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Young people, especially those aged 11-18, are an underrepresented group in our churches. “Young People and the Church” is a booklet of cartoons that aims to help us start becoming a diocese where young people are welcomed, listened to, experience God and engage in faith in every church.

We are asking church members across the Diocese to consider specifically praying for and connecting with young people in their church. If every adult in our Diocese did this, many more young people would feel welcomed and connected in our churches. This is something hard to measure but will have a noticeable impact on congregations over time.

Below you’ll find some resources to your church engage with the booklet – share what you get up to using #WelcomeInChurch on social media and if you have any questions, get in touch with the Capital Youth team at youth@nulllondon.anglican.org.

Order your copies of the booklet

This booklet contains some ideas about how we can begin to make young people feel at home in our churches, not through grand youth work schemes, but by simple acts. Booklets will be shipped free of charge and should arrive within 8-10 working days.

Please note, booklets are only available to churches in the Diocese of London due to production costs. If you would like to use this resource in your church and you are not part of our Diocese, please get in touch.

Download the PCC session

We’ve written a 40-minute(ish) session for your PCC or leadership team that will get you exploring and talking about how you can welcome young people better in your church. Also works great with small groups, nanny meetups and lunch clubs.

Download the session

Download helpful information

Find out everything you need to know about how to engage with this resource in your church and online.

Download

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who's paying for this?

The cost of this resource is entirely covered by the Capital Youth budget, which comes from the national Strategic Development Fund at the Church Commissioners. Capital Youth is a project covering the Diocese of London, which is why we cannot provide booklets free of charge for those outside our Diocese.

Why make cartoons?

We chose to use cartoons to highlight what have become prevalent issues in the church – the under-representation of young people and inter-generational disconnection. Whilst some will feel they are already addressing this, we have intentionally made the call-to-action something that every adult can do. This is not about calling out church leaders, but about helping them empower their congregations. Using humour is a great way to help everyday church members connect with these issues.

Why use line drawings?

Dave Walker’s style has been consistent for many years, making his cartoons instantly recognisable. The nature of line drawings means that we cannot easily change the look of people without taking away from the simplicity of Dave’s illustrations. We address the fact that young people are all different right at the beginning, but we hope people of all backgrounds will be able to relate to the characters in the booklet.

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