Published on: 21/10/2025
At church last week, I was responsible for planning our Sunday Footsteps group for primary aged children. I planned the session in detail; choosing an ice-breaker game, finding a creative way to tell the Bible story, preparing a relevant craft and organising a prayer activity. When the time came to start the session, I was disappointed to find that there were only two children in church that week.
This might be a scenario that’s familiar to you too, you’ve thoughtfully planned a session to find that you only have a couple of people (or perhaps none at all). It can be frustrating and make us wonder why we bother.
Children and young people are the fastest declining age group in our churches and have been for some time. But evidence tells us that churches that have an intentional approach to ministry with children and young people, are the ones that are growing.
Intentionality helps people to feel valued and creates a sense of belonging. It’s not always easy, it challenges us to review what we do, and invites us to make changes to how we do things to better accommodate children and young people. An intentional and prayerful approach can build relationships with young people and create opportunities to nurture faith.
How old were you when you made your first commitment to faith? Most Christians first discovered faith before the age of 18. I can recall being part of our church youth group and how our youth leaders helped me to grow in faith. They invested time in getting to know me and gave me opportunities to lead and be involved in the life of our church. Their intentionality with me has had a lasting impact.
The Church of England has a vision to double the number of young disciples in our churches. Resources have been developed around the acronym PRAY and the P stand for ‘prioritise’. Church leaders are encouraged to set a culture in church that prioritises children and young people. Prioritising implies intentionality.
There are lots of resources available to help you be intentional with children and young people, but a good starting point is the diocesan Mission Action Planning tool. The MAP booklet helps you assess where you are now, and what would be good next steps in developing your work with children and young people. You can also access support from the Children and Young People’s Team in the diocese.
I could have all too easily given up with our Footsteps session last week, there were only two children, why bother? But our small numbers meant that I could have some really good conversations with those two children. They asked questions and I got to know them better. We crafted together, laughed lots and spent time praying together. I hope that through our intentionality with them, they will grow in their own faith.
This week’s Blog post was written by Sarah Beardsmore, Centenary Project Manager