Principles of Good Young Adult Ministry
- Evangelization
- Discipleship
- Integration
Dream big and imagine a church where young adults are essential elements of the community. Imagine a church where there is equal representation from all demographics and generations. Imagine a church that’s young, vibrant, and renewed. Those dreams all have their core in a solid Young Adult Ministry.
From coast to coast, a variety of things have been tried and tested in developing Young Adult Ministry. The most successful ministries have three important elements in common:
- The evangelization of active and inactive young adults
- Creating and nurturing active young adult disciples
- Integrating young adults into the life of the church
Good Young Adult Ministry has all three of these activities happening side-by-side. While it’s a slow process to build up to these goals, it’s very important — when you’re starting out — to keep all three in mind as you plan, invite, and build.
Evangelization
Evangelization literally means the proclamation of good news. The term has come to mean sharing one’s faith with another so that person’s heart is transformed. With only 15% of self-proclaimed Catholic young adults coming to Mass weekly and a growing quarter of the Millennial Generation already disconnected from organized religion, there is certainly much work that needs to be done. It is critical that parishes and dioceses find creative ways to reach out to inactive churchgoers and work toward the ongoing conversion of heart among active young adult Catholics.
Invitations to Connect
Find creative ways to reach out beyond the “typical” young adults who show up each week — and invite them to connect to church.
- Be a visible presence and witness in the secular culture where young adults gather (workplace, online, entertainment venues, campus, etc.), meeting young adults where they are and responding to their needs and concerns.
- Make connections with young adults at their various moments of return (Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, weddings, baptisms, and funerals).
- Develop pathways from youth ministry and/or campus ministry toward an adult experience of faith.
- Re-energize and re-engage young adults who attend Mass regularly, but are not registered or connected to the parish community in other ways.
Discipleship
Evangelization makes us grow bigger, but discipleship makes us grow deeper. Young Adult Ministry calls its leaders to develop disciples for Jesus Christ — following in the tradition set forth in Matthew 28:19: “Go and make disciples of all peoples.” We support, nurture, form, and build community for the young adults who are developing a connection with their Catholic faith.
This aspect of Young Adult Ministry may involve programs and activities, but the main focus should be on the growth of young adults as persons of faith.
Developing Disciples Includes:
- relational ministry
- spiritual and catechetical formation
- prayer and worship experiences
- service and social justice projects
- community-building opportunities
- leadership development and training
- small faith-sharing communities
It’s also good to have a balance of offerings — so that young adults are well-rounded disciples with investment in (or at least an invitation to) all the rich traditions the church has to offer. See Strategies for Parishes for more.
Different Approaches to Young Adult Ministry
Gathered vs. Non-Gathered: Not every young adult ministry event needs to bring young adults together. There are ministry opportunities in social media, other technology, or individually. Consider how your young adult ministry goals can be accomplished with gathered or non-gathered ministry opportunities.
Young Adult Specific vs. Whole Community: As noted in this Essential and in Strategies for Parishes it’s important that young adults are incorporated into the larger Church community. When considering what you’d like to offer be sure to think about what is already offered in your community that might just need a few adjustments to be young adult friendly. Also, determine if it is a topic that is best explored in an age-specific gathering or in the context of the larger community.
Integration
Catholic Young Adult Ministry can’t exist in a bubble. The most successful young adult efforts integrate those in their 20s and 30s into the intergenerational and intercultural reality of the Catholic parish and diocese. We need to advocate for young adults and their role in the larger community. We need to connect them to adult faith formation efforts already in place and to mentors in the parish. We need to inspire young adults to take leadership roles beyond the ministry — so that they are the ones leading the church into the future.
Too often, Young Adult Ministry is isolated either by choice or design from the rest of the activity of a parish — and as the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” If the rest of the church doesn’t see the young adults, the whole outreach effort may be forgotten and cancelled.
When we integrate young adults into the fabric of church life, parishioners will often get excited and hopeful that their parish is young and vibrant again. When we connect young adults to ministries beyond Young Adult Ministry these programs may also be renewed and find new life. When we have young adults in visible liturgical roles, it can show newcomers that this is a community where all generations have value and purpose.
