The Process
There are a number of different ways you can take stock of where you are and figure out where you want to be. We will lead you through one now called SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). It’s a good idea to gather a group of young adults, and work through this process together. You may want to include members of the parish staff or parish council in this process to broaden the view. If your parish has a handbook, calendar, or listing of ministries, have those as well as a month’s worth of bulletins on hand. These can serve as a reminder during the process of all the activities already going on in the parish that young adults might be able to connect with.
TIP: A common pitfall of this process is a tendency to get stuck on weaknesses and threats. If your group starts to get caught up here, help turn around their concerns by identifying what would be the opposite or favorable response to the weakness or threat.
Consider the Strengths of Your Community
These are internal factors that could be helpful to your efforts. What is it that you do well? Think about opportunities or attempts to minister specifically to young adults, as well as the parish community as a whole. Do you have someone on your parish staff with young adult or campus ministry experience? Do you have a great facility or a very welcoming community? Excellent preaching or great music?
In What Areas Is Your Parish Community Weak?
These are the internal factors that could be harmful. What’s missing that is important for young adults? Identify programs and ministries that your parish may do well, but not necessarily for young adults. For example, your parish might have a very prayerful experience of Stations of the Cross during Lent, but it begins at 5 p.m. on Friday when many young adults are just leaving work.
What Opportunities Already Exist for Young Adult Ministry?
These are external factors that could be helpful. Who are your potential partners? Opportunities could be events or programs that you can link into, such as working with neighboring parishes. Potential partners to consider: diocesan offices, nearby parishes, other denominations, campus ministries, young adult serving agencies, college alumni networks. What needs are going unmet in your area that you might be able to address?
What Are the Threats To Young Adult Ministry?
These are external factors that could be harmful. Is there competition for the time and attention of your young adults? Is your parish slated to close? Realistically, the challenges of young adulthood can all be considered threats to young adult ministry as well. What cultural shifts might impact your efforts?
If you are working with a team you may want to give them some time individually to fill out a grid and then record responses on a sheet of newsprint for each category (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). Hang onto the results so you can use the information when you get to “Making A Plan.”
If you are able you might try repeating the SWOT process with a few different groups. Parish Staff, Parish Council, your young adult team, or the parish committee heads. Not only will you glean more information, the process helps raise the awareness of those who may not have given much thought to the needs of young adults or opportunities to reach out to them. Another way to complete this process would be to gather input ahead of time (paper or online surveys) and then meet to analyze the results.
