We are excited to share a new way for multiple churches to explore the Manifesto for 21st Century YouthWork in the form of a Huddle.

The Manifesto for 21st Century YouthWork is a process by which any church can discover how to develop a thriving youth ministry, intentionally reaching out to young people and giving them opportunities to know Jesus for themselves.

Thrive have been developing and delivering the Manifesto over the past 4 years and have heard and witnessed some really exciting stories of change and accounts of God being at work through Manifesto churches. We are eager now to explore the possibility of expanding the reach of the Manifesto by delivering this content in a community learning format called Manifesto Huddles.

Would you like to find out more? Watch the video below as Andy Castle explains some of the thinking behind Thrive’s Manifesto for 21st Century Youthwork, which is helping churches across Warwickshire and Coventry reach out to young people in a fresh and pioneering way.

Please note: dates on the video are an example, not exclusive.

The Manifesto is for churches who:

  • Struggle to build connection with young people in their area
  • Have difficulty keeping young people who grow up in church
  • Are keen to grow their existing ministry to young people
  • Struggle to recruit and retain volunteers
  • Would like help with developing a strategy for the future

The manifesto exists to equip churches to be reaching out to young people outside of the church and also raising up young Christians through impactful discipleship. Churches are encouraged to try new things with the support and experience of Thrive who help make it happen.

Eager to discover more? Keep watching:

Youth Strategy Groups on the Manifesto Process

At the heart of the process is the Youth Strategy group. In this video, Andy explains how the group functions, who might be involved and what responsibilities this group holds.

The First Year on the Manifesto Process

In this video, Andy outlines the key milestones, stages, and support that churches can expect in the first year of the process. Each church can expect to learn, think, pray and (with help from their Thrive Enabler), do something which reaches out to young people in a new way.

Stories of Change from our Manifesto for 21st Century Youthwork

We have been so blessed to hear stories of how God has used this process in churches over the past few years, and in this video, Andy shares just some of those stories from those churches across Warwickshire and Coventry.

Recognising the Myths of Youth Ministry

Key to the success of this process is identifying and addressing the common myths and misconceptions which prevent us from doing effective youth ministry. In this video, Andy highlights these and discusses how important it is to begin exploring how we can unpack these and think about how to effectively engage the digital generations.

What is involved?

Regional Clusters: Getting Started

Month 1 – Time to REVIEW what is currently happening and make it work well and also begin making plans to reach out.

Month 2 – Time to dream and share our hopes for the future and to begin RECCE work as we look for opportunity and need in our local area

Month 3 –  Time to explore how the church currently prays and develop new prayer habits for youth ministry as we look to RECEIVE from God.

Month 4-5 – Thrive Youth Mission Enabler will come alongside you to try something new, which reaches young people outside the church through some kind of giveaway.

Regional Clusters: Getting Strategic

Month 6 – Time to pull together our RECCE which will identify the needs and habits of local young people and put in place a strategy of action.

Month 7 – Time to share the story of our church and individuals and consider who we are as we REVIEW how future youth ministry could look in our unique settings and according to our gifts.

Month 8 – Time to bring all of our learning together and produce a plan for bringing it to life as we RECEIVE our direction and calling from God

Month 9-10 – Thrive Youth Mission Enabler will come alongside you to bring it to life by implementing the strategy prepared and encouraging you to bring a new Faith Burst to life

How much does it cost?

The cost is £900 for the first year and for each subsequent year that a church continues to engage. Some denominations have funding avenues to help with this and we hope that this will help. We are also eager to hear from churches who are keen to engage with the process but for whom funding is an issue as we do not want cost to be prohibitive to anyone seeking to engage with young people in this way so please do get in touch with us if cost is an issue.

To find out more

If you would like to explore this process for your church, please get in touch.