In preparation for a debate at General Synod in London on Wednesday on the subject of Youth and Children’s Ministry, our Diocese has prepared some statistics. It has published a list of the top 15 churches in the diocese in terms of their under 16 Sunday attendance.
Not surprisingly, it includes some very well known names, including some large churches in Bristol and our two new Resourcing Churches.
St John’s Haydon Wick was however singled out. Every church on the list has a full time Youth Worker or a Full Time or Part Time Children’s Worker. Many have both. We are the only church on that list with no paid children’s leaders at all.
As one member of the senior staff said, “St John’s Haydon Wick has shown that it can be done.” It seems our children’s leaders are punching well above their weight.
We don’t want to brag. It is all God’s work. But we do want to celebrate and let our exclusively volunteer team of leaders know that we are proud of them.