Planning Goals and Objectives

No program will grow without goals and objectives. Youth ministry is not a business, but still requires looking AND planning ahead. The terms goals and objectives are used interchangeably sometimes depending on who's doing the talking. For our purpose here an objective will be defined as a desired outcome and a goal will be defined as a measurable step towards the objective. Confused? Here is an example:

My objective is to get in shape. My goals are to walk 2 miles, 4 times a week, to not eat after 8pm and to cut fat intake to 50 grams a day or less.

The OBJECTIVE is the desired outcome - and is not always quantifiable. In youth ministry, an objective may be to foster interaction between the youth and other parish organizations. To meet that objective, your goals may be to host one activity every 4 months with another parish group and to help one other group each year with their fund raiser or other project. Notice that your GOALS are defined and measurable. How do you know when you've achieved your goal? - When you have actually done the activities with the other groups. When can you say that the youth and other organizations have a great relationship fostered? That's a little harder! You must use goals that make sense - that through them the objective will most likely be met.

Another example. Your objective is to reach youth who belong to the parish but are not active members of the church (i.e., irregular mass goers, no youth activities or other involvement). Your goals are to have a team visit 3 youth each month, and to send these youth event fliers, newsletters, etc. Notice that the objective is not to have them all become regulars at youth group - it's probably not realistic. IT IS realistic (and advisable) that you reach out to them!!!

SOME objectives may be clearly measurable. Your objective is to raise funds for your youth ministry budget - let's say $1000. Your goals are to have a car wash ($300), 2 pancake breakfasts ($500), and a Super bowl Sub Sale ($200).

The main thing is to have objectives for how the ministry is to develop, THEN create goals to meet those objectives. You can form objectives in each area of youth ministry - community, peace and justice, service, etc., or simply in the three general categories of social, service and spiritual.

Objectives should be evaluated and redeveloped each year. A great way to get ideas for objectives is to survey the youth and parents. Find out what they want in a program! The three main objectives in youth ministry are already figured out - see the page on The Goals (see how the terms are mixed) of Youth Ministry.

Copyright © The Catholic Youth Foundation 1998-2006 All Rights Reserved. Permission to copy granted with credit to CYF. May not be included in any collection for sale in print or electronic media. PO Box 229, Elizabethtown, PA 17022