Transcript The Students are Confirmed! (So where did they all go?)

Youth Ministry
101
Kevin Bohli
Director, Office of Youth Ministry
“Youth Catechesis is most effective
within a total youth ministry”
–National Catechetical Directory, 1976
A Brief History…
• 1840’s mostly private schools, just for the rich.
Education happened at home.
• 1850’s first laws requiring all students attend
elementary school
• 1925 Supreme Court ruled that students could
attend private schools…flourishing.
• Religious Education, and community
• Post WWII, Protestantism in US no longer
mainstream, Catholics begin going to public
schools
• 1950’s CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine)
• 1950’s CYO (Catholic Youth Organization)
Recent history…
• CCD/CYO was not working
– Cannot separate the two
– Families not passing on the faith at home
• 1970 USCCB, A Vision of Youth Ministry
• 1997 USCCB, Renewing the Vision
“What is needed today is a Church
which knows how to respond to the
expectations of young people. Jesus
wants to enter into dialogue with them
and, through His body, which is the
Church, to propose the possibility of a
choice which will require a commitment
of their lives. As Jesus with the
disciples on the road to Emmaus, so
the Church must become the traveling
companion of young people.”
-PJP II, Youth: Sent to Proclaim True Liberation, WYD 1995, Philippines
Video
Relational Ministry
Jesus was the first relational minister…
• Meets them
• Walks with them
• Asks questions and provides
answers
• Points them to God
“Modern man listens more willingly
to witnesses than to teachers and if
he does listen to teachers it is
because they are witnesses.”
-Pope Paul VI, 1975
Evangelization in the Modern World
Three Goals for Youth Ministry
• Goal I: 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.
Eight Components for a
Comprehensive Youth Ministry
1. The Ministry of Advocacy
• Advocate for young people in the
parish.
• Parish council positions
• Get all other adults and groups
working with young people
• Prayer team for teens
2. The Ministry of Catechesis
• “All animals are equal, but some
animals are more equal than others.”
– Napoleon, Animal Farm
• Secondary Religion Guidelines
• Different Methodology
– Teaching youth through talks, skits,
games, multimedia, internet, programs
3. The Ministry of Community Life
• Spending time with your youth
“where they are”
• Small group sharing
• Retreats
4. The Ministry of Evangelization
• “The first means of evangelization is the
witness of an authentically Christian Life”
-Pope Paul VI, 1975, Evangelization in the Modern World
• Young Life example
• Looking beyond the 30 kids in “youth
group”
5. The Ministry of Justice and Service
• Direct service projects
–WorkCamp, soup kitchens, etc…
• Teaching Social Justice
–Encouraging social change
6. The Ministry of Leadership Development
• Leadership training
• Using youth as leaders in the
youth program
• Modeling as a Catholic Leader in
the Parish
7. The Ministry of Pastoral Care
• creating a network of support and
prayer within your parish
• listening to youth
• assisting youth in finding professional
help
8. The Ministry of Prayer and Worship
• Teaching youth to pray always and all
ways
• Youth involvement at Mass
– Helping to make worship beautiful
• Experience with all forms of Catholic
prayers and devotions
Sample Program
A youth ministry program would consist of
weekly gatherings that would fall into one of
the following categories:
• Educational
• Issue
• Social
• Service
• Prayer
Sample Program
Each gathering would follow this rough outline:
• Gather (Catch their attention)
• Proclaim (Catechize)
• Discuss/Break it down (allow them
to digest/discuss/articulate)
• Send (challenge them to take this
with them and live it!)
Bridge between Religious Education
and Youth Ministry
•Be relational in your classroom
•Gather/Proclaim/Discuss/Send
•Work with Junior High Youth Ministry
-BASH
Resources:
www.ArlingtonCatholicYouth.org
-Calendar of Diocesan Activities
-Links to other resources
-Resource Manual
Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth
Ministry (NCCB) 1-800-235-8722
Diocese of Arlington Secondary Religion Guidelines
-Pages of ideas for youth ministry
-High School curriculum
[email protected]