Search

Centre for Children’s and Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry Futures

Download the preliminary report for the Youth Ministry Futures project.

By filling out the above form, you are agreeing to Ridley College’s Privacy Policy, including the consent to contact for various marketing-related activities.


 

The Ridley Centre for Children’s and Youth Ministry

Sharing Jesus with children and young people is a lively and challenging ministry that is crucial for today’s church. Effective children’s and youth ministry in an increasingly complex world calls for approaches to Christian ministry that are able to wisely integrate robust biblical theological understanding with developmental and cultural context. Children and young people are a vast mission field for the church, both in Australia and beyond – and not just “the church of tomorrow”. Children and young people bring their unique experience of faith and faithfulness as a gift to the church and its mission today.

The Ridley Centre for Children’s and Youth Ministry (CCYM) understands children’s and youth ministry as a ministry of the gospel by the whole church among children and young people.

  • As a ministry of the gospel, CYM preaches Christ as Lord, engages children and young people within and beyond the church with Scripture, and aims for children and young people to express and grow in their personal faith in Jesus.
  • As a ministry of the whole church, CYM recognises families as church, the church as family, aims to connect children and young people with believers across the life-span, and strives to see children and young people take their place in the life of the church.
  • As a ministry among children and young people, CYM honours children and young people AS children and young people, taking seriously their developmental and cultural distinctives for how they hear and live out the Christian faith.
CCYM Community of practice CYM Training Pathway


CCYM Studies
Subjects in children’s and youth ministry can be included in any of the undergraduate or graduate courses offered at Ridley College. Foundational subjects in children’s and youth ministry are offered on a two-year cycle. Advanced subjects in children’s and youth ministry are offered on a four-year cycle.

You can study online in cohorts of CYM students or join the on-campus Vocational Mentoring Group. Intensive on-campus subjects provide the opportunity to join together with fellow students from around Australia.

Subjects Offered

Subject Code Name Mode
DE037 Children’s and Youth Ministry Extensive
DE011 Youth in the Churches Intensive
DE031 Skills for Children’s and Family Ministry Online
DE016 Children’s Ministry Field Education On-campus / Online
DE017 Youth Ministry Field Education On-campus / Online
DE014 Chaplaincy in Educational Settings Intensive
PC049 Chaplaincy Skills Intensive
PC076 Personal and Spiritual Formation for Christian Ministry Intensive

CCYM Research
Ridley’s team of leading scholars in practical ministry offer a wide range of ministry experience, and can supervise Masters’ level research projects and theses in the higher degree by research program, particularly the Doctor of Ministry.

  • Rev Dr Tim Foster (DMin, Fuller) – Domestic missiology, church growth and health, leadership and management
  • Dr Diane Hockridge (PhD, Macquarie University) – Christian education
  • Rev Dr Graham Stanton (PhD, University of Queensland) – Youth ministry, practical theology, Christian education
  • Rev Dr Richard Trist (DMin, ACT) – Professional supervision and mentoring, church growth and health, Anglican studies
  • Rev Dr David Williams (DMiss Fuller) – Missions and missiology

Postgraduate Research at Ridley

Program Coordinator
Graham Stanton has been involved in youth ministry and CYM training for over twenty-five years. From 2000 to 2013 Graham was the founding Dean and Principal of Youthworks College in Sydney, Australia’s first theological college entirely dedicated to preparing people for children’s and youth ministry. As well as his primary ministry to his own teenage children, Graham continues to be involved in coaching and mentoring youth ministry leaders and is a frequent speaker at youth events and training opportunities.

Graham’s doctoral study at the University of Queensland explored the dynamics of Bible engagement for the spiritual formation of teenagers in a culture of expressive individualism. His thesis engaged in a correlative dialogue with Maxine Greene’s aesthetic pedagogy in light of a conservative doctrine of the authority of Scripture.

Alongside his role at Ridley, Graham is also the youth ministry advisor for the Mathew Hale Public Library in Brisbane. Graham is a member of the executive board of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry and a member of the Society of Professors of Christian Education and the Association of Youth Ministry Educators.

We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Ridley College campus is built.
Ridley College is an affiliated college with the Australian College of Theology, CRICOS Provider Code 02650E.
© 2024 Copyright. All Rights Reserved.