Description
Book SynopsisWhen Robert Raikes started his first Sunday School in 1780, he saw his idea grow to reach 300,000 unchurched children within five years - this in a nation widely ignorant of Christian ideas and values. Mark Griffiths has used Raikes' pioneering work in examining child evangelism in the UK. Working from extensive local and national research (leading to a PhD), he considers how children 'tick', what basic theology is at work in Christian outreach, and what constitutes best practice in child evangelism. His text is studded with insights and observations, and brings together the author's passion for his subject with the rigour of careful research. This is an unparalleled resource, laying the foundations of future growth.
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments 11
Issues of Ethics 13
Foreword 15
Introduction 17
Part 1
The History and Prac tice of Children’s Outreach
1 Robert Raikes and the Sunday School Movement 23
Robert Raikes
Robert Raikes’ England
Raikes’ model of child evangelism (1780–1800)
2 Child Evangelism at the End of the Twentieth Century 57
‘Fifties Freefall’?
All-age worship
Bill Wilson and the Metro Sunday School
Midweek attendance
3 Child Evangelism in the Twenty-first Century 67
The questionnaire
Analysis
Conclusion
4 Four Key Projects 80
Introduction
The Fraserburgh project
The Leeds project
The Hastings project
The Liverpool project
5 The Slough and Windsor Project 109
Introduction
The Saturday club
Home visits
School visits
Small groups
Part 2
Connecting with the Unchurched Child
6 Theology 145
The spiritual state of the pre-evangelized child
Child evangelism as Christian education
Child evangelism as encounter
Conclusion
7 Sociology 206
Social environment and influences on the child
The state of the church
8 Practice 228
Professional teachers
Hymn-singing and prayer
Rewards, prizes and incentives
Connection between Children’s Outreach Project and parents
Meeting a clear social need and empowerment
Communication
Connection between Children’s Outreach Project and church
Connection between Children’s Outreach Project and local
schools
9 Conclusions and Recommendations 285
1 Methodology and Literature Review 301
2 The Self-completion Questionnaire 311
3 Survey and Quantitative Research (Phase 2): 314
New Zealand and Australia
Bibliography 321
