Staff Appointment: Dr Sarah Holmes
Written by Chris Mason
on 31st January 2024
Announcing our new Director of Research, Dr Sarah Holmes.
"We are delighted to have Dr Holmes join our team. The impact her research has had on shaping our understanding of contemporary issues in the discipleship children and faith in households has been significant for the church. We are excited to release Dr Holmes to continue to support the church through much needed research. We look forward to seeing the new research centre at CYM forming in the coming months and years."
Principal & CEO, James Archer
"This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me to be able to continue my research of children's ministry, now within the scope and reach of CYM. This will bring greater possibilities of equipping and empowering children's ministry workers in carrying out research and enhancing their research informed practice. And I'm really praying that we will all be able to use these research findings to have significant positive impact on the work which takes place with children in our churches in the UK and beyond..."
Dr Sarah Holmes
We asked Sarah some questions about the season ahead and her role as Director of Research, here's what she said...
What excites you about research?
"It's great to test out hunches or assumptions which many of us have about children, ministry or life in general! Being able to carry out research in methodical and robust ways can help us to more deeply understanding what is going on, why it's occurring and explore possibilities of how we can bring about positive change or improvement in the area we are researching."
What are you most looking forward to about your new role?
"Getting to know the CYM community and exploring how we can work together to support the work which churches do with children and families. God has given me such a passion for seeing children move closer to him and I have worked in many different roles over the years - always keen to bring the message of Jesus to children and enable them to be active disciples of Christ. So I'm now really excited to be able to uncover research-informed insights which will support the church in this quest."
Why does the church need research?
"We live in a constantly changing world and it feels like the lives of children and families have changed in significant ways in the past five years. And so it is really important that the church is aware of these changes so that we can continue to be relevant in the ministries we are involved in and best meet the needs of the children and families we are serving. I'm keen in this role to work collaboratively with the church - local, regional and national, to find out which specific areas need researching to ensure that the work we do is as resourceful to the church as possible."
What are your hopes and dreams for the research centre that you are going to be establishing?
"My ultimate dream is to see many many more children and families encountering Christ and having their lives changed as a result. I pray that God will use this research centre as part of his plans and purposes for this. So my hopes and dreams are that we will listen to God and be attuned to his heart in the work we do, and work for his glory."
We can't wait to see all that God does through Sarah's work with us over the coming years.
Read more...
Grandparenting for Faith - update
We are delighted that the Grandparenting for Faith courses are now available in partnership with BRF/Parenting for Faith.
We have two online courses available, for you to complete on your own or gather others to discuss together.
- One is for Christian grandparents and grandparent-figures, comprising six sessions, which you can complete on your own or with others – The course is flexible so that you can choose to do it in 6 sessions, or some groups have split each session in half or even quarters, and spread it over more weeks to allow more time for group discussion - feel free to be flexible according to the needs and preferences of your group. The Grandparenting for Faith course includes lots of ideas, inspiration and encouragement in the video content, to help you to feel more confident in sharing Jesus with the children and young people you love most. Cost £30. By purchasing here, you can watch the course yourself or show it to a small group of grandparents. The certificate of completion will show the name of the person purchasing the course. If you wish to purchase a licence for more people, for example a region, group of churches, network or Diocese etc, please email Sarah Holmes.
Sign up HERE
- A single session course for church leaders/church representatives to help you to equip and empower grandparents and grandparent-figures in your church (1.5 – 2 hours long, depending how long you pause to reflect). Cost £15 for single use, or showing to others in your own church setting. If you wish to purchase a licence for more people, for example a region, group of churches, network or Diocese etc, please email Sarah Holmes.
Sign up HERE
Once you have purchased the course, there is no time limit on when you can use it, and you can return to it as many times as you like, using your log-in details. You can view the launch video to find out more about the courses.
Do you want to get your church involved?
- Why not Download an Invitation to send to others in your church (you can add your details into the box).
- You can Download a PowerPoint to share with others and invite them to join you. This presentation includes some promo slides which you could personalise to your setting, and some of the relevant research findings.
We hope you find these courses useful in your setting. Please email Sarah Holmes with any queries.
Dr Sarah Holmes - Director of Research
10th July 2025
June Ministry Pulse
In June’s Ministry Pulse we asked ministry workers how they felt about the ‘quiet revival’ which was being widely reported and discussed. Most (90%) felt excited and hopeful about increased engagement seen in their setting. However, many reported sentiments of: ‘the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.’ 10% of respondents felt disappointed or did not believe in the concept of the ‘quiet revival.’
It is key for organisations who are resourcing and supporting the local church in ministry to be responsive to this call: volunteering rates in churches seem to be depleted across the board – how can we reframe the concept of volunteering? How can we change our ministry models to be less labour intense and increasingly kingdom driven? Let’s continue to support one another in grappling with these realities of mission and ministry…. [click on the image above to view the detailed statistics]
Dr Sarah Holmes - Director of Research
30th June 2025
Easter Ministry Pulse of ministry with adults, youth and kids
Thank you to everyone who took part in the Easter Ministry Pulse….we had 260 responses. The winner of our Easter Ministry Pulse prize draw for a £50 Amazon voucher was Kate (pseudonym to protect anonymity), a volunteer youth community outreach worker in the Midlands.
See an inspiring message from Nick Shephard here
[click on the picture above to read our results]
Dr Sarah Holmes - Director of Research
29th April 2025