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Overview

Tutors

Fees

25-26 dates

Booking

Seminary level training in children’s, youth and family ministry. An opportunity to equip all those serving children and young people in the local church.

The Growing Young Disciples Academy offers a unique opportunity to equip and empower all those dedicated to serving children and young people in their local church communities.

Accessible entirely online, our comprehensive programme delves into essential topics such as the biblical foundations of children’s and youth ministry, the spiritual growth and development of young hearts, and the crucial aspects of pastoral care for children and adolescents.

But that’s just the beginning. With Growing Young Disciples Academy, you’ll explore a myriad of invaluable insights and practical tools designed to enrich your ministry and amplify your impact.

Endorsements

“

The Academy helps me think through helpful subjects that impact on my working practise week by week to be God glorifying, people focused and personal skill building to serve Him in a more effective way.
The Academy course has provided me with a space in the week to meet and chat with others who work with children and young adults and learn how to share Christ with those in our care.
I love the academy because it makes theology and training accessible for those who aren’t able to take time out to go to theological college or commit to many hours of study at their stage of life.
The content is so helpful that my husband has even started eavesdropping on the Word ministry sessions to help him with his preaching.
I’m enjoying being part of the academy because it’s not just theoretical, it’s positively impacting the way I work and think and pray.
GYD academy is great because it actually fits around doing youth and children's work full time!
The academy has been such a massive encouragement to me with the specific training and meeting and hearing from others who are in similar ministries.

”

Overview of the GYD Academy Course

Year 1

  1. The next generation—God’s heartbeat & our urgent calling
  2. Standing on their shoulders—learning from the past to build the future
  3. The Church & the next generation—reimagining discipleship
  4. Teaching for transformation—Wisdom’s invitation in discipleship
  5. A theology of the child—understanding who we are discipling
  6. A theology of discipleship—beyond moralism to true faith
  7. Structuring for long-term discipleship—beyond events & entertainment
  8. Building houses of wisdom—implementing biblical ministry
  1. The doctrine of scripture
  2. Word ministry – Part 1
  3. Word ministry – Part 2
  4. Effective illustration and application
  5. Teaching to reach the heart
  6. Writing a Bible talk
  7. Communicating in children’s and youth ministry
  8. Tips for communicating with children and youth
  1. Understanding children’s spirituality
  2. Spiritual development by age and stage
  3. Spiritual development and the family
  4. Factors affecting spiritual development
  5. Faith development theories/Towards a biblical model of spiritual development
  6. Towards a biblical model of spiritual development
  7. The discipleship of boys and girls
  8. Spiritual development and the sacraments

Year 2

  1. God
  2. Trinity
  3. Jesus
  4. Imago Dei
  5. Sin
  6. The Church
  7. Teaching doctrine to children and young people
  8. The role of catechesis in ministry
  1. Christian character
  2. Leadership dynamics
  3. Leadership skills
  4. Developing and communicating a vision
  5. Building and managing a team
  6. Training a volunteer team
  7. Caring for yourself in Christian Ministry
  8. Leadership on the ground
  1. Developing a model of pastoral care
  2. Child protection in pastoral care
  3. Caring for children and young people through bereavement
  4. Caring for children and young people through separation & divorce
  5. Caring for children and young people with image disorders
  6. Caring for children and young people with addictions
  7. Young people and sexuality
  8. Young people and mental health

Year 3

  1. Understanding worldviews
  2. Building a biblical worldview
  3. An introduction to culture
  4. Engaging with Tik Tok
  5. Engaging with Gaming
  6. Engaging with the Selfie
  7. Engaging with Fan Fiction
  8. Training parents to engage culturally with their kids
  1. Understanding Gen Z to reach them
  2. Understanding Generation Alpha to reach them
  3. Teaching truth in a post truth world
  4. Planning and implementing outreach activities
  5. Writing evangelistic talks
  6. Apologetics for crossing youth cultures
  7. Training children and young people to be apologists
  8. Raising world Christians
  1. Parent and toddler’s groups
  2. Working with the under 3’s
  3. All age services
  4. Holiday Bible clubs
  5. Weekends away
  6. Caring for children with special needs
  7. School’s ministry
  8. Final Big Q & A

Tutors

Peter Wright, Caz Petersen, Jane Watkins

Academy Fees

One off payment for the full 3 year academy course

£1800

Pay yearly for the academy course

£750

Pay per module

£300

2025–2026 dates

Tuesday afternoons on Zoom from 12.30–2.30pm BST (GMT+1)

Autumn Term 2025

23 Sept • 30 Sept • 07 Oct • 14 Oct • 21 Oct • 04 Nov • 18 Nov • 25 Nov

Spring Term 2026

20 Jan • 27 Jan • 03 Feb • 10 Feb • 24 Feb • 03 Mar • 10 Mar • 17 Mar

Summer Term 2026

14 Apr • 21 Apr • 28 Apr • 12 May • 19 May • 2 Jun • 9 Jun • 16 Jun

Requirements of the course

The Academy course as a whole works best through shared, accumulative learning. There are no assessments, however approximately 2 hours of additional (optional) reading is provided for those seeking further engagement. We don’t have any formal accreditation at present but there will be a certificate for those who finish the 3 years. In terms of commitment we ask for at least 80% attendance online each year.

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What we do

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Strengthening Gospel-Centred Leaders for Lasting Ministry
The GYD Forge exists for people like you: those leading from the front, building behind the scenes, and pouring themselves out for the discipleship of children, young people, and families.

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Conference 2026

5–8 January 2026.

Yarnfield Park.

Join us for a dynamic conference experience packed with inspiring speakers, practical workshops, networking opportunities and rich ministry support.

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Fortify

Encouraging, training and equipping volunteers.

Local Church Training Courses​

In-person or online training for your church.

Mentoring

A bespoke one-to-one programme to nurture and develop children’s, youth and families workers at any stage in their ministry.

Groups

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Seminary level training in children’s, youth and family ministry.

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Consultancy Services for Children's, Youth, and Family Ministry

Empowering Churches to Nurture Future Generations

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Blog

Explore our blog for articles to encourage, excite and equip you in nurturing the rising generations for Jesus.

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Articles

Our Articles section offers in-depth explorations of key topics in ministry, blending theological insight with practical application. These longer-form pieces are designed to provoke thought, inspire faithfulness, and provide actionable wisdom for those seeking to disciple children and young people in an ever-changing world.

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FAQs

The Forge is an online training and resource platform from Growing Young Disciples. It exists to strengthen and support children’s, youth, and family ministry leaders. It is more than a content library. It is a place of sharpening and growth, where gospel depth meets practical wisdom for real-life ministry.

It is for anyone involved in discipling the next generation. Whether you are a full-time youth pastor, a Sunday school volunteer, a church leader, or a parent who wants to think more deeply about gospel-shaped ministry with young people, The Forge has been built with you in mind.

You will find biblically rich training videos, downloadable resources, safeguarding templates, risk assessments, leadership tools, and teaching materials. There is also an online community space where you can connect with others, ask questions, and find encouragement.

The subscription is yearly. You can pay £200 up front, or spread the cost with monthly payments of £20. Either way, you are signing up for a one-year commitment. After that, you are free to cancel at any time.

The subscription covers your whole church team, so anyone involved in children’s, youth, or family ministry can access the training resources and downloads.

Each subscription comes with one named community member. But we know that some churches have more than one key leader involved in children’s, youth, or family ministry. That is why we offer up to three named users per church to access the Forge community area.

This allows your team to grow together without turning the space into a free-for-all. If you need more individual sign-in permissions because of a larger team or unique circumstances, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you.

No. A subscription gives access to your local church team only. Resources must not be shared, copied, or distributed to anyone outside your church. If content is shared beyond these terms, access to The Forge will be withdrawn. We take this seriously in order to protect the integrity of the platform and ensure fairness for all.

Yes. The Forge is a living platform, not a static archive. New resources are added throughout the year, including training videos, downloadable tools, and leadership materials. We are always listening to what churches need and developing fresh content in response.

Yes. This is one of the most common requests we receive. The Forge includes a growing set of short, practical training videos with built-in discussion questions and leader notes. They are ideal for use in monthly or termly team meetings.

Yes. If your church is facing a particular challenge or needs support in a specific area of ministry, we would love to hear from you. The Forge exists to serve the local church, not to replace it. We are here to help.

Yes. While the platform is built on a conservative evangelical and reformed theological foundation, it is designed to serve churches across a wide range of denominations. The resources are biblically faithful, pastorally wise, and practically adaptable.

We would be happy to show you around. Send us a message and we can arrange a preview or talk through how The Forge could serve your team.