Church of England target toddlers in desperate bid to reconnect with the youth



Clowning around: The Revd Roly Bain of "The Holy Fools" gives a fun-filled sermon to children in St Albans

The Church of England is to target children as young as two in desperate recruitment drive, it emerged last night.



Senior bishops have privately admitted they are comprehensively failing to connect with teenagers and children.



To reverse the trend, proposals are to be put before the general synod including setting up Church homework clubs, breakfast clubs and sports groups.



Even toddler playgroups will be co-opted to spread the Christian word.



An internal Church of England document seen by The Guardian reads: 'The tragedy is that we appear to be failing even those with whom we have already connected.



'The challenge is how to creatively offer children and young people encounters with the Christian faith and the person of Jesus Christ.'



It adds: 'We need to reconsider how we engage with and express God's love to this generation of children and young people, whoever and wherever they may be.'



The document, called Going for Growth, will be put before the general synod next year.



It sets out plans to make churches more 'child friendly' by working in youth clubs and children's playcentres to re-establish links outside of church.



It also suggests creating a new 'social, moral, spiritual and cultural curriculum' for further education colleges and recommends linking up with the green cause to try and win over the young.



The document says: 'Contact centres, Sure Start projects, children's centres and extended schools provisions hold potential for the church to engage with children, young people and families through activities, breakfast and homework clubs, parenting support and sports activities.'



Future: Children as young as two have been targeted in a recruitment drive





TheChurch of England already sponsors 27 academies with 10 coming next year and 30 more under discussion.



Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said: 'For most people the church is an irrelevance and it is abusing its privilege by intruding into taxpayer-funded secular places in order to recruit the next generation of churchgoers.



'Parents should not be forced to have their children endure religious proselytising as a captive audience as the price of receiving public service.'



The document will present another headache for Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, who is facing a schism within the Church over the issues of women bishops and gay clergy.



The Rev Jan Ainsworth, the Church of England's chief education officer, said: 'We do not endorse high-pressure techniques, we would not endorse anything that places psychological pressure on someone. We would endorse ways of interesting children in the Christian faith and the Christian story.'

