The Importance of Children’s and Youth Ministry
Image by Erika Giraud. Used under Unsplash license.
Originally published at Australian Church Record on 13th July, 2021.
It is no surprise to ACR readers that Australia is radically and rapidly changing as a nation. Whether or not it is accurate to describe the initial colonies or federated states as a “Christian” nation, it is abundantly clear that as we enter the third decade of the 21st Century, Australia is increasingly a post–Christian and post–church society.
In 2017 45% of Australians identified as Christian and 25% of Australians were described as ‘cold’ towards Christianity[1]. Only 15% stated that they attend church monthly or more.
As confessional Anglicans, we are not specifically concerned with Australia being a culturally Christian nation. However, we are passionate about Christ and his Kingdom. We are passionate about making disciples of all nations by evangelising the lost and discipling the saints. And it is for this reason that as a diocese it is essential that we prioritise children’s and youth ministry in our churches. Understanding the importance of these ministries will enable us to intentionally invest in young people for the good of our churches, and for the glory of Christ’s Kingdom…
[Continue reading online at Australian Church Record. Also available in Autumn 2021 Journal]
[1] McCrindle, Mark (2017) ‘Faith and Belief in Australia’. McCrindle Research. Being ‘cold’ was determined through identifying an attitude towards Christianity of either ‘I am passionately opposed to Christianity’, ‘I’ve got strong reservations about Christianity and I have no interest in it’ or ‘I have some issues with Christianity and it isn’t for me’.