Re-thinking Children's Work in Churches

Reviews / Votes

Too often decisions about ministry with children are devised around activities, allowing thinking about our actions to take a back seat. Thinking and re-thinking in this area is vital! In this useful collection of essays, voices from diverse perspectives make clear issues which surely invite reflection and deep change. -- Dr Rebecca Nye, Associate Lecturer at The Open University; Trainer at Godly Play UK To say, "But we've always done it this way" will not be an option for those who read this book and let its thinking reshape their vision and imagination. These fresh insights into how children's faith is shaped and grows need to inform all our ministry with and among children and their families. Read it, share it, live it out. -- Mary Hawes, National Children and Youth Adviser for the Church of England It has been said that if you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got! This book encourages us to think differently, wrestling with 'why?' and giving us glimpses of 'how!'. Distilled wisdom for our age. -- Alan Charter is a long-standing children's champion and serves as facilitator for the Global Children's Forum This book will get you thinking, reflecting and working out ever better ways of engaging with children, and those who work with them.
The authors have enormous in depth experience and expertise which shines through in every chapter. It is one of those books you can dip into for a specific chapter but is best taken as a whole because of the way each author's theme interweaves with the thinking of others. A fabulous addition to the resources available on working well with children from a thought out basis in the God who welcomes the child into the midst. -- Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham Re-thinking Children's Work in Churches is a set of essays that offer some of the imagination we need through a set of different metaphors - train driver, Facebook friend, gracious grandparent, clown and fool, favourite teacher, etc. - which give a broad set of approaches and will help those engaged with children's work, which needs to include those in ministry and leadership of the whole church, to reflect on what they are doing well and some possible ways of doing things differently. Each chapter helpfully ends with a set of questions to get that reflection and discussion going. -- Andy Goodliff, minister of Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend * Baptist Times *