Losing touch with a generation?

There was a time when churches and schools were intimately linked; in fact the education of children in this country started with the church and there are still many official church schools in existence.

Yet most churches have lost contact with their local schools.  This is partly a result of the various education reforms that have made education a state responsibility.  However this is not the entire picture: in fact the state encourages a Christian focus in schools as well as the promotion of spiritual, moral and social values across the curriculum.

The emphasis of much Christian youth work is understandably on reaching young people in their communities.  By agreement some of this work is also carried out in schools but, in the main, churches have become disconnected from their local schools.

With 92% of 5-16 year-olds not attending church, are we in danger of losing touch with a whole generation?

An open door

The perception that many of us have is that education has become totally secularised and that churches must stay away.  Certainly overt evangelism is not acceptable, neither is recruitment of children into churches.  But schools are firstly places of learning and secondly environments in which responsible citizenship can be developed.

Through the National Curriculum and its policies for Collective Worship and Religious Education, the Department for Education and Skills has opened the door for churches (and other organisations) to play a role in schools.

Beware!

There are however a number of risks.  Probably the most worrying is that other, non-Christian organisations will seize this opportunity to reach our young people and there is already some evidence that this is happening.

The other risk (apart from that of doing nothing) is that churches will fail to approach and deal with their local schools in a way that is either acceptable or effective.

Time to connect

Not only is the school door open to churches but also young people of all ages are keen to discuss and get involved in a wide range of spiritual, moral, social and cultural topics.

Although “going to church” currently seems to be an irrelevance in the lives of many young people in the UK today, this does not mean that they are not interested in the origins and meaning of life, the existence and nature of God, morality, relationships, the environment, poverty, war and a host of other vital issues.

At Christian Resources into Schools, we believe the starting point for reconnecting with young people is to communicate with them where they are.  Given that all 5-16 year-olds attend school, there is no better place to start!

The School Coordinator Network will resource and support your church to reconnect with a lost generation.

back