Eight clergy members together with curates and lay leaders, from across our diocese, have taken part in the fourth cohort of the Launchpad training in Bath and Wells. Launchpad is a five-week course for exploring parish-based youth ministry, created by Youthscape and delivered by the Go Team.
Having been invited to take part by Bishop Michael, the group have gathered at Flourish House, Wells over five lunchtimes to explore the world of young people. The course encourages participants to reflect on their own teenage years alongside consideration of recent research into the generations growing up amongst us, and helps churches consider what new youth ministry could look like in their context.
Andy Levett from the Go Team explains, “Launchpad isn’t about selling a magic blueprint for youth work, it is about helping churches to identify a model that could work where they are and providing some helpful content and resources to make it more possible.”
Revd Lee Mullen, Rector, The Benefice of Creech St. Michael, Ruishton and Thornfalcon, was one of those who took part in Launchpad, he said, “I found Launchpad an incredibly useful space to reconnect with youth work in a way that was practical, reflective, refreshing and genuinely helpful. The course gave opportunity to reconnect with my own experience of being a teenager, reflecting on both the joys and challenges of those formative years and how they continue to shape young people today.
“That reconnection gave way to fresh ideas and inspiration, drawn from modern thinking, good research, the course material, professional leadership and the shared wisdom gathered in the room. I came away feeling encouraged, supported and excited to see what may be birthed as a result.”
The fifth and final session took place last Wednesday but support from the Go Team is ongoing and is offered to churches locally as they think about next steps. A celebration evening is also planned for Wednesday 30 September, when the group will come back together along with members of their congregations, to share stories of their Launchpad journey and how things are developing.
For more information about Launchpad and ministry with young people do contact the Go Team, and watch this space for more stories as they unfold.