Stuart Murray, who is the Series Editor for Paternoster’s After Christendom series, introduced the idea that, whether we like it or not, the context in which we 'do church' now in the West is a post-Christendom context. He said, ‘The Church is no longer at the centre but at the margins and we need to reconfigure the way that we engage our cultures in light of that. Youthwork After Christendom is part of the process of rethinking the goals and practice of Christian youth work in the strange new world we now inhabit.’

Robin Parry, Editorial Director at Paternoster, introduced the After Christendom series and welcomed Jo and Nigel's book as ‘an intelligent and provocative stimulus to creative conversations about the future of youth work.’

Sally Nash, director of the Midland Centre for Youth Ministry in Nottingham, offered her own reflections on what she had learned from the book. Authors Jo and Nigel then spoke about some of the issues they raise in the volume and Richard Passmore closed the day talking about some of his edgy and unconventional work with skate boarders.