Thought for the Week: The World has changed and so has the Church

Geoff – 13th November 2026

I was reflecting on my experience of church, growing up going to church in the 1970s and 1980s. The church I attended had a large and thriving Junior Church, which met after the main Parish Communion. It truly was a Junior Church, as we were all in Primary School. After we got too ‘big’ for that we had a youth group, which went by the name Anglican Young Peoples Association (AYPA). It was fun, we did lots of exciting stuff – pot-holing in the peak district, and putting on a full-blown pantomime at Christmas. The Vicar used to oversee this and could often be found leading us, singing songs on his guitar. Why do I mention all that?

We certainly had a lot of fun, and had some good friends in that group, but actually I knew very little about the Christian Faith. I had a great time, but that was it – I didn’t grow in faith during those formative years, probably because church for me was a social occasion, and I think we were probably just being entertained. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret spending my time in the AYPA, but I do wish I had had the opportunity to explore faith and perhaps make a commitment to follow Jesus. That was something I did as a first year student at the University of York, after meeting students who had made a commitment to the Christian faith as teenagers. Of course, that was significant for me, but I do wonder what my life might have been like if I had become a Christian in my teenage years.

In my experience, church life has developed in a remarkable way. It has adapted to the changing world around by offering more for all the ages. I believe the church in our nation is far more active and passionate about Jesus than ever before. However, the church has also changed in less positive ways, as we see more groups of churches with one Vicar like the ABCs. Resources are stretched, so we are very blessed to be investing in our Children, Youth and Family ministry.

We have a Children, Youth and Family Worker! If you didn’t know that, you can read about Amy here, along with the other folk who are part of our Churches Leadership Team. Now you might think that having a Children, Youth and Family Worker is a luxury, and in some ways it is, but I would say Amy is an essential and vital part of our team, organising specific faith-boosting activities in the hope that as our young people head off out into the world, perhaps to university, they will be so full of enthusiasm and passion for Jesus, it will be folk like them who can lead others to Jesus. And that is my prayer, because it is vital that we work together to build the Kingdom of God across the ABC Villages. If other churches hadn’t have done that, I might not have become a Christian when I did and might not be your Vicar today. Of course, so might say that would have been a good thing!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if we were able to raise a generation of on fire young Christians, who are confident to lead others to Jesus so they can discover Him for themselves. I will forever be grateful for the impact that those young Christian students had on my life.

Blessings, Geoff