How can a church become fully intergenerational and provide a lasting discipleship for its children and young people? How can a church be a place where children and young people are no longer seen as the church of tomorrow, but an integral part of its life in the present?
A new resource from the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Arise Ministries might just help.
Today ... not tomorrow aims to encourage churches disciple children and young people in a way which is integrated into the context of the wider church, celebrate their faith, and develop their gifting and skills.
It came out of investigating Baptist attendance figures a number of years ago which showed a drop of young adults in churches.
The findings revealed that while churches were good at teaching, helping to give rules and entertaining, there was a near absence of discipleship.
Discipleship is more than 'knowing the stories and following rules', said Baptist minister the Revd Ed Jones, the director of Arise Ministries and author of the new resources.
'It is about a lifestyle, where children and young people are fully part of the church community, able to celebrate their faith in every way and empowered to discover and practise their God-given ministries.
'Anything less than this robs the young people and the Church of much of the potential God has invested in us. Becoming an intergenerational church takes us together onto a new place where all are valued and Christian community and discipleship becomes real.'
Ed added that too often within church life, the ministry among children and young people is seen as the sole responsibility of those involved delivering it and their parents.
The challenge, therefore, is how does the church as a whole engage with 'the opportunity, the responsibility and the privilege that it is to be able to share Jesus with children and young people, discipling them to grow as part of the church today.
'Today...not tomorrow will help churches work through what this means for them and how they can make a real impact and a genuine difference for generations to come.'
Starting next week (13 February) Ed is touring churches around the country to explain how to use the new resources to encourage discipleship for all ages.
Ed, who writes a regular column for
The Baptist Times, said 'My hope and my dream for Today...not tomorrow is that it's about churches, some point in the future, stopping and realising that they truly are a gathered community where children, young people and adults are all valued and able engage as the body of Christ together.
'Where the whole church engages in one way or another in the ministry amongst children and young people.'
The Today ... not tomorrow tour begins at Blackley Baptist Church in Huddersfield on 13 February. There are subsequent events at Nottingham, Northampton, Rickmansworth, Crawley, Cheltenham, Andover and Birmingham.
For more information, visit
http://www.todaynottomorrow.org.uk/.