BRF Ministries: Messy Church

MESSY CHURCH IS OFFERING WAYS of helping children remain engaged with church as they grow older by meeting their needs for experiential worship, community, and intellectually appropriate engagement. This page outlines the approaches being explored, the planned pilot work and the resources available to churches.

Missional opportunity

Many churches have found Messy Church a great way to connect and engage with families, helping children and adults explore faith together. Large or small, rural or in towns, Messy Church works in a wide range of places. However, as children get older, some can disengage.

What are the new models of worshipping communities, discipleship pathways and transitions that could keep children and young people engaged across different ages?

Planned activities

BRF Ministries will be piloting different approaches to keeping children engaged after the age of 11, consulting with a wide range of partners to identify promising approaches to pilot. The answer may lie in adapting the current intergenerational approach within Messy Church; it may lie in partnering with a youth specialist to create new worshipping communities; or it may lie in a good ‘handover of the baton’ to churches to take on the youth work – or it could be a mixture of all three. BRF Ministries will also be supporting 300 parishes to start a new Messy Church.

Impact

Whilst 56% of Messy Church attendees are under 12, only 4% are aged 12–16, demonstrating a significant drop-off at around 11 years of age. Finding ways that help children continue exploring and growing in faith is an important challenge for churches.