Declaring A Truce in the Youth Ministry Wars

(Or… Another Way Catholic Youth Ministers Can Help the Church)

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It’s no secret that there is a crisis in catechesis in this country. Many teens who would otherwise be at church, are unable to attend due to their parents’ apathy. Kids are growing up without knowing the basics of the faith. When asked about who “Moses” was, or to recite the “Our Father”, many return blank stares.

This is at epidemic levels.

This is the state of many young teens when they first attend youth group. The youth leader is saddled then with basic catechesis, basic facts the teens should have learned when they were in elementary school–if not from volunteer CCD staff, then at least from their parents. If the parents do not ensure that children are taught the faith, they have to do it themselves.

Except many of the parents do not know either.

Parish Council and Clergy

Adding to these struggles is a general lack of understanding about teenaged catechesis amongst parish councils and clergy. At that age, it’s simply not enough to disseminate the faith. Teens are very likely to tune out a boring lecture, and gravitate towards those areas that appeal to them: music, movies, video games, etc.

There’s a world that teens inhabit, and it’s social media. If they’re not into facebook, they’re on twitter, they’re on vine, they’re on snapchat, they’re on instagram, and they’re on other platforms that had not been invented at the time of this writing. Explain these terms to a parish council and you are met with blank stares.

In fact, I have heard horror stories from those in parish council meetings, who wonder why a salary is passed to a youth group leader who keeps buying pizza and organizes trips to the amusement park. (Hint: teens need both solid catechesis AND fun time).

And yet, we are called to inhabit this world, and claim cyberspace for the gospel. Pope Benedict said “Using new communication technologies, priests can introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to discover the face of Christ.”

With such resistance, from the clergy, the parish council, the parents, and most importantly the teens themselves, no wonder there is a high turnover rate. I’ve heard that youth ministry has an 18-to-24 month window before the dynamic youth minister is burnt out.

A Win/Win Approach

Can we declare a truce on the youth minister wars?

I think there is a way. I think there is an approach to look at youth ministry, not only as a long term investment in the future of the parish, not only as mission territory (with pizza and trips to amusement parks), but also as something that can benefit pastors, parish council, and parents today.

Since the youth minister is adept at social media, (he or she has to be–that’s where the teens are), then youth ministers can also assist the pastor in doing the same thing for his own congregation.

Because there are great things about social media; first, is that it is non-stop disseminating of stories, visuals, video clips, audio, newsworthy events, incisive commentary, and humorous asides. A good homily alone can do so much, but can be forgotten mid-week. Social media can be used to reemphasize solid catechesis and practical applications to daily life over time. Social media can draw attention to causes that require full participation from the laity, from avenues to raise money for dire causes, to contacting our local politicians about specific, pressing issues.

Second, it can be as honest and personal as the people want them to be. There is an accessibility to social media that is endearing; kids can use their anonymity to ask probing questions that they are not comfortable asking during a lecture.

Thirdly, these very questions can be answered, and answered with authority. The pastor doesn’t have to carry the burden alone; there are thousands of resources available, complete with hyperlinks to Scripture verses, the Catechism, or encyclicals.

It is mandatory that parishes today ought to learn how to grow in mastering social media. It is not enough to put a PDF of the parish bulletin online. It is not enough to have a nice, functional website with mass times. There must be daily content, passed to congregants’ email, to blogs, an audio recording of the homily can be uploaded to a podcast, direct video chats can be uploaded to YouTube, and encouraging, practical steps to teach and admonish the congregation can be taught.

Who best to teach the pastor on these issues? That’s right–the youth minister. He or she is already on top of new forms of social media.

Because each passing year, as a teenager advances to maturity, the church needs to be able to provide fresh insights, perhaps from a daily level. As they advance in their twenties and thirties, individual parishes have a very real need to step up to the times.

A Future Resource

Now, I can envision an already overburdened and overworked youth minister decrying “why are you adding more work to my plate?” And I sympathize. I get that your job, while taking the appearance of being the most juvenile, is, in actuality, extremely strenuous and disconcerting. I hear you.

I am right now in the process of crafting a resource that will train youth ministers how to best use the Internet to advance the Gospel and reach the next generation for Christ. My aim is to provide a blueprint as to how one can expand their reach, so to share new information efficiently, accurately, and–yes–on a daily basis. As stated earlier, youth ministry is often laden with burnout. My goal is to introduce tactics and approaches that youth ministers could apply today, that would resonate for their students.

But I also secretly hope that parents, clergy or parish council members would also read this future resource and be open to how to partner with youth ministers in doing the same.

Because, once we are all on the same page as to how to reach the youth for the Gospel of Christ, these same tactics that will assist teens in learning the faith (in a fun, personable and interactive way), this same approach can be used to inspire, educate, and motivate all other generations in the parish–and beyond–as well.

In the meantime, if you are a youth minister, do you have a pressing concern that needs to be covered in this resource? If you are a parent, parish council, or pastor, are there concerns that you have? Please share them below.