On our knees - a day of prayer and awareness

  Sunday 11th June has been designated as a ‘day of prayer and awareness', following news of a dramatic fall in the number of children in Baptist churches (reported in the Baptist Times of 24th November 2005).

  The loss of some 30,000 children in only two years prompted the Council of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) to call for a day of prayer, and the BUGB's Mission Department is initiating a programme of research into the reasons for, and possible remedies to, this decline.

  The Mission Department is providing churches wanting to observe this day of prayer – called, ‘On Our Knees’ - with a range of resources, including written prayers of lament, repentance and promise, as well as prayers for guidance.  There are also suggested sermon outlines and ways of including all ages in the event.

“We want to offer churches different ways of engaging with the day of prayer,” said BUGB mission advisor, the Rev Nick Lear.  “It is important to offer ways of praying that will encourage all ages, and find creative ways of enabling prayer together.
 
  “Some people might make it the focus of their services or, if they have two services, they might spend the intervening time in prayer.  Some churches might spend a whole 24 hours in prayer and meditation,” he added.

  “We want to offer churches encouraging stories, as well as helping them to realise the situation we're in.”

  Lear said that the day enables churches not only to look at their own work with children but it also provides an opportunity for them send ideas back to the BUGB.

  The ‘On Our Knees’ title was chosen, said Lear, with three things in mind: “We need to get on our knees in prayer.  Second, if we want to see things from the children's perspective, it's what we have to do to see what the church is like for them.  But also, we need to be saying that we're on our knees in terms of work with children - or will be if we don't do something soon!”
 
  The research undertaken by the Mission Department involved sending questionnaires to 640 churches across the denomination - about a third of the total.  Churches were asked about the strengths and challenges faced in their work with children and asked to name five things which encouraged them.

  Of those contacted, 241 responded, providing a cross-section of churches with increasing numbers of children, decreasing numbers and instances of where numbers are remaining static.

“The results confirm some of the things we've thought,” said Lear. “We asked churches why they thought they were in their current situation.  Churches with decreasing numbers of children said that they didn't have enough leaders, children were doing other things and families had moved away.
 
  “Those with increasing numbers said that they had opened new groups, and stressed the role of employees like ministers and youth workers, as well as the strength of their volunteers.

  Significantly, they were focused and intentional about their children's ministry.”

  Lear added that the analysis of the survey indicated that there was little difference between the practices of churches with increasing numbers and those with decreasing numbers.

  “We aren't talking about churches having to run massive programmes to make a difference,” he said.

Reported in ‘The Baptist Times’ by Mark Woods.