You may not be aware, but Families, Children and Youth (FC&Y) work in the church is facing challenging times. We (Claire and I) have both worked in FC&Y for many years, and recently, we’ve noticed some alarming trends.
Here are some dots I invite you to connect:
Adverts for FC&Y workers have risen. ⬆️
The number of suitable candidates for these posts has decreased. ⬇️
The number of times these adverts are re-posted has risen. ⬆️
Churches require multiple rounds of advertising until a post is filled. If at all.
What’s the reason for this? Here are some facts on the ground.
There are fewer youth workers going into training. According to the Christian Youth Work Consortium, total student numbers have fallen by 63.1% in the past thirteen years.
70% of youth work is run by volunteers. The rest is run by part-time or job-share youth workers—including curates and assistant ministers—most of whom have little specific training or regular support to do the job.
Denominations short of pastors for adult ministry actively recruit from amongst those who started out as FC&Y workers.
In 2021, Paul Friend (great name for a youth worker!) reported in Premier Christianity Magazine that churches shouldn’t be surprised by the drop in FC&Y workers. He suggested three possible causes:
We haven’t invested in training. Nor have we valued it as we should have.
We haven’t paid viable salaries or provided long-term job security.
We see adult ministry as a promotion, and we reinforce that through our words and actions.
OUR ASSESSMENT
So, here’s our take on the situation in the world of FC&Y.
Something’s not quite right.
First, it’s not right that young, inexperienced interns are employed as ‘cheap labour’ on short-term contracts. Not only are they often paid a very low wage, but they have little to no job security. Second, it’s not right that churches fail to value FC&Y workers. Many churches don’t view youth workers as ‘real ministers’ until they ‘progress’ onto pastoring adults.
And that’s wrong.
That said, we see signs of encouragement.
It’s not all darkness out there. There is light.
In many churches, FC&Y workers are appreciated, loved, and encouraged. They are also given ample opportunity to develop their gifts in their chosen field. We thank God for these churches. We simply wish there were more of them.
Over the last four years, we have been developing pastoral support for FC&Y workers. After talking to many people—FC&Y workers, leadership teams, ministers and others—here’s what we’ve learned:
FC&Y workers are often dislocated from the top tier of church governance and staffing. Age, part-time roles, and the fact that much of the work is done away from the eyes of the adult congregation means they are ‘missed’. We spoke to one young youth worker recently who was full of ideas and suggestions but he was nervous about disturbing his minister, who had failed to diarise regular line manager meets. We don’t like to judge, but it sounded as though this youth worker was under-valued and under-appreciated.
In spite of the point above, FC&Y workers often feel they’re being watched and scrutinised constantly. One told us it was like being ‘in a goldfish bowl’.
Many in FC&Y work are stretched financially, which has significant effects. We know a family in which the father is a youth worker. Each year, he and his family rely on people to lend them their homes for holidays. In addition, they have little hope of raising money for a house deposit.
FC&Y workers are generally very hard-working. They often go above and beyond the precise requirements of the job. In fact, many need reigning in. They need to be reminded of the need to rest. A single female children’s worker near us recently quit because she was so bad at switching off and taking time for herself.
FC&Y workers rarely seek help. Instead, they just determine to do better next time.
HOW CAN I RESPOND?
Often, FC&Y workers avoid drawing attention to themselves. In response to difficulties, they just double down and work harder. Therefore, a proactive approach is best. We suggest that a regular meeting with your FC&Y worker is essential. Over coffee, ask how they’re doing. What challenges are they facing? Dig deep too. Ask about family and personal life, so that you can pray for them more effectively.
As Living Leadership Associate newbies, we would love to draw your gaze towards the need to care for, love, and help those who are in these roles just as much as any other minister. Retaining FC&Y workers and supporting them is well worth the effort. Spiritually thriving workers in this area are more likely to create flourishing ministries and, in turn, kids, families and churches who are growing in gospel grace and the knowledge and love of Jesus.
There aren’t that many older FC&Y workers like us but wouldn’t it be great if, in twenty to thirty years’ time, the church was well-stocked with long-serving, experienced, mature, well-trained, well-supported workers. And how encouraging it would be to see them not only serving families and churches but also cultivating the next generation of workers to whom the baton is passed.
Is FC&Y work in crisis? It depends on where you look. Certainly, there are some encouragements:
Organisations like GYD and Faith in Kids are faithfully supporting FC&Y work.
Some churches do indeed pay reasonable salaries.
In some churches, FC&Y workers have a similar status to the senior staff positions.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Scripture tells us young adults will prophesy (Joel 2.28, Acts 2.17). Furthermore, the following key verses provide wisdom on this issue.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
1 Tim 4.12
Find ways to show how much you value your FC&Y workers. Encourage them (frequently), as the apostle Paul urges Titus to do.
Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance . . . Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good.
Titus 2.2,6-7a
Right now, many FC&Y workers fit into the ‘young’ category. They come in many varieties. Some appear proud and self-sufficient, while if I’m honest, others can be flaky. What they need is love and support. And they need it especially because frequently they won’t seek it themselves. They just soldier on.
So, I urge you to draw near to your FC&Y workers.
On a regular basis—perhaps every Sunday—simply ask them, ‘How can I pray for you this week?’
That would be a great start.
Editor’s note: Gareth Wroe and Claire Wroe are two new Living Leadership Associates. It’s a joy to welcome them to the team. They have extensive experience in the area of Families, Children and Youth (FC&Y). It’s a pleasure to bring their wisdom and insight about FC&Y to you in this post.