Training for Children, Youth and Families Ministry

Whether you are just helping occasionally, leading a regular group, developing ministry across a parish, or shaping strategy across a benefice, deanery or wider area, there is training and support available to help you grow in confidence.

This page is designed to help you find the right next step. Some options focus on practical skills and confidence. Others help churches develop culture, vision, partnerships and long-term plans for children, young people and families.

Find the right training for your role

Use this table as a guide. You do not need to fit one description perfectly; simply start with the role that sounds most like what you currently do.

 

Programmes and options

These options can be used individually, as a parish team, across a benefice, or as part of a deanery-wide training plan. Some are ready-made courses; others are resources or partnerships that can be shaped around local needs.

Core training

• Getting Started in Children’s Ministry / Youth Ministry: a workshop day for new and growing teams, exploring the principles, culture and confidence needed for healthy children’s ministry.
• Foundations in Listening: insight into common mental health difficulties. Develop core listening skills, how to respond safely in, and the importance of working within clear boundaries. Delivered by Let’s Talk Well.
• Children’s Ministry Essentials: all-round training for those working with children, especially volunteers who want to grow in confidence, knowledge and ability.
• Youth Ministry Essentials: all-round training for volunteer youth leaders, covering youth culture, practical skills and leadership development.
• Effective Listening Skills: a recognised Level 2 qualification teaching the skills to use counselling informed listening approaches ethically and safely across ministry contexts. Delivered by Let’s Talk Well.
• Catalyst Training: a flexible course for people working with children and young people in local churches, combining digital resources, facilitated learning groups and opportunities to build confidence, leadership and connection.
• Youth Empowered apprenticeship pathway: Church Army’s apprenticeship pathway for paid youth workers, combining the nationally recognised Level 3 Youth Support Worker apprenticeship with Church Army’s Ministerial Formation Framework.

Empowering parents and young leaders

• Deeper Rooted Lasting: a course and support programme helping churches put parents and carers at the centre of faith formation so children and young people can grow faith that lasts.
• Young / Noble Leaders Project: inspiring and equipping young people to be a Christ-centred influencers in school, social groups, online, in their family, as well as their church
• Future Youth / SWYM placements: a way for churches and ministry leaders to invest in emerging leaders while receiving additional capacity for children’s and youth ministry.

Worship

• Engage Worship: training for churches wanting worship to be accessible, creative, participatory and genuinely intergenerational.
• Pop Up Church: takes the iSingPOP experience beyond the classroom, encouraging the church and school communities to explore faith together.
• RSCM The Choir: placing music at the heart of mission and discipleship, offering young people meaningful participation, community and leadership through singing sacred choral music.

Outreach

• School-Church Partnership Sessions: a structured package for incumbents and headteachers to build strong relationships and develop activity from that foundation.
• MCYN Explore: learning, community training, and support for those developing missional youth church, schools work and youth ministry in local contexts.

Strategy and long-term planning 

• CYF Strategic Workshop: a facilitated session for leaders who want to think beyond individual parishes and develop a 5–10 year approach. Suitable for an individual church, benefice, team or whole deanery.
• Growing Faith Strategic Leaders’ Programme: a one-year programme for leaders and aspiring leaders working across church, home and school, offering a collaborative learning community, leadership development and support for sustained culture change in children’s and young people’s faith formation.
• Launchpad: exclusive for clergy in churches with no current youth ministry, designed to give church leaders the insights, strategies and confidence they need to help the church take a step forward in youth ministry.
• Incumbent Leadership Programme: exclusive for clergy in churches engaged with less than 25 young people, designed to strengthen their ministry with CYF, helping younger generations grow in numbers and depth of faith.
• 360 Community: The 360 Community isn’t a course or an event but a community to belong to, giving CYF Ministry Leaders the support, connection and encouragement they need to thrive.

Which option is right for us?

Start with the question that best describes your situation, then follow the suggested next step.

If this sounds like you…	Start here	Then consider…
“We’d love to have a youth group, but we don’t know where the start”	Launchpad	Youth Ministry Essentials
“We have people willing to help, but they are new or unsure.”	Getting Started in Children’s Ministry or Youth Ministry	Children’s Ministry Essentials or Youth Ministry Essentials
“We already run groups, but want stronger practice and confidence.”	Children’s or Youth Ministry Essentials or Foundations in Listening	Catalyst or Effective Listening Skills
“We want worship to work better for all ages.”	Engage Worship Pop Up Church RCM The Choir Project
“We want to build stronger relationships with schools.”	School-Church Partnership Sessions	Pop Up Church or RCM The Choir Project
“We want to develop youth ministry, schools work or a missional youth church approach.”	MCYN Engage	Effective Listening Skills
“We want to support faith at home, not just at church.”	Deeper Rooted Lasting	Foundations in Listening
“We know someone aged 18 to 29 who may want to explore children’s or youth ministry.”	Future Youth scheme	Youth Empowered Apprenticeship
“We have, or are considering, a paid youth worker post.”	Youth Empowered Apprenticeship	360 Community
“We need a bigger plan across our benefice or deanery.”	CYF Strategic Workshop	Growing Faith Strategic Leaders’ Programme

Not sure where to begin?

If you are unsure which option is right for your church, benefice or deanery, get in touch with the Connect team. We can help you identify your next step and shape a training pathway that fits your context.