|
I. WHAT IS YOUTH
MINISTRY?
Youth ministry is the Church in its pastoral
concern, reaching out to young people to embrace their gifts and to
walk with them in their process of becoming all they can be.
|
A- Goals
of Youth Ministry
|
- 1- To empower young people to live as
disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.
|
- 2-
To draw young people to responsible
participation in the life, mission and
work of the Faith Community.
|
- 3- To
foster the
total personal and spiritual growth of each
young person.
|
B- Foundational
Principles
- 1- Youth
Ministry is essential to the mission of the Church. It is the Church's
way of recognizing the presence of God in young people and accepting
their gifts as vital to the building of
the Kingdom. With the support and lived example of the
surrounding faith community, young people develop a
sense of belonging in the Church.
- 2- Youth
Ministry is rooted in relationships. Youth ministry involves first and
foremost, not programs but relationships. This means that those
ministering to young people need to make relationships a priority. As
young people relate to adults and peers, they grow in self knowledge,
self acceptance, capacity to love God and others.
- 3-
Youth Ministry is concerned with the total person. Youth ministry
encompasses the spiritual, social, cultural and developmental aspects
of a young person's life. Helping young people grow in knowledge of
their faith is only a partial element; faith needs to permeate the
total person: the mind, the heart, relationships to the family, to
peers, to the world. In order for youth ministry to be holistic the
following components need to be integrated and combined.
|
C- Components
of Youth Ministry
|
1- Leadership Development
Peer ministry
Training
|
2- Prayer and
Worship
Prayer
Liturgy
Sacraments
|
3- Community
Building relationships
Social events
Fellowship
Sports
Fun
|
4- Pastoral Care
Health
Wellness
Prevention
Personal Growth
|
5- Justice and Service
Outreach
Awareness
Direct Service
|
6- Advocacy
Listening to youth
Communicating
Youth culture and issues
|
7- Catechesis
faith
development and formation on the essentials of
Catholic Identity
|
8- Evangelization
Outreach Retreats,
lock-ins. Youth Rallies
|
Comprehensive
Components (Details)
BACK
TO TOP
II- CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE YOUTH MINISTRY.
- 1- Implies
collaboration and coordination of the different ministries that touch
young people by
way of their participation in or being ministered to
(Liturgical Committees, Family, Religious Education, Scouts, Respect
Life, etc.)
- 2- Effective
youth ministry is needs based. The point of departure of any planning
and programming is the reality of the young people that are going to be
ministered. Listening to their needs and understanding their cries is
essential.
- 3- Youth
ministry reaches out to the young person's family, to support them in
their role as primary evangelizers, and to ensure that evangelization
efforts reach the entire family, which in turn provides young people
with the support needed for their development.
- 4- Youth
Ministry seeks to minister to youth in the context of their culture and
ethnicity.
Evangelizing young people where they are and as they
are, begins with appreciation and recognition of the
traditions, value systems, and symbols of their particular culture. In
our multi-cultural Archdiocese, youth ministry needs to promote
appreciation and respect for ALL ethnic cultures.
- 5-
Youth ministry offers a variety of programs, services and
opportunities; it is not restricted to weekly meetings. Young people
need different experiences, programs, activities, and services to
grow as persons and Christians.
- 6-
Youth ministry seeks to link young people to the Church at all levels:
parish, diocesan, national, world. As Catholics we have a rich Church
experience to share with young people. Giving them opportunities to
participate in activities beyond the realm of the parish and updating
them about diocesan, national, and world Church happenings, opens for
them a wider vision of Church.
BACK TO TOP
III- STEPS TO
ORGANIZING MINISTRY IN PARISHES
|
1- Identify adults/young adults to form
youth ministry team. Youth ministry should not rely on one person.
|
2-Survey
youth needs and resources available in the parish, Archdiocese,
community.
|
3- Analyze
data from the survey and develop mission statement and goals for youth
program.
|
4-
Develop a program based on the needs of youth and the Archdiocesan
Pastoral Plan for Youth Minisry.
|
|
5-
At all times, keep pastor and/or priest assigned to youth ministry,
informed of your projects.
|
6-
Keep families informed and involved in youth ministry.
|
7-
Evaluate program periodically and adjust programs according to needs.
|
BACK TO TOP
IV- A MODEL FOR YOUTH MEETING
1- Gathering and welcome
- Have adult/leaders welcome and greet individually as
many as they can, this helps the kids feel welcome to the meeting and
that they belong to the group.
- Allow late comers to arrive.
- Start on time and be consistant about it.
2- Opening icebreakers --done as needed.
- Opening activities and icebreakers are important for
different reasons.
- Some activities can be used sometimes to break the
ice and make
- newcomers feel welcome and at ease.
- Some other ones can be used to get rid of bottled up
energy the kids may bring in with them.
3- Opening prayer / music (optional).
- Gathering the participants in a prayerful atmosphere
is useful to set the tone for the meeting.
4- Discovery time --Catechesis and/or
evangelization.
- Includes main talk and activity or guest speaker
presentations.
- Involve the group as often and as much as possible in
the lesson or activity.
- Be creative and concrete as much as you can.
5- Follow up --processing of information.
- Small groups or a large group, with the help of a
facilitator, can be very useful to process what they have heard or
done.
- Allow for questions, concerns, and issues to be
discussed.
- Have no fear. It is at this moment when a faith
discovery can occur.
6- Conclusion --wrap up and closing prayer.
- Bring the activity/lesson to a close.
- Faith is not just learned, but lived and experienced.
- Allow members to participate in closing prayer if
they want to.
7- Dismissal and farewell --social time and
space.
- Bid individual farewells as much as possible inviting
them to come back next time.
- Allow time and space to hang out while they leave or
wait to be picked up.
- A well planned meeting should allow you, or other
adult/leaders, to be available for one on one talks.
- Show interest in the kids, in what they do, but most
important, in what they are and what they experience.
- These individual experiences can help them feel they
are loved, welcomed, and that they do belong in the Church.
BACK TO TOP
V- THE COORDINATOR OF PARISH YOUTH MINISTRY
The Coordinator of youth ministry responds to the
spiritual and social needs of Catholic youth in the
parish. The Coordinator serves those youth of appropriate age
identified by the parish for ministry, through direct contact and the
training of parish volunteers for work with youth. The Coordinator
develops and coordinates youth activities in the parish.
The Coordinator of youth ministry
needs to be:
a. An active
Catholic in good standing with the Church.
b. An active and
visible member of a parish community.
c. A person of faith
and prayer.
d. A person called to
ministry.
A- Recommended
Responsibilities: Coordinator of Parish Youth Ministry
1- The
Coordinator acts as an advocate and link for youth.
interpreting the needs of youth to the pastoral team
and the community facilitating the development of community among young
people, their families, their parish
and the local community supporting families in their role
of promoting healthy adolescent development and faith growth partnering
with schools and the civic community to promote effective services for
youth and positive values in youth providing multicultural and
multilingual ministry as needed promoting the pastoral care
of youth and families
2- The
Coordinator recruits, forms, and supports adult and youth leaders in
youth ministry.
promoting the spiritual formation of youth and adult
leaders leading the core team in planning and coordinating programs and
services developing job descriptions and recruitment process
facilitating the training and support of leaders
3- The
Coordinator promotes the faith formation of youth.
developing and implementing evangelization and
outreach programs developing and implementing catechetical programs
promoting active youth worship including inclusive and participative
liturgies and prayer opportunities
4- The
Coordinator empowers youth for Christian ministry.
facilitating the training and formation of youth
leaders providing opportunities for service and linking such
opportunities to the fostering of the works of peace and justice
5- The
Coordinator administers the parish ministry with youth.
facilitating the planning, implementation, and
evaluation of long and short range program goals establishing a
collaborative relationship with other members of the pastoral staff
developing and supervising the program budget assuring that the
legal/moral responsibilities are provided for within the context of the
programs.
6-
The Coordinator stays in
contact with the
Archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry.
to benefit from programs and resources to help young
people link with others in the Archdiocese by participating in
Archdiocesan sponsored meetings, retreats, and events designed for
spiritual or personal enrichment.
B- Recommended Responsibilities: Youth Ministry
Team
- Works with coordinator to provide vision, goals, and
direction for all aspects of youth ministry.
- Coordinates schedules and programs for youth
ministry.
- Provides channels of communication between youth
ministry and families, parish staff, and parish councils or committees.
- Assures ongoing assessment of youth and family needs
and the development of recommendations for youth ministry programming.
- Monitors program development and effectiveness.
- Assures continuing evaluation based on goals and
program plans.
- Makes recommendations for resources, budget and use
of facilities regarding youth ministry.
- Assures adequate recruitment, training, and support
for leadership in youth ministry.
- Establishes and updates any policies and/or
procedures necessary for effective implementation of youth ministry.
- Provides regular feedback to the parish staff and
council regarding needs, recommendations and accomplishments of youth
ministry.
- Advocates for the needs of youth and families with
youth within the parish and community.
- Provides continued training, formation, support, and
nourishment for those involved in youth ministry.
-
A Vision of Youth Ministry (Wash. D.C. : USCC, Dept of
Ed.) 1986
- John Roberto, Principles of Youth Ministry (New Rochelle, NY: DBM)1982
- Robert McCarty, Training Adults for Y M (Winona, MN: St. Mary's) 1995
- YouthWorks: Center for Ministry Development (Naugatuck, Ct.) 1994
- Pastoral Plan & Curriculum for Youth Ministry: Archdiocese of
Miami.1994
- Renewing the Vision: A Framework For Catholic Youth Ministry NCCB 1997
BACK TO TOP
|
