intro to youth and young adult ministry

• As a youth, what have been your experiences with youth ministry?

• As a young adult, what have been your experiences with young adult ministry?

• As a seminarian, what have been your experiences with youth ministry?

• As a seminarian, what have been your experiences with young adult ministry?

The Notre Dame theologian, Scott Appleby, said that “No previous generation of American Catholics, it could be argued, inherited so little of the content and sensibility of the faith from their parents as has today’s youth. At no point during the previous 150 years of Catholic life in America has a need for widespread catechesis and re-evangelization of broad segments of the Catholic community coincided with so dire a shortage in the number of priests, religious and seminarians.” (September 2001).

National Study onYouth and Religion

This study focused on 13-17 year olds to:

1. Research the shape and influence of religion and spirituality in the lives of U.S. adolescents.

2. Identify effective practices in the religious, moral, and social formation of young people

3. Describe the extent to which young people participate in and benefit from the programs and opportunities that religious denominations are offering to their youth.

Purpose of Study:

Religion has a significant presence in the lives of many

U.S. teens today.

Finding #1:

Contrary to many popular assumptions and stereotypes, the character of teenage

religiosity in the U.S. is extraordinarily conventional.

Finding #2:

Religious education is failing –

if by that we mean helping people

understand what they believe.

Finding #3:

“Many teenagers know abundant details about the lives of favorite musicians and television stars or about what it takes to get into a good college, but most are not

very clear on who Moses and Jesus were.”

-Dr. Christian Smith

17 year old, white Catholic boy from Wisconsin:

“My religious beliefs, what’s good and bad, like you know, if you kill or rape someone, I think you’re screwed, give up on life ‘cause it’s over.”

Then he added, “I’ll never stop being Catholic, even if I stop believing in God, I’ll still be Catholic.”

15 year old conservative Protestant Hispanic boy from Texas:

“I’m sure God exists and like, helps people and answers their prayers, that’s pretty much it.” [Do you believe in Jesus?] “Ah, yes…I think (little laugh). I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Most U.S. teens have a difficult to impossible time explaining what they believe, what it means, and what the implications of their beliefs are for their lives.

Finding #4:

17 year old mainline Lutheran boy from Colorado:

“Uh, well, I don’t know, um, well, I don’treally know. Being a Lutheran,confirmation was a big thing but I didn’treally know what it was and I still don’t. I really don’t know what beinga Lutheran means.”

“Indeed, it was our distinct sense that for many of the teens we interviewed, our interview was the first time that any adult had ever asked them what they believed and how it mattered in their life.”


Regardless of the denomination, most U.S. teens are “Moralistic Therapeutic Deists”

Finding #5:

15 year old Hispanic conservative Protestant girl from Florida:

“God is like someone who is always there for you, I don’t know, it’s like God is God. He’s just like somebody that’ll always help you go through whatever you’re going through. When I became a Christian I was just praying and it always made me feel better.”

14 year old Jewish girl from Washington:

“I guess for me Judaism is more about how you live your life. Part of the guidelines are like how to live and I guess be happy with who you are, ‘cause if you’re out there helping someone, you’re gonna feel good about yourself, you know?”

14 year old white Catholic boy from Pennsylvania:

“ ‘Cause God made us and if you ask him for something, I believe he gives it to you. Yeah, he hasn’t let me down yet. God is a spirit that grants you anything you want, but not anything bad.”

16 year old white mainline Protestant boy from Texas:

“Well, God is almighty, I guess [yawns]. But I think he’s on vacation right now because of all the crap that’s happening in the world, ‘cause it wasn’t like this back when he was famous.”

- A God exists who created and orders the world.- God wants us to be good and fair.- Central goal of life is to be happy

and feel good about oneself.- God does not need to be

particularly involved in one’s life,except when needed to resolve a problem.

- Good people go to heaven when they die.

The Creed ofMoralistic Therapeutic Deism

Highly religious teens appear to be doing much better in life than less religious teens.

Finding #6:

“At the very least, what appears to be clearly not true is the idea that the religious

teenagers are essentially no different from non-religious teenagers.”


“Catholic teenagers, who represent nearly one-quarter of all U.S. teens, stand out among the U.S. Christian teenagers as

consistently scoring lower on most measures of religiosity.”


U.S. CP MP BP RC J LDS NR

Made a personal commitment to live for God.

55 79 60 74 41 21 69 13

Shared own religious faith with someone not of faith

43 56 51 41 37 58 72 --

Youth Group participation rate (involved in YG/YG available)

52 64 64 44 32*

41 75 --

Only one religion is true 29 46 26 31 19 9 67 5

Okay to practice religions besides own

51 36 59 40 58 78 36 70

Evangelization: “people should leave everyone else alone”

43 27 39 42 55 75 15 66

Okay to pick and choose beliefs without accepting whole faith

46 36 53 34 54 71 31 62

Believers need to be involved in a religious congregation

32 35 27 45 32 20 60 14

* This question was only asked of teens who attend Mass more than twice a year.

Emerging Adults

occupy a new phase of individual exploration and uncertainty, which begins at age 18 and extends into the upper 20s. This new phase, following adolescence but preceding full adulthood, is the result of global economic and cultural changes that have made financial independence more difficult to attain, pushed up the age at first marriage, and decreased parenthood.

• more years in higher education

Emerging Adults

• more years in higher education • jobs more fluid and unpredictable.

Emerging Adults

• more years in higher education • jobs more fluid and unpredictable. • wild and free

Emerging Adults

Goal 1: To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community. Goal 2: To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.

A New Morning

Goal 1: To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today. Goal 2: To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community. Goal 3: To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.

Renewing the Vision

Goal Three

To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each person.

Renewing the Vision

Goal Two

To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.

Renewing the Vision

Goal One

To empower young people to

live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our

world today.

Renewing the VisionComprehensive Ministry Themes

• Developmentally Appropriate• Family Friendly• Intergenerational• Multicultural• Community-Wide Collaboration• Leadership• Flexible/Adaptable Programming

Renewing the VisionComponents

• Advocacy


• Advocacy• Catechesis


• Advocacy• Catechesis• Community Life


• Advocacy• Catechesis• Community Life• Evangelization


• Advocacy• Catechesis• Community Life• Evangelization• Justice and Service


• Advocacy• Catechesis• Community Life• Evangelization• Justice and Service• Leadership Development


• Advocacy• Catechesis• Community Life• Evangelization• Justice and Service• Leadership Development• Pastoral Care


• Advocacy• Catechesis• Community Life• Evangelization• Justice and Service• Leadership Development• Pastoral Care• Prayer and Worship


• Advocacy• Catechesis• Community Life• Evangelization• Justice and Service• Leadership Development• Pastoral Care• Prayer and Worship• Vocational Discernment

Who Are Young Adults?

Tasks of Young Adulthood:

• Developing a Personal Identity

• Developing Relationships

• Developing a Meaning of Work

• Developing a Spiritual Life

Objectives

•Spiritual Formation and Direction

•Religious Education/Formation

•Vocation Discernment

Goal One

Connecting Young Adultswith Jesus Christ

Goal Two

Connecting Young Adultswith the Church

Objectives

•Evangelizing Outreach

•Forming the Faith Community

•Pastoral Care

Goal Three

Connecting Young Adults withthe Mission of The Church in the WorldObjectives

•Forming a Christian Conscience

•Educating and Working for Justice

•Developing Leaders for the Present and for the Future

Goal Four

Connecting Young Adultswith a Peer Community

Objectives

•Forming Faith Communities of Peers

•Developing Peer Leadership

•Identifying a Young Adult Team

You are Part of a Team

• So you have to act like you are part of a team• You have to work with the rest of the team• The team has a set of rules that you must

learn…and follow• The team as a culture within which they

operate. You must learn the culture.


5 Unrecoverable Mistakes• Becoming a Lone Ranger.


5 Unrecoverable Mistakes• Becoming a Lone Ranger.• Shooting the Shepherd


5 Unrecoverable Mistakes• Becoming a Lone Ranger.• Shooting the Shepherd• Ignoring the Parish Process


5 Unrecoverable Mistakes• Becoming a Lone Ranger.• Shooting the Shepherd• Ignoring the Parish Process• Ignoring Appropriate Boundaries


5 Unrecoverable Mistakes• Becoming a Lone Ranger.• Shooting the Shepherd• Ignoring the Parish Process• Ignoring Appropriate Boundaries• Failing to Collaborate with Parents


5 Attitudes to ImitateImitate me as I Imitate Christ



• Act like a Disciple



• Act like a Disciple• Work with the Whole Church



• Act like a Disciple• Work with the Whole Church• Love the Church

http://www.sandiegoweddingsofficiant.com/photos/bible-love.jpg



• Act like a Disciple• Work with the Whole Church• Love the Church• Learn from Failures



• Act like a Disciple• Work with the Whole Church• Love the Church• Learn from Failures• Speak about the Positive

Important things to note:

> Youth and Young Adult Ministryis not an island

(full parish)

> Coordinator of Youth Ministry/ Campus Ministry

> Parent Focus

Technology

Legal and Liability

Pastoral Care

Child Protection

This is not the same “working with young people” you remember

young adult picnicJuly 24

young adultgatheringOct. 23

BYCC

www.archbalt.org www.dscottmiller.com

http://www.archbalt.org/

http://www.dscottmiller.com/