2026–2027

Fortify Days are for everyone involved in kid’s and youth ministry!

The aim of the days is to encourage, resource and equip those who are passionate about raising the next generation to know Jesus and live for God’s glory. There will be several days every year across the U.K. and Ireland that you can plan to bring your teams to. We want to ensure they’ll be accessible for everyone and that includes making them very affordable and highly interactive.

In 2026/27 we’ll focus on equipping participants to give children and young people a richer, fuller vision of Jesus Christ. We want to help leaders hold out the Christ of all the Scriptures — the one who is Creator, Saviour, King, and the centre of God’s purposes. Our aim is that volunteers leave freshly convinced that children and young people do not need a smaller Jesus, but the real Jesus in all his fullness, and equipped to teach him with greater joy, depth, warmth, and hope.

9.30am – 3pm

(Registration opens at 9.30am, with refreshments available)

£20 standard rate

10% group discounts available for groups over 5
(Use discount code FORTIFYBULK)

17

October

2026

Christ Church, Cockfosters

Chalk Ln, Cockfosters, Barnet EN4 9JQ

7

November

2026

Bath

Venue TBC

30

January

2027

Crescent Church, Belfast

6 University Rd, Belfast BT7 1NH

27

February

2027

Christ Church Fulwood, Sheffield

Canterbury Avenue, Sheffield S10 3RT

6

March

2027

St Andrew’s Church, Leyland

Worden Lane, Leyland, PR25 3EL

in conjunction with the NW Gospel Partnership

24

April

2027

The Tron Church, Glasgow

25 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 1HW

22

May

2027

All Saints’ Church, Crowborough

Church Road, Chapel Green, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 1ED

Timetable

Fortify Days.

9:30am

Doors open

9:45am

Plenary Session 1

The Fullness of Christ

(Col 1:15–20)

10:45am

Coffee break

11:15am

Seminar Slot 1

12:15pm

Lunch

1:15pm

Seminar Slot 2

2:15pm

Break

2:25pm

Plenary Session 2

The Sufficiency of Christ

(Heb 1:1–4)

3:00pm

Finish

Seminar Options*

Fortify Days.

Slot 1

  1. Early Years: Introducing Little Ones to the Real Jesus

    Very young children can begin to know the real Jesus as good, strong, kind, true, and worthy of trust. This seminar explores how to introduce Christ faithfully through simple language, joyful repetition, and caring relationships that help young children grow in wonder and confidence in him.

  2. Primary Age: Teaching a Bigger Jesus to Children

    Primary-aged children are ready for a richer vision of Jesus than we often assume. This seminar will help leaders teach Christ through the whole Bible, moving beyond moral lessons to cultivate wonder, understanding, trust, and delight in who Jesus is.

  3. Youth: Holding Out the Fullness of Christ to Teenagers

    Teenagers need the real Christ in all his authority, sufficiency, tenderness, and glory. This seminar explores how a richer vision of Jesus speaks into the pressures young people face and equips leaders to teach with greater biblical depth and confidence.

  4. Teaching Children and Young People the Whole Christ

    It is easy to focus on a limited picture of Jesus while overlooking the fullness of who he is. This seminar will help leaders teach Christ more comprehensively – his person, work, character, reign, and sufficiency – so that children and young people encounter a bigger and richer vision of him.

Slot 2

  1. Teaching Christ from All the Scriptures

    The Bible is one unfolding story that finds its fulfilment in Jesus. This seminar will help leaders teach Christ from all of Scripture, showing how its themes, promises, patterns, and hopes point to him and contribute to a richer vision of who he is.

  2. More Than Moral Lessons: Helping Children See Christ

    It is easy to reduce Bible teaching to lessons about behaviour while leaving Jesus in the background. This seminar explores how to avoid moralism, keep Christ central, and help children and young people see that Christian living flows from who Jesus is and what he has done.

  3. Getting to Jesus from the Old Testament: Helping Children See Christ Without Forcing the Passage

    Teaching the Old Testament faithfully and Christ-centredly can be challenging. This seminar offers a simple, practical framework for helping children see how Old Testament passages fit into the Bible’s story and point to Jesus, without reducing them to moral lessons or forcing artificial connections.

  4. Teaching Christ in a World of Competing Saviours

    Children and young people are surrounded by messages about where to find identity, purpose, belonging, and hope. This seminar explores how the fullness of Christ speaks into these pressures and how leaders can present Jesus as the true source of meaning, peace, and lasting hope.

*Seminar options may vary depending on venue and personnel available.

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Growing Young Disciples has a threefold mandate: to train, resource, and advise…

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Conference 2027

4–7 January 2027.

Yarnfield Park.

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

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

Find out more

All content © Growing Young Disciples 2026.

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.