Here are some things to think about as you reflect on the "How to Guide for Building a Comprehensive Youth Ministry Program":
1.
One of the things people focused on a lot from the first session was
the need to "duplicate ourselves". This is precisely the first step (p.
4) of planning youth ministry. To what extent do you have a team in
place in your parish/cluster? Are there others who take ownership of the
ministry, or is it basically just you?
2. What are some of the main obstacles with forming a team of empowered adults to share the burden of ministry?
3. If the Ten Steps are so easy, why do you think that most parishes/clusters are not using them?
1. I am just now in the process of recruiting people to start a team. I have a handful of people that I've asked who are now interested in being a part of the team (when I first started, I had only 2). I am also working on trying to get more young people to join the team as well!! As of right now, all the ministry ownership is on my shoulders, hopefully soon, that will not be the case (as much).
ReplyDelete2. Main obstacles I have found so far is just getting people interested and willing to commit. However, I've just started, so I may have to get back to you on that one ;)
3. I am not sure I would say these Ten Steps are "so easy". I think once the Ten Steps are in motion, perhaps they make the lives of all those in the ministry that much better, but it's getting them started that is the messy and difficult part. Perhaps that's why most parishes/clusters are not using them...it's the terrifying feeling of being at the bottom of the mountain and looking up like "you want me to climb that?!" I am hopeful once we get to the top, the view will be as amazing as I have pictured :)
1. Yeah, I do not have a Team nor have I done any efforts to make a team. We just started Youth Ministry up this fall with a Youth Group meeting twice a month on Sunday nights and it's basically me, my fiance, and sometimes Father. Getting a team together is something I really need to do and yet I want to have a better understanding of how it'll work before I start that. Although I'm sure I should start recruiting or at least putting a bug in people's ear. . .
ReplyDelete2. I think that main obstacle, at least for me right now is figuring out how we can effectively have a team. A team meets and discusses and that takes time--reason why so many are hesitant to commit to something. Therefore, it's an obstacle to me to figure out how I can make it an effective use of time. I know for me it's frustrating to take time out of the day for something that could've been completed a lot more efficiently so I feel like I really need to have an organizational grasp before I have people commit.
3. I think that most people are not using them because of the lack of help. Again, everyone is our parishes is so busy with work, and all the other extracurriculars that as I mentioned before, things need to be efficiently planned so that the ten steps can be implemented. As Kayleigh, once something as the ten steps are in place it appears things would easily flow from one year to the next. That's why step 8 and 9 are so important to continually have an organized structure that people are able to enter and leave the ministry on a per say schedule so that individuals do not get burned out from the ministry.
Being from out of state I actually spent the first year investing in building relationships within the community and forming a student leadership team. Since then I have formed a Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). We meet under the auspices of the FFC. The goal of the group is to work thru the first several steps of the 10 step plan this year.
ReplyDeleteI have been fortunate that a number of adults, including a few young adults, have responded to the needs as the program is growing so that there is a Peer ministry Team director and a newly formed Peer In Training team director other than me, though I work closely with both and their student groups.
In the mean time we have been working on creating a list of adults to help with YM. This is being done by both the FFC and YAC groups. These people will be contacted and personally invited to explore roles in YM. One other thing I did was contact some active parents of slightly younger children, 5th grade, and let them know we are trying to grow YM and to be on the watch for how we can together serve their kids in the next few years. BTW, creating this list will be a CAFFE task shortly.
You both make valid points about these steps being a struggle. I want to avoid meetings as well. Anyone do anything thru technology to provide info/training for adults? Maybe we can brainstorm some ways to do this so people can be updated when they have time.
Great stuff, Patrick. I think you're right that getting more help is actually more work (at least initially), especially if we cannot totally re-vision our positions.
ReplyDeleteI think the feeling of needing to duplicate ourselves becomes more and more prominent as more responsibilities are put into our job descriptions. I know that personally this has always been one of my greatest struggles. In our parish we have tried many times to put teams into place to help with our programs, but so far have not been very successful. One bonus I do have this year is someone from the parish we our clustered with who does a great job of collaborating and sharing ideas and resources with me. I have been fortunate enough to find two families willing to help offer meals/food for our youth gatherings, but as far as the rest of our programming needs they basically all come down to me.
ReplyDeleteWe have run into two main obstacles when trying to empower parishioners and form teams of adults to help with our programing. The first obstacle is the ages of our parishioners. Many of them are older (and already did this when their own children were younger) or they are younger and either have "other responsibilities" or have small children and very little availability to help. The other obstacle I have ran in to is that the parishioners feel that this is the work that they pay me to do, so they do not see a reason I am asking for help. Last spring I held a meeting for parents to explain how more effective our programs would with their involvement, this however did not help.
The Ten Steps is a wonderful and possibly easily implemented plan if you can find the right people to help it be a success. We need to begin by re-instilling in our parents that Faith is an important aspect in their lives, not something to be taken for granted. To often I am seeing parents who feel that as long as they are attending Mass occasionally and making sure their children are attending the "required amount" of RE classes they are doing enough. Before we can begin to empower them to be leaders in our programs we need to educate them on the importance of the programing and educating our children in the faith of the Church.
Brenda, you point out three true obstacles in forming a youth ministry team. First is who is available, then are they willing (or do they think it is the CYM "job") and lastly, are they formed in their faith.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there is a way to use other ministries in place and insert some youth involvement. This will require CYM working with the adults from those groups to help them work properly with youth. But that would be a way to expand YM without adding to the YM programming directly.
I know when I trained with Cultivation Ministries as a volunteer in the early 90's the adult team met for over a year before they began to work with youth. This was to develop our faith and understanding of youth. Is that possible in our parishes where people expect results and programs now? I don't know. I do know it created a core group of dedicated adults who helped for many years.
I think we should turn to the FFC and pastoral councils and educate them regarding CAFFE and have them help recruit youth workers and then we provide training and opportunites to serve.
Patrick, can you tell me more about Cultivation Miniatries? I haven't heard of this ministry but I am interested in hearing about how it works.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, you pretty much hit the nail on the head when talking about the obstacles in forming a youth ministry team. As we continue to grasp an understanding of the paradigm shift that is present in today's culture we have to understand where our individual parishioners are at in their understanding of youth ministry and move forward. This in turn will determine if the Ten Steps can be of value for us to use.
To duplicate myself has been the hardest struggle this first year of my job. Not only am I trying to learn from the other staff members the best way to do my job, I am also trying to learn what works best for me. I was lucky that I came into a parish that had dedicated staff and volunteers. However, I feel the struggle is keeping everything consistent with what we want our parish to complete. We all know that it is a struggle in itself to find people to volunteer but it is a bigger struggle to “train” them in a specific practice. I have a few adults that I could call together and have them form a team for certain aspects of my ministry. I already have two other adults working with me for confirmation and about 3-4 who collaborate with young adults in setting up programs for the high school and middle school students. These are all very important people in my ministry but I would like to have more to be able to create a larger ministry. I take ownership for the ministry with the help of the DRE and PLC. We work as a team to meet the needs of the students in our parish. But outside of us there are only a couple adults I would have the faith to put large ownership of the ministry in. I would like to learn strategies for creating a solid group of volunteers to help with activities and faith formation.
ReplyDeleteThe major obstacle is that most people have children and are also working. There extra time is spent helping their children run from activity to activity and rightfully so, spending time with their families. I hear the “I would love to but I don’t have time” a lot. My feeling is that many other people are hearing this also. Also, keeping those adults around for more then a year or two (or after their children leave the program) is the other obstacle.
We feel stretched for time and for resources. To take the time to follow all ten steps to start creating a solid team seems like a full time job on top of our already important activates. Is it best to take them slowly starting off with a small group and slowly training them or to dive in with a large group and do it all at once? We need to first have parents and parish members start to see that they are important teachers in the children of the parish. They help with the faith formation process and I believe that if this is shown to them they may be more willing to come and be a member of a team.
Yes, Margaret. . .the "I would love to but I don't have time" is difficult. Schedules are sooo busy with everything else. Mass and RE an hour of the week are only 2 of 168 hours (1.1%) in a week and that's difficult to get people to commit to yet alone for a committee! That's why as someone mentioned, we first need to have our ducks in a row so that when we have committee meetings they are effective and 'efficient'.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I was at a meeting and the leader was having a tough time keeping the group on task (it's a tough decision of how much to allow conversation and fellowship when it's so important to making relationships). Yet, I think with time so precious, people appreciate leaders that keep things moving and focused. In regards to developing a team and having in-services, etc. I hope to remember to respect people's time and want them to leave feeling "it's good we met" . . .I have much to learn in this area!