Mapping the Decline - And What to Do About It 

Over the last eleven years, David Howell, on behalf of the Christian Youth Work Consortium has been monitoring the number of students who have entered or are continuing with their training at Christian youth work / ministry and or children's work / ministry colleges and institutions.

The latest figures have now been published. For the full report click [here].

Observations

Colleges / Courses holding steady? In the first year these figures were compiled (2011-12), student numbers were obtained from 14 colleges / training providers who, between them, were offering 30 courses / programmes. The figures for the last academic year (2021-22) are almost the same, 13 colleges, offering 28 courses. Not much change there then.

Providers do come and go, St Padarn's and St Mellitus are relatively new as far as children's and youth ministry courses go - whilst the Institute for Children, Youth and Mission and the likes of Bristol Baptist College have been delivering training for well over a decade.

It is heartening to see providers continue to offer courses - with a number of pathways available - that enable training from certificate to post graduate.

Total Numbers drop by more than half. The stand out, and worrying finding from the data that has been gathered for 2021-22, tells us that whilst eleven years ago there were a total of 621 on academically validated course this last academic year there were just 299. A decline of 51.9%.

There are two keys developments that have happened over the last decade :

• Firstly, the dramatic drop in what is termed "professional Qualifying" or JNC validated courses. These are qualifications recognised in the statutory youth and community sector. In 2011-12, those on professional qualifying course accounted for two thirds of all students - 411. That has dropped to just 75. With 224 on non-qualifying routes. A decline of those on a JNC route of 81% in the last eleven years. 
• ?Secondly, the rise - albeit in the last few years, of those on post-graduate courses. In September 2017, 16.5 were on post-graduate programmes, rising to 65.5 in September 2021. The highest number across the eleven years, and an increase on the 2017 figure of 296%.

Professional or Not? What is going on then? Well, the non-qualifying route has stayed relatively steady, just over 200 students back in 2011-12 and the 224 in 2021-22. Some providers of JNC have either disappeared or shifted focus and - crucially - for now it appears the argument for "youth and children's ministry" training over a qualification recognised by the statutory sector seems to have won. I say argument, because there has been one - theological and biblical literacy has become more important whilst hitting statutory competencies appears to have become less important.

Back in 2006-7 there was a discussion in Premier's Youth Work Magazine at the time about "youth ministry OR youth work" - it is possible that this helped create a narrative and artificial divide. The problem we have right now is the perception that a non-qualifying course (at least to the wider world) suggests that someone isn't a "professional" as they don't have a JNC. 

What I think is required is more robust engagement with the statutory sector, in particular the Education & Training Standards Committee, to argue for professional status being conferred on course not currently JNC validated. There continues to be a lac of understanding about youth ministry practice in churches and worshipping communities. One example of that would be the disbelief and concern expressed by the National Youth Agency that youth work might happen in someone's private dwelling (a long established practice of youth ministry, with youth home groups for example). 

The Cyclical Nature of Post Graduate Training? It is not a flaw of the research and data, and probably something we can't know or ascertain accurately - but whilst we know the numbers we do not know the "who". I'm wondering (and it is speculation, nothing more!) if the rise in post grad students is because, a decade on from their degree, those still in youth and children's ministry are coming back to study to dig deeper in to a discipline, practice or thesis they have developed over the years of ministry practice. When I did my own Masters in 2008-2011 that was certainly the case for many among my own cohort. 

What do I foresee? Well, making a prediction is always challenging because you might revisit this article in a decade and I'll have been completely wrong. However, I think the next four our five years might be a growth period for MA study followed by a significant tapering off as we begin to hit the fewer and fewer numbers of this studying at undergraduate level between the years 2015-16 to 2018-19.

Decline in Role Models. David Howell talks about this in his reflections on the data, do give it a read. I'm just adding my own thoughts on that below - 

If you were encouraging young people to look at a career or vocational call in something that had as some of its key markers :

• Below the Median Annual Pay (in April 2020, median pay was £31,461).
• Insecurity due to short term funding for that kind of job.
• A post more likely to be made redundant than others working for and with the same organisation.

Would they jump at it? One of the reasons we have few role models is just how hard it is to remain in children's and youth ministry for the long haul. Despite, as my own research showed, that 74% of salaried workers would stay in children's, youth and family ministry until retirement if they could. To read a summary of my report on "Terms and Conditions for Salaried Workers" click [here].

Shifting the narrative. It would be easy to be a bit depressed, if not shocked and saddened by the figures in the report - but I'm weirdly hopeful. We are reaching a point when if we just continue to "tinker" it will be too late to make the changes needed. The challenges and the crisis in recruiting to courses, which is feeding a crisis in churches being able to appoint quality people when they do have youth and children's ministry vacancies, IS concentrating minds nationally. 

I mean, the most obvious thing to do, would be to have a long term strategy of financial investment in the training of children's, youth and families ministers - not from the providers (the colleges) but the beneficiaries (the churches). By churches, I don't mean the individual churches who might struggle to finance their own senior pastor / Vicar or equivalent - but our denominations. Church of England, Baptist, Methodist, URC, Vineyard etc. 

This ministry is a vocational call, it makes a significant difference in the lives of children, young people and families. We have had research for the last decade telling us of the value of lay ministry that focuses effort, passion and energy on the next generation. Our colleges / training institutions and denominations need to get round the table and make a plan - we can't wait to see where the data is over the next couple of years. 

For additional commentary on the challenges and what needs to happen, please read Paul Friend's article [here], the response to that piece by Sarah Fegredo [here], the snapshot report from SWYM "Mapping the Landscape" [here] and also Pete Whites article in the Church Times [here].

We need to act now.
 

Ali Campbell is a youth and children's ministry consultant - married to the lovely Lisa and with two incredible daughters. When not drinking coffee, hanging out with his family in their caravan or listening to jazz funk,  he runs The Resource to encourage, equip and support those in ministry working with children, young people and families. Ali is the development consultant for Paraklesis.