IXpenguin21 Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 what is your ideal youth minister/youth ministry program? please do not debate the legitimacy of lifeteen or what have you i'm just trying to get a confident idea of what i'm pretty sure i already know... basicaly looking for second opinions on youth ministry. please feel free to debate! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Well, in a nutshell, I'd say the ideal youth minister/youth ministry program is one that is completely orthodox and helps young Catholics to truly understand and appreciate their faith, especially the Mass and the Eucharist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary's Knight, La Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 The one thing i'd add to Dave's answer is that they have to learn that the faith is built around a relationship with God. The have to learn that our hopefully their faith is the product and fulfillment of their relationship with Christ. that the faith is informed by the relationship and vice versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Ummmmm... I think it's a really difficult situation. Many youth do not have the emotional or intellectual maturity to appreciate a lot that the Catholic church has to offer and that makes it difficult. I think you have to make the program "entertaining" enough to get them to stay for the deep stuff so that when they are mature enough to really soak it all in the information already there. Also, unfortunately in my part of the country Catholic youth groups are competing with Protestant youth ministries as well. When it comes to the Truth there is a clear cut winner, but protestant youth ministry tends to be more "fun". So if a child doesn't already care about the faith this is easy to sway them... Pray for good parental guidance! That's my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAZEr Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 You know. I preach the cold hard truth about Christ. It's not very fun. We hardly ever play a game. My kids hear me give a talk (about 20-30 minutes) they break into small groups, then come back together for Praise and Worship Music, then a little bit of announcements and then we go downstairs to watch the Simpsons episode that I have carefully selected to go along with the night's theme . . .. And they continue to show up. I told God that I would be faithful to my Holy Hour if he would be faithful to have kids show up to Youth Group. So far we are both keeping up our ends of the bargain. What do you need for successful youth ministry? Prayer, prayer, more prayer, some prayer, time in prayer, then some more prayer, a youth group meeting with prayer, then more prayer, more prayer, more prayer, A weekly holy hour with the teens, then more prayer and prayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immaculata Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 I really admire the Dead Theologians Society. www.dtsroom.com www.deadtheo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immaculata Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 I really admire the Dead Theologians Society. www.dtsroom.com www.deadtheo.com PS-- Mike and Eddie are amesome!! I met them at a conference this summer, and they both rock! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAZEr Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Cool that you mention that, we're starting a DTS here in Brenham. It will alternate with our BLAZE Antioch nights. Cool Huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immaculata Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Cool that you mention that, we're starting a DTS here in Brenham. It will alternate with our BLAZE Antioch nights. Cool Huh? not just cool... amesome! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.SIGGA Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Everything that was already said is great! I like to use something physical (like an everyday object, such as a lightbulb) when I give talks to my retreat kids so maybe something can register in their heads about my talk the next time they see that object. Overall, the kids usually open up once they realize you are sincere and serious about Christ so I think small group talks and prayer groups are really important too. Showing teens that what they are going through is not uniquely happening to them also seems to work well, actually the most in my opinion - I like to use examples from the lives of the Sts. and their struggles and witness; especially St. Therese, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Tarsus, Bl. Miguel Pro, St. Maria Goretti, and St. Joan of Arc. Knowing that God has a special purpose for each individual and that they are each called uniquely by God to be great saints is what makes a great youth ministry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 BLAZEr~ I hope you didn't think I meant that youth ministers need to play down the truth. I just agree with you that things like small groups, praise and worship music, and things like the Simpsons are important as well. I'm glad your program is going so well and as an aspiring youth minister, it's great to hear from your experience! Joyful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAZEr Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Aww shucks, Joyful, I didn't think anything at all. But I did want to make it clear that we can get caught up in what Youth Group looks like or does . . . but that doesn't really matter. Look at the saints, they didn't attract followers because they were "Cool" or "hip" or even "Phat" . . . they attracted followers because they were faithful, because they prayed, because they gave themselves completely to God. That's why I think the #1 rule for Youth Ministry is PRAY. The youth minister has to be holy and striving for greater holiness. The only way you can do that is by authentic prayer. Lots of prayer. Kids can spot a fake in a heartbeat. They need more than flashy projectors and amesome music and moving skits. If your youth group is snazzy, well, you might have a ton of kids, but without a Youth Minister who is striving for holiness they won't progress one bit in the spiritual life. And quite frankly, that's the only thing that should matter. I tell my kids all the time that I would rather have one person show up who wants to give their life to Christ in a life changing way, then have all of Brenham here every Sunday. I'm lucky because I have a priest who measures a program's success by the fidelity of the minister and not by the numbers. But of course, if we are zealous in our work we wont' settle for small numbers either. We will want tons of kids to know Christ as powerfully as we have. That's where your holiness comes in. Kids talk. They tell each other things like "My Youth Minister is a dork, but man he loves Christ." . . . and the word gets spread. And so kids come and want to check you out, see if you're the real deal . . . and you better be, because they can detect BS without even trying. So you have to try to hit em hardcore every single night! That means that every Youth Group meeting has to have the hard message that Christ invites them to follow him and that they can't know him unless they risk their freedom on him being true. This invitation can be made by any Catholic, but its made most convincingly in the lives of the saints. Does this mean that YMinisters have to be saints already? No, but no one starts out a saint. Saints are made by struggles and by prayer. Without prayer, a YMinister might as well pack up his bags. But a YM should also expect struggle. Humility comes from humiliation, success comes after failure, converson comes after being broken down. There is no way to get easy results. The only results come through the Cross. And that was never easy. Which is why Fulltime Youth Ministry is so cool. Yes there are a thousand programs out there. Yes there are Youth Ministry groups attracting hundreds of kids. Yes you might not be able to "do" all the cool things those other Youth Ministers are doing. But you will be successful if you pray. I always pray to the Lord of the Harvest. I tell him that if he brings me the wheat, I will pound the hell out of it. Literally. My kids laugh, because what I propose to them is scary. I told them the first night, and I reiterate it constantly. "I didn't come to play games, and do dramas, and hang out. I came to set you against your brother. To set you against your parents. To set you against your friends. I came to make you a living Contradiction. I came to invite you to follow someone who will cause you to be rejected. I came to invite you to a life where you have to be willing to die to yourself and follow a long bloody path up a hill to a cross. I came to help you start your life on fire. I came to help you be ablaze with love for God. I came to tell you that Jesus said "I came to set a Fire on the Earth, and How I wish It were already a BLAZE." I promise you that this life, if you choose to accept it, will be the sweetest, most happy, most fulfilling thing you will ever do. Your dreams cannot fathom the happiness you will know." The proposal of Christ has to be made, over and over again. And yes, there is all that other stuff too. Eucharistic Adoration, Love for Mary, Apologetics, Sacramentals, Mission Trips, Pilgrimages, Retreats, Youth Conferences, NCYC's, all that stuff that makes us Catholic. That stuff has to be an organic part of your youth group, but the meat, the main things has to be JESUSISNOWHERE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PedroX Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 BlazeR, You may be my hero after reading your posts on youth ministry. As a social worker, my favorite population to work with is troubled teens. I've come to realize that they can handle a lot more than we give them credit for. They don't need us to dumb stuff down. They don't need us to only be silly. Sure, everybody needs some fun in life (like the Simpsons!) but youth can tackle hard issues, and if you treat them with respect, they will strive to reach the bar you set. Keep up the good work, BLAZEr, you will be in my prayers at Compline. peace... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 BLAZEr, That was incredible. I printed it off and I'm saving it for a college night (I'm a peer minister at our college center). Thank you so much. May God bless you! Joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeraMaria Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Wow Blaze.....U ROCK!!!!! Wish i could be part of ur youth ministry. sounds amesome. really really does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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