Is Professional Youth Ministry dying?

While at the Eucharistic Congress in July, I made my way around the exhibit hall and caught up with many friends and colleagues at their respective booths. I stopped at a large exhibit that is run by a Catholic college with a robust youth ministry degree program. Speaking with the director of the program I can confidently say that they prepare their graduates to succeed in youth ministry as well as anyone. When I caught up with the director, she shared with me that they are hearing from their alumni, and they are burning out and quitting youth ministry after less than a year in the field.

This was a common thread that I heard all summer long. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.

I have spoken with many pastors who have said that they have struggled to fill youth ministry positions. Even more pastors have told me that they struggle to keep them employed long enough to build a sustainable ministry. Once more, I know several pastors that justify having non-existent or failing youth ministry efforts in their parishes because they cannot afford to pay someone to run it.

Let me preface by saying that I don’t want to see professional youth ministry die. I know many talented youth ministers who have invested time and money in education, certifications, and training. Ministry for young people is vital for both the short term and long term growth of the Church. Youth ministers work hard and are on the front lines, working in one of the most difficult mission fields in the Church today. I am an advocate for quality youth ministry, and I wish that we had a greater investment in both our youth and our talented ministry leaders in the Church.

That being said… I’m reading the landscape. I think professional youth ministry is dying, and that means that our strategy in this mission field has to evolve.

Why is professional youth ministry dying?

There are many contributing factors. Burn out of youth ministry leaders is real. Expectations and job descriptions are frequently unrealistic. But the most practical reason is because cost of living has skyrocketed and salaries have not. Quite simply, it is nearly impossible to build a life around the salary and expectations for youth ministers. Salaries are not going to increase. All data and projections show that parish collections are decreasing and congregations are shrinking (most notably because we have failed to minister to our young people for several generations). Youth ministry as a career path has become unrealistic and the funding isn’t coming anytime soon to make the career path more viable.

Should “Family Ministry” replace youth ministry?

Yes and no. I have heard many people say to me that youth ministers wouldn’t have a job if we were building stronger Catholic families. I’ve been told by several people that the only reason I have a job in youth ministry is because parents aren’t living up to their vocations. I don’t entirely agree with this sentiment. It is true that parents are the primary (meaning first) catechists of their children and they have more influence on their child’s faith development than anyone else. While I support and believe in family ministry, too often I see parishes attempt to develop a family initiative and what they mean by “family” is “nuclear family.” The problem with ministering exclusively to the nuclear family is that the majority of teens no longer live within nuclear families. This is a sad testament, but it is true nonetheless. Youth culture is mission territory, and we cannot abandon youth that live in less than ideal situations. How do we minister to youth through their parents if their parents are not engaged in the faith or if the family is broken? In many cases, the best way to get parents engaged in ministry for themselves is through their children. So while I believe family ministry is important, it should not replace youth ministry. A both/and approach is needed.

How can youth ministry evolve and adapt to the current landscape?

If you look at ministries that get results with young people - ministries like FOCUS, Lifeteen, Damascus, NET Ministries, Young Life, (this list is not exhaustive) - their ministry methods all have a strong focus on relationships and accompaniment. Relationships require people who are willing to invest time and build a friendship. The best formation is the living witness that a young person sees demonstrated through a relationship with a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

Andrew Ministries builds successful youth ministries - frequently in parishes who have no paid staff - because we believe that faithful disciples exist in the pews. The missionaries to youth culture already exist in the parish. We teach parishes to identify these adults, call them forward, train them to minister in small groups, and then we give the parish a strategy to put young people in relationship with these living disciples. It is a simple strategy, capable of being executed by any parish regardless of their resources, and it works.

If you are reading this article and your parish has a struggling or non-existent youth ministry, don’t sit on your hands and wait for the perfect storm of funding and staffing to happen. It isn’t going to happen.

Read our jumpstart guide and set-up a free consultation if you are interested in hearing more about how to start a discipleship focused youth ministry in your parish.