Who has developed the Sustainable Practices resource?

The Sustainable Practices resource started as an idea for church employed youth workers in 2007, and a national charter was officially developed in 2009 by youth ministry leaders in the UK.  Under this charter, churches would be accredited if they committed to an accountable action plan. Churches across multiple denominations and parachurch organisations throughout the UK have now been accredited.

A Canadian version was created in 2011, and in the USA, a covenant, based on the British national charter, was also launched in 2011.

In The Land of the Long White Cloud in 2014, the Network of National Youth Ministry Leaders committed to contextualising this charter for New Zealand. The accreditation process was removed, making this a free resource which any church can use. It was also deemed necessary to create a sister document for churches whose key youth leader is a volunteer.

In 2015, both Sustainable Practices for Church Employment of Youth Workers in Aotearoa New Zealand and Sustainable Practices for Church Management of a Key Volunteer Youth Leader  in Aotearoa New Zealand were launched.

Our dream is that every church engaging with youth in the country, including those already doing a great deal to support their youth worker, would find the experience of journeying through this resource to be transformational.