Getting started as a Children’s, Youth or Families' worker
One of the key roles in our ministry with children, young people and families is to talk of faith and to support them as they consider what it means to follow Jesus.
A Methodist Way of Life offers a multitude of ways to encourage everyone to grow in faith.
Through this opportunity to reflect, share and wonder together, the faith of children, young people and adults can be richly nurtured.
“Our group (11+) learnt about the twelve themes at 3Generate. When we meet every month, the group picks a topic out of a bag and then we put together a short Bible session and do games. We do a physical activity, if we can. For ‘Share’, we did the crackers for a Christmas Day meal, and for ‘Serve’, some of the group helped at the Summer Fair.”
Ideas to try
Every context and church community is different. The most appropriate ideas will be the ones that are authentic for the people and place you’re in. Here are a few ideas to consider – more can be found on the pages for each commitment, and on the MWOL resources page (including a series of service outlines containing discussion questions and creative activities).
- Encourage your children and young people to respond to one of the commitments in a way that suits their gifts and skills: for example, through creating a piece of dance or drama, a short film or video, art or craft, spoken word poetry or a photographic collage.
- Include one of the commitments for reflection at the start or close of one of your regular gatherings. If you have a pack of the original A Methodist Way of Life Conversation Cards, these can help groups to speak and reflect on faith. This could also be suitable when visiting a uniformed organisation or other group in your church community, or that meets in your church building.
- Ask your children and young people to choose one of the 12 commitments to have as a focus for a period of time. Give them a badge representing that station. Using open questions, consider their different understandings of the commitment, what it means to them and ways they may be interested in responding.
- Bring a group to the 3Generate Youth Assembly where they can engage with a Methodist Way of Life in many different and thought-provoking ways, and find meaningful ways to respond.
The Evangelism and Growth team of the Methodist Church run events and webinars throughout the year for individuals and church leaders to explore what A Methodist Way of Life means for your community, including ‘Rural and Rooted’, a series for rural churches.