Comprehensive Youth Ministry

Comprehensive youth ministry basically means two things:

• Being concerned with ALL YOUTH in the parish, and
• The WHOLE PARISH is responsible for youth ministry.

ALL YOUTH. It is relatively easy to get a youth group up and running, and soon you'll have a set number of kids who come to most events. But what about those who don't? What about those whose families barely even make it to church twice a year? These kids aren't likely to show up for a ski trip or a retreat. Well, what did Jesus do? He didn't wait around for people to come to Him, He went to them! Remember the definition of youth ministry - "needs and talents" - all youth have needs and talents. Comprehensive Youth Ministry aims to meet those needs. A kid who doesn't attend mass and is not connected to the church has different needs than the son or daughter of parents who are "pillars" of the parish. What can you do about these kids?

1. VISIT - When was it decided that Catholics don't do home visits? Or do we believe that it's only the priest's job? A visitation program should be part of your ministry. Don't want to do it alone? - Don't! In our parish, we have a group of high school students that meet every Wednesday night for faith topics, bible study, etc. Once a month we get into cars (driven by adults...) and do visits. Included in the list of people to visit are youth who don't come to youth activities and youth who are "unconnected" to the church - they are simply members on a list. We take them a little gift package including a Catholic Student Bible, some yummy treats, a calendar of events, a prayer card or two, rosary, and a publication called "Pillar of Fire and Truth" (check out Catholic Answers on our link page for this booklet).

Our goal is not to get these kids to come to our program (needs), but to let them know that we are thinking about them and praying for them! To let them know that they are LOVED because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ! We are in the business of sowing seeds, remember?! Some will fall on rocky soil, some among the weeds, etc..... (remember that one?!)

2. INCLUDE THEM in mailings about events and activities. Don't send your newsletter only to the 30 kids who "sign up" for youth group - send it to all youth. One day something may click and a kid will take a chance to get involved.

3. WRITE - to them: personal letters, birthday cards, congratulations when you see them in the paper for sports, awards, etc. You may find an adult or two that take this on as their job throughout the year - ideal for an older parishioner who wants to help but cant make activities!

The point is to not cut anyone out....Jesus didn't, we shouldn't either...

THE WHOLE PARISH. If you've checked out other areas of our site it should be made apparent that there are lots of ways to do this. DON'T let youth ministry become a mini-parish! Use the programs and organizations that are already in place. Let the music director know that THEY are in youth ministry because there are kids in the choir! Talk to the altar server coordinator and see what the youth ministry team can do to support him/her. Partner with the Knights of Columbus for a program. Publish a list of all the jobs that need to be done in youth ministry for the year and get it into the hands of as many parishioners as possible. Challenge them to do their part!

ALL THE MISSIONS OF THE PARISH...are included in the ministry: advocacy, peace and justice, catechesis, community life, evangelization, leadership development, pastoral care, prayer and worship.

For a more complete exploration of comprehensive youth ministry, get your hands on "Renewing the Vision; A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry" available form the United States Catholic Conference, 1-800-235-8722, outside the US at 202-722-8716, on the web at www.usccb.org. The book is $5.00. Your diocesan youth office may have free copies available. The document explains in depth how youth ministry is carried out through the eight missions of the church and is a MUST for anyone in Catholic Youth Ministry.

Check out the section on adult recruitment and calendar planning for additional info.

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