The internship is fully funded as you are supported with diocesan housing and living expenses. Our vision is for these to be houses to be houses of prayer, hospitality, and community as apprentices of Jesus journeying together.
Applications for September are open. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining us here.
STORIES
Most of what happens for children, youth and families in the diocese is delivered through local churches. This takes all sorts of formats from church in schools, uniformed organisations, kids/youth church and so many more! Take a look at the stories below or use this link to find your local church and check out what they have going on: A Church Near You
We’d love to hear what you’re up to. Click here to submit a story of what’s happening in your church or parish along with any photos we can share.
NETWORK
Work with youth, children and families is only possible due to an incredible team of paid and voluntary workers in churches and school all across the diocese. If that includes you… a huge thank you! We’re so grateful for everything that you do and want to support you as you support others. We do that through an annual retreat in the summer and through termly meet ups where we gather to pray, worship and chat together, sharing ideas and the joys and challenges of ministry life. Check out the links below to find out what’s coming up next.
RESOURCES
Have you ever written a resource and thought ‘this is great, I want to share this!’ or come to planning a session and had no idea where to start with it?
We’re delighted to have developed this area of the learning hub to enable you to share resources you have written and use those that other people have created. We hope this is a really productive space that increases the quality and engagement of sessions with youth and children all across the diocese and beyond.