Sorted youth project receives £100,000 grant

News Release: 05 December 2011

The Sorted youth project in Bradford is celebrating after it was awarded a £100,000 research and development grant from The Archbishops' Council and Church Commissioners.

Sorted is a fresh expression of church run by and for young people – with around 130 attending each week. It was established by Church Army Evangelist and keen skateboarder, Andy Milne, who spent time getting to know young people in the area through the schools, skate parks and housing estates.

The project was granted a Bishop’s Mission Order in 2010 which officially gave it church status.

Andy said: “I was really pleased when I heard the news about the grant and am very grateful to those who awarded it to us. I think it says a lot about the young people and what they’ve achieved thanks to God’s help. I hope and pray that many more young people and young adults will be equipped to take on leadership roles within Sorted so that the Good News of Jesus can be shared.”

The Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, said: “The Sorted Project is a fantastic example of inspiringly led youth evangelism that is home grown and is now being replicated elsewhere. The Church Commissioners’ £100,000 grant - from the Developing Church Growth in Deprived Areas funding - underlines the importance of investing in research and development so this sort of work can be evaluated and rolled out elsewhere."

The grant will be used to develop the Sorted project further and to see what lessons can be drawn from it for the wider church.