Dr Gareth Crispin
BAMM Programme Lead
Lecturer in Practical Theology
Co-director of Generation Research Centre
Get in touch at g.crispin@cliffcollege.ac.uk
Prior to joining Cliff College in 2019, Gareth spent ten years as a youth, children & families minister, most recently in an Anglican church in Cheshire and before that in an Independent Baptist Church in North London. He trained at Oak Hill College in London, gaining a BA in Youth and Children’s Ministry in 2008. He has a PhD in Family Ministry and Intergenerational Church, is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Gareth's research interests are in the area of youth, children and families (YCF) mission and ministry, and he has published in both areas at an academic and popular level. He invites enquiries from postgraduate research students who are keen to pursue PhD studies in any area of YCF mission and ministry but especially in family ministry, theological and sociological perspectives on family as well as intergenerational church.
Gareth co-presents the monthly podcast Together with God – a series of conversations on faith, family and today’s Church (www.togetherwithgod.org.uk) He also has an interest in youth apologetics, training and lecturing on the subject around the country as well as being co-producer of Out of the Question, a series of apologetics animations for young people (www.outofthequestion.net).
He lives in Buxton with his wife and three young sons.
Education
1993-1997 | Durham University; BA in Politics (with European Studies) |
1995-1996 | L’Institut D’Etudes Politiques, Aix-en-Provence; Certificate in Political Studies |
1997-1998 | Warwick University; MA in International Political Economy |
2005-2008 | Oak Hill Theological College; BA in Youth and Children's Ministry |
| 2014-2021 | University of Manchester; PhD in Practical Theology |
Publications
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ACADEMIC JOURNAL ARTICLES AND CHAPTERS IN BOOKS
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'Ludicity and Theology: Exploring some theological foundations of intergenerational ministry’, in Ketchem Galgay, S., (ed). Intergenerate – Becoming: Intergenerational Practice in the Formation of Being God's People (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, forthcoming 2023)
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24/04/2023
'Bottom-Up and Top-Down Approaches to Y&C Ministry, Part 1: Outlining a New Way of Analysing Approaches to Youth and Children’s Mission and Ministry', Journal of Youth and Theology, published online ahead of print
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24/04/2023
'Bottom-Up and Top-Down Approaches to Y&C Ministry, Part 2: Finding a Theological Way Forward', Journal of Youth and Theology, published online ahead of print
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03/04/2023
'Family Ministry and Theology: A biblical-theological reflection on three church of England congregations’, Southwestern D6 Family Ministry Journal, Vol 5
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01/12/2022
'Sociological Drivers of Segmentation Within Youth and Children’s Mission and Ministry in Western Contexts.’ Christian Education Journal, Vol 19, No.3, 2022
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10/10/2019
‘A biblical theological approach to the church/home relationship’, in Cory Seibel ed., The Generative Church (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock)
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01/05/2017
‘A theology of accommodation as a resource for integrating youth and children into intergenerational church’, Christian Education Journal Series 3, Vol 14, No.1
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01/03/2017
‘Intergenerational Communities and a Theology of Accommodation’ in Holly C. Allen ed., InterGenerate: How Churches Can Become More Intentionally Intergenerational in Outlook and Practice (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 2018)
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POPULAR LEVEL BOOKS
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with Ed Mackenzie, ‘Together with God – An Introduction to Family Worship’, (Birmingham, UK: Morse-Brown Publishing, 2016)
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OTHER ARTICLES
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01/07/2019
‘Apologetics for parents’, Youth and Children’s Work magazine (July 2018)
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01/03/2018
‘Google home’, Youth and Children’s Work magazine (March 2018)
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01/07/2017
‘Family Worship’, Youth and Children’s Work magazine (July 2017)
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‘Intergenerational Church’, Learn Magazine: Children and Young People, Church of Scotland (2017)
Teaching and Supervision
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Units taught
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Level 4
Applied Practice
Issues facing Youth, Children and Families
Introduction to Theology and Family
Introduction to Mission to and with Youth, Children and Families
Spirituality and Faith
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Level 5
Developing Mission and Ministry
Introduction to Apologetics
Contemporary Culture
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Level 6
Research Skills
Cultural Perspectives for Christian Mission
Problem-based Learning
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Level 7
Children's & Youth Mission 1
Children's & Youth Mission 2
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Postgraduate supervision
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MA dissertations supervised
Do parachurch organisations inhibit or facilitate local church involvement in primary schools?: A critical investigation.
Fantasy literature as a vehicle for Christian narrative and potential applications for contemporary youthwork and evangelism.
Understanding spirituality in a preschool context: Re-evaluating the Early Years Framework to include spirituality for 2-4 year olds.
An examination of how keeping Sabbath principles could impact the mental health of children aged 2-4.
Youth ministry in a virtual world: A critical discussion on the possible impacts of the Covid-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.
Word and Spirit Children’s Ministry. Critically develop a framework for ministry with children, with a particular focus on charismatic evangelical ecclesiology.
PhD supervision
Discipling children in climate activism: An investigation into what encourages 7-11s in the UK church to take care of the environment.
Applying the Concepts of Lesslie Newbigin's MEWC to a Local Church.
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Areas of potential supervision
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I would be interested in supervising PhD students looking into any aspect of mission and ministry to and with youth, children and families, or theologies of youth, children and families. I have a special interest in family ministry as well as theological and sociological perspectives on family as well as intergenerational church.