Taking the Pulse of Ministry with Children, Youth & Families

Dr Sarah Holmes

Written by Dr Sarah Holmes
on 21st May 2024

"Listening to younger generations....91% of family workers said their church does not include families in decisions about ministry with children & youth; 89% of children's workers said that children were not included in decisions and 60% of youth workers said youth were not included in decisions."
"Volunteers feeling valued ...50% of volunteers involved in children's ministry did not feel valued by their church; 33% of those involved in 11-16s ministry did not feel valued; and 64% of family workers did not feel valued by their church."

A staggering statistic has emerged from the national Taking the pulse of ministry survey run by the CYM Institute of Children, Youth and Mission...91% of church-based family workers who responded to our survey said that their church does not include families in decisions about ministry with youth and children. Do you agree? The online survey is open until 31st May...so there's still time to share your views and experiences.

In a time when families are attending church less and less, it's so important that we listen to them and hear their needs - how can the church best support the spiritual lives of parents and their children. This survey has already heard from almost 2,000 people, 28% of which are parents. We are excited to gather the views of these parents and share them with churches so that they can enhance ministries for younger generations. Interestingly, we've only had 29 responses from grandparents, which is not surprising as often grandparents are not explicitly mentioned in churches as being part of the team supporting the faith of their grandchildren - so again we want to hear from grandparents particularly about what will help them to be more equipped and empowered to support their grandchild's faith.

Or perhaps, looking back you recall in your own childhood things in church which helped or hindered your faith. It would be so helpful if you can share these insights with us. We've already heard from over 200 people who grew up connected with church activities and they have told us countless stories of the church being a place of refuge and support for them throughout some of their life challenges - we'd love to hear more of these impacts.....this will be so encouraging and inspiring for current children/youth ministry teams to hear....In our survey, 50% of children's ministry volunteers said that they did not feel valued by their church. So if we can collate and present anonymised data to show the impact that these ministries have, this will be so encouraging to teams who work hard week after week in the churches up and down the country.

'This is a pivotal time for the UK church - decreasing attendance from younger generations, low volunteer numbers and limited funding...BUT there are many opportunities for churches to continue in their mission amongst families....this survey will help to illuminate these opportunities and enable churches to be more strategic and focussed in their activity.' Dr Sarah Holmes, the CYM Institute of Children, Youth and Mission.

We'd love for you to take part in our online survey to help us build up a fuller picture of what different stakeholders think about ministry amongst youth, children and families....Church leaders or those involved in any aspect of ministry - volunteer or paid, Christian parents and grandparents, anyone who grew up in the church and even those who are no longer involved in these ministries…..We want to hear about your views and experiences as part of CYM’s research: Taking the pulse of ministry amongst children, youth and families! 

Please spend 4mins completing our online survey to share your views. Everyone who participates has the opportunity to win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Also, we're holding an in person event in Bradford to share the research findings on 26th June...if you'd like to come along please get in touch with Sarah Holmes.

Read more...

Grandparenting for Faith - update

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

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

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