What is Catholic Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry … it takes an entire Church
The Catholic bishops of the United States defined Catholic youth ministry in the 1997 document Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry (RTV).
This document, printed in both English and Spanish, provides a structure for the ministry as well as a language, theology, and pastoral approach for responding to the personal and spiritual needs of today’s adolescents. 
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 of Emmaus, so the church must become the traveling companion of young people…” (Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day 1995, Philippines)
The church must become the traveling companion of young people—and that is what we mean by youth ministry. If, indeed, “it takes an entire village to raise a child,” then it certainly takes an entire church to journey with young people as they grapple with the Good News and respond in discipleship.
The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, in their 1997 document, Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry, identified three goals and eight components which provide direction for this ministry. Youth ministry, at its best, is characterized by the following five hallmarks:
- Discipleship
- Connection
- Giftedness and growth
- Comprehensiveness
- Entire church (parish) involvement
The Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office of the Diocese of Knoxville has identified three goals of an effective ministry to young people. These goals follow guidelines established by the Renewing the Vision document of the NCCB.
Goal 1
Youth Ministry … it’s about discipleship
The first goal of youth ministry is “to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.” (RTV 9). Young people are “searching for a noble adventure”, a compelling and challenging vision of life, and a cause worth their commitment. They hunger to hear the Good News that finds response in discipleship. As their companions on this spiritual journey, some of the ways the Church fulfills this first goal of youth ministry is by …
- Proclaiming the Good News of Jesus through witness and word to young people.
- Enabling young people to live as disciples through their involvement in service, ministry, and leadership opportunities.
- Providing young people the faith skills for discipleship.
Goal 2
Youth Ministry … it’s about connection
The second goal is “to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.” (RTV 11). Young people have a hunger for connection, to be in relationship, and to belong. Family, peers, school, youth serving organizations, and church are primary connections for young people. Some of the ways the church fulfills this second goal of youth ministry is by …
- Being a ‘youth friendly’ community that welcomes young people, values their participation, and calls forth their gifts.
- Integrating young people into the liturgical, pastoral, and ministerial life of the parish community.
- Creating opportunities for young people to enter into healthy relationships of trust and respect with their peers and with adults.
- Promoting Catholic identity and religious literacy through programs of adolescent catechesis.
Goal 3
Youth Ministry … it’s about gifts and growth
The third goal of youth ministry is “to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.” (RTV 15). Adolescence is an important time for mental, spiritual, social, and physical growth. Their experiences and relationships greatly influence their healthy and positive development. The Church strives to surround young people with the best possible external scaffolds—networks of caring relationships of family, school, peers, and other adults—while young people are developing their internal psychological and spiritual backbone—their values, life skills, commitments, and moral compass. The church fulfills this third goal of youth ministry by…
- Enabling young people to develop a personal relationship with Jesus.
- Actively supporting positive youth development and fostering healthy values and life skills.
- Supporting families of young people by providing resources, programs, and services.
- Providing opportunities to experience and express caring, service, and compassion for others.
Youth Ministry … happens comprehensively
Youth ministry is more than programs and events. It is “the response of the Christian community to the needs of young people, and the sharing of the unique gifts of youth with the larger community.” (A Vision of Youth Ministry, p. 6, quoted in RTV 1). To be most effective, this is a ministry to, with, by, and for young people that involves their families, their parish community, and the larger community. At the heart of ministry with young people is the presence of caring, supportive relationships where youth experience the Good News in the flesh.
A comprehensive approach to youth ministry utilizes the eight components identified in Renewing the Vision as a framework: advocacy, catechesis, community life, evangelization, justice and service, leadership development, pastoral care, and prayer and worship. These components guide our efforts in proclaiming the Good News, connecting young people with the faith community, and calling our young people to the challenge of discipleship.
Components of Youth Ministry
Ministry of Prayer and Worship
- Promotes authentic participation in the liturgy in ways appropriate to the rites.
- Provides opportunities for young people to be trained as liturgical ministers, schedule periodic youth event liturgies.
- Attends to the diversity of cultures and ages in the assembly.
Ministry of Catechesis
- Recognizes that faith development is life-long and provides appropriate content and processes around key themes.
- Teaches the core content of the Catholic faith in order to provide a solid foundation for growth.
- Utilizes the life experience of adolescents, fostering a shared dialogue between the life of the adolescent, with its joys, struggles, questions, concerns and hopes, and the wisdom of the Catholic Faith.
- Provides for real-life application of learning by helping adolescents apply their learning by living more faithfully.
Ministry of Community Life
- Creates an environment that nurtures meaningful relationships among young people and between adolescents and adults.
- Develops friendship-making and friendship-maintaining skills.
- Provides avenues for young people to participate as members of the faith community and opportunities for the faith community to acknowledge, celebrate, and value its teens.
Ministry of Pastoral Care
- Develops the life skills of adolescents, such as relationship building, assertiveness, nonviolent conflict resolution, decision making, and planning.
- Guides young people in making important life decisions, such as career and college choices, and discerning their particular vocation.
- Fosters the spiritual development of young people and the healthy interaction of their sexuality and spirituality.
Ministry of Justice and Service
- Engages young people in discovering the call to justice and service in the Scriptures, in the life of Jesus, and in Catholic social teaching.
- Develop assets, skills, and faith of young people by promoting gospel values in their lifestyle choices; by increasing their discovery of their gifts and talents and helping them realize that they can make a difference in the world.
- Incorporates doing the right thing with attention as to why and how we do what we do.
Ministry of Evangelization
- Proclaims Jesus Christ and the Good News so that young people will come to see Jesus and His message.
- Witnesses to our faith in Jesus Christ in all aspects of our lives.
- Invites young people personally into the life and mission of the Catholic community.
- Challenges young people to follow Jesus in a life of discipleship.
- Calls young people to be evangelizers of other young people, their families, and their community.
Ministry of Advocacy
- Affirming and protecting the sanctity of human life as a gift from God and building societal respect for those who most need protection and support.
- Standing with and speaking on behalf of young people and their families on public issues that affect their families.
- Empowering young people and giving them a voice and calling them to responsibility.
- Developing partnerships and initiatives for building a healthy community.
Ministry of Leadership Development
- Utilizes adult and adolescent leaders in a variety of leadership roles necessary for comprehensive ministry; program leaders planning teams, coordinating teams, etc.
- Develops a leadership system that invites, trains, supports and nourishes adult and adolescent leaders.
- Empowers young people for leadership and ministry with peers.
- Develops and nurtures adult leaders with relational and ministry skills to their roles with adolescents.
Youth Ministry … it takes an entire Church
“This is what is needed: a Church for young people, which will know how to speak to their heart and enkindle, comfort, and inspire enthusiasm in it with the joy of the Gospel and the strength of the Eucharist; a Church which will know how to invite and welcome the person who seeks a purpose for which to commit his whole existence; a Church which is not afraid to require much, after having given much; which does not fear asking from young people the effort of a noble and authentic adventure, such as that of the following of the Gospel.”
(Pope John Paul II. 1995 World Day of Prayer for Vocations)
For More information how to establish a comprehensive Youth Ministry in your parish please contact :
Al Forsythe, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry
865-584-3307 ext. 5754 aforsythe@dioknox.org
Donna Jones, Coordinator for Chattanooga Deanery
Deacon Dan Hosford, Coordinator for the Smoky Mountain and Cumberland Deaneries
Deacon Jim Fage, Coordinator of Five Rivers Deanery
Karen Byrne, Administrative Assistant
