Messy Togetherness: Being intergenerational in Messy Church

Why do more and more people advocate the idea that the generations should explore faith together, and what does the Bible have to say about this? How does this fit with our inherited model of age-related groups for learning and discipleship? And is it really practical and possible to have an experience of church where the youngest to the oldest share the same meeting space, service theme and time to worship?

Edited by Aike Kennett-Brown, in Messy Togetherness Martyn Payne discusses Messy Church as an intergenerational expression of church and the benefits of this to the church community. He explores current thinking about faith development and gives a biblical rationale for the all-age approach, o ering practical advice and sharing stories and ideas from across the Messy Church network. Chris Barnett provides a brand-new chapter on being intentionally intergenerational.

Also included are three complete outlines for Messy Church sessions, based on stories from the Old Testament, the gospels and the epistles.

Martyn Payne worked with BRF Ministries and Messy Church for 15 years before his retirement at the end of 2017. He has a background in Bible storytelling and leading all-age worship, and is passionate about the blessing that comes when generations explore faith together.

Chris Barnett brings to the intergenerational space a wealth of experience, a heart for connecting and a commitment to facilitating learning together. A curator and sharer of resources, Chris connects those involved in local churches, regional/national leadership and academia.

Aike Kennett-Brown is ministry lead of Messy Church. She joined BRF Ministries in January 2022, after having been a longstanding voluntary member of the Messy Church family. She was previously the mission support officer for children and young people in the diocese of Southwark.