God’s Promises for Everyone: A Sit-Down with Shell Perris

Flashback: the year is 2005 and you pop a CD into your car to listen to with your friends on your way to youth group. The band that starts to blare from your speakers is TBC – a Christian chick band that is wildly popular in the UK.

One of the key performers from TBC is Shell Perris – she had come to Christ and wanted to tell every young person she encountered about him! This conversation with Shell covers her new book God’s Promises for Everyone, the live events she does in children’s ministry, and what she would say if she was sitting across from you having a cuppa (as they say in the UK!).

Let's start with your children's books and move backwards into your story. Your most recent book, God's Promises for Everyone, is delightful. Can you share why you wrote this and what you are hoping readers get out of it?

First of all, thank you! I wrote God’s Promises for Everyone because I wanted to bring the promises of God to life for children and families. It’s one thing being told that, for example, 'God will never leave you,' but it’s another thing understanding and really knowing what that looks like in our lives. God’s Promises for Everyone takes the reader on a beautiful journey through 50 of God’s promises with beautiful illustrations, that tell a story in themselves, and lyrical prose. I read the book myself and feel such a sense of God’s peace and comfort! That’s when I think to myself, 'Did I really write this?'

Prior to writing that, you wrote another excellent children's book with Joanne Gilchrist called Next Steps to Following Jesus. What a helpful resource! How did that book come to life?

I was looking for a child/family friendly resource that I could give to kids who decided to follow Jesus at one of our ALIVE events, whilst engaging the whole family in a journey towards Jesus. I couldn’t find anything that was thorough enough with a reasonable price tag! So, Joanne and I decided to write Next Steps to Following Jesus!

We managed to pack 30 devotions and 75 activities into a book that helps children and their grown-ups to discover more about Jesus! We also created 4 different pathways (‘Think’, ‘Feel’, ‘Get Active’ and ‘Create’), acknowledging that different people connect with God in different ways.

I love your heart for kids and your unique ministry in the UK. Could you share the story about how God planted all of this in your heart and the vision He gave you?

Since 2002, I have been involved in Christian events all over the UK and Europe. I’ve had the privilege of seeing how big events can create moments of encounter with God. Every Christian can remember going to an event or a festival where they’ve encountered God in some way, and it has significantly impacted their faith journey.

Back in 2017, my husband and I set up a charity that would house ALIVE. The vision was to tell as many children and families about Jesus through large-scale events and gatherings as possible. The first ever ALIVE event took place in June 2019 at Worcester Arena where nearly 1000 people of all ages gathered to worship God and grow in their faith.

Fast forward to 2023, where ALIVE partnered with The Coventry Diocesan Board of Education and Feed the Hungry UK to host a massive praise party for 9,000 kids – the biggest gathering of children worshipping God to date in the UK.

Now, ALIVE is part of a bigger organisation and grown into 3 strands – ALIVE Events, ALIVE Kids' Camps, and ALIVE @Festivals! You can find out more on our website www.alivekids.co.uk.

A praise party for 9,000 children?! Can you paint us a picture of what that looked like and what you believe God was/is doing in the hearts of these children?

It was overwhelmingly incredible! We did 4 events over 2 days with 2000-2500 children at each event! It was bright, energetic, and full of God’s presence. There were moments of joy, inspiration and reflection as children, teachers and church leaders were encouraged to be ‘World Changers’ through music, drama, videos, bible stories and more! One church leader said, 'It raised our expectations of what God can do!'

I believe God was stirring something special in the hearts of His children. He was inviting them to know Him better. ALIVE 2023 was a catalyst that caused waves across Coventry and Warwickshire. ‘World Changer Discipleship Groups’ started in schools, children decided to follow Jesus on the buses leaving the event, and another church leader said it gave their community a common language. Even now, there continues to be fruit from the event. It brought unity amongst schools, churches and communities and, as we know, where there is unity God commands a blessing!

As a mom to four boys, how does that help shape your ministry?

Well, it definitely keeps me grounded! It keeps me real and tuned in to authentic family life. I don’t ever want to be the kind of person who is different ‘on stage/in public’ to the person I am ‘behind the scenes’. Like many other mums, I have this constant priority list in my head that is re-ordered at least 10 times a day depending on what’s happening. In a family of 6, and with a desire to follow God and His plan for my life, I often feel like I’m letting someone down in some way. However, in the midst of juggling it all, God remains faithful, helps me to keep trusting Him and loves me more than I could possibly imagine. He’s my firm foundation and family life challenges me and inspires me in equal measure to keep it that way.

For anyone who has done ministry with boys in the pre-teen ages, helping them engage with music ministry can be difficult, what advice or reflections can you give on this?

As adults, we have such a responsibility to teach our kids what it looks like to try and love God, love others, and love ourselves in the way God asks us to. We must teach our kids to worship in a way that enables them to encounter God. We can’t project our ways of worshipping God on to our kids and we must remember that there are lots of ways that kids can connect with God.

Be intentional but don’t be controlling. I believe our job as adults/parents is to champion and cheer on our kids to be everything that God has created them  to be, which doesn’t always fit with everything we  would like them to be. Let them be free to worship and connect with God in a way that works for them. Explore what that could look like and empower them to soar.

If pre-teen boys don’t want to engage with God using songs or actions, that’s fine! My eldest boys got to an age where that just wasn’t ‘cool’ anymore and I understood that. It’s important we validate where kids are at in their lives and faith journey and continue to walk with them no matter what. That’s how healthy and trust-filled relationships are cultivated. It’s not about convenience, it's about covenant.

In the early 2000s, you were in Christian girl pop band, TBC. How has that experience informed your ministry now?

I had the wonderful privilege of being part of hundreds, if not thousands, of events and I got to see the difference between great events and mediocre events. I have never been a fan of ‘mediocre’. I’m a huge fan of excellence and believe whole-heartedly that God deserves our best. If Jesus were to walk into an ALIVE event in the form of a human being, I’d want Him to walk in and say, 'WOW! This is amazing!'

Being part of TBC taught me a lot about people. How to treat people, how to love people, how to network with people, how to handle people. I didn’t always get it right, but I learned from my mistakes wherever possible. I was surrounded by great people (who I didn’t always fully appreciate) and I watched and learned! Even now, I love to watch and learn from the wonderful people that God has placed around me.

If you were to sit down for coffee (or tea!) with one of our children's ministry leaders reading this, what wisdom or encouragement would you want to give them?

For me, it would be decaf tea! And I would say this: spend as much time investing into the parents/carers of the children entrusted to your care as you do to the kids themselves. Equip the whole family. Make life lighter, wherever you can. Don’t get so bogged down with it all that you forget to keep the main thing the main thing. Delegate and build team so that it doesn’t all fall on you and empower young leaders. Give them opportunities to thrive and be there to pick them up when they don’t quite meet the mark. And, whatever you do, make sure you keep looking up! You can’t do anything well without God.

Whew! That’s a preach. Thank you, Shell, for your wisdom and encouragement.

Over the last 20+ years, Shell has pioneered many ventures as she has followed the call on her life to tell children and families about Jesus through events and resources, and to help people and organisations become everything God has created them to be.

Shell speaks at churches, conferences, and events throughout the UK. Her latest book, God’s Promises for Everyone, is published by SPCK and available now!

Originally from the North-West of England, Shell now lives in Warwickshire, UK with her husband, Tim, and their four children. She loves family days out, taking photos, candles, hanging out with friends, and Perris Pizza Nights!!