The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Youth & Young Adult Ministry: Parish Youth Ministry: Considerations for Getting Started

Authored by Eric Gallagher in Issue #7.4 of Catechetical Review

One of my primary roles in my work for the Church has been to respond to questions from parish priests and lay leaders about how to start a youth group or the right time to hire a youth minister. As I’ve met with these individuals to discuss these questions in greater depth, I’m often struck by the “why” of the questions. What are they wanting to accomplish? Some of them have few, if any, youth involved in their parish so they are looking to hire a staff person or to start a program that will better engage the youth. Some are starting to see youth wanting to get more involved and they are seeking to offer support. Honestly, several times the leaders in the parish simply state that they want an active youth group because the church down the road has one or they have fond memories of their own childhood youth ministry.

Despite a plethora of reasons for starting or improving youth ministry, there are really only two common responses the average parish considers: starting a youth group or hiring a youth minister (or a combination of these two). When discerning the best path forward, it’s important to take time to consider the known options but also to have an openness to whatever it is that God desires. The risk of not doing so can hinder a ministry’s fruitfulness. Also, if decisions are made out of ignorance, pride, or even simply an impatience with the current realities, the ministry itself can be disordered from the start.

Though there isn’t a “one size fits all” option and I don’t claim to know what God’s will might be for any given situation, my hope here is to share with you some of the ways that I’ve seen youth ministry work most effectively. In the following paragraphs, I’ll explain a certain option, some of the benefits of implementing it, and finally some of the limitations and implications of each initiative.

The rest of this online article is available for current subscribers.

Start your subscription today!


This article is from The Catechetical Review (Online Edition ISSN 2379-6324) and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of The Catechetical Review by contacting [email protected]

Articles from the Most Recent Issue

Inspired Through Art: Our Preferential Option for the Poor
By Jem Sullivan
“The option or love of preference for the poor . . . is an option, or a special form of primacy in the exercise of Christian charity, to which the whole tradition of the Church bears witness. It affects the life of each Christian inasmuch as he or she seeks to imitate the life of Christ, but it applies equally to our social responsibilities and... Read more
From the Shepherds: Serving the Poor: Taking Five Steps with Two Feet
By Bishop William Wack, CSC
Free When I served as director of André House, a ministry of hospitality to the poor and homeless in downtown Phoenix, we often spoke about “the two feet of service”: direct service to those in need and working for justice and a long-term solution. Both are important, and each one informs and strengthens the other. Inspired by Dorothy Day and under the... Read more
Radically Available
By Lani Bogart
Free In prayer after receiving Holy Communion, I recognized in my heart the voice of God the Father. “I want you to be radically available.” As Director of Religious Education in a large parish, I had an idea of what it meant to be radically available while working full time. It meant being available to God by showing up for daily Mass and prayer. It... Read more

Pages

Watch Tutorial Videos

We've put together several quick and easy tutorial videos to show you how to use this website.

Watch Now