About Ministry Effectiveness Toolkit
Who Are Young People?
Effective pastoral ministry with young people can lead to vibrant faith communities, but it first requires us to rethink what we mean by “young people.” Our definition of young people extends from the time of reception of First Eucharist into young adulthood. If young people are old enough to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, there should be ways we can engage them in the life, mission, and ministry of the parish. If young adults are to be encouraged to stay active in their parishes, they, too, should be welcomed and encouraged to share their gifts.
Use the links to the side to see samples of the toolkit. The full document is available for you to print and share with your team. Click here for the poster. You can also browse every indicator by clicking the categories to the left.
Now, let us get work together to help young people fall in love with – and follow – Jesus Christ.
How To Use The Toolkit
Check out the tutorial video above. Then follow these easy steps to make a big difference in the life of your parish.
- Read through the entire list of indicators (or spend some time in front of the poster). Then pick three to four items per category per year. Discuss only the pages for those items.
- Then, for each indicator, think about how your faith community may already be meeting this benchmark. Please note: it would be easy to simply go through the entire list and indicate that you are presently doing this or that and therefore, are effective. (If that is the case, congratulations, your parish should be thriving, financially sound, and overflowing on Sundays.) In any case, it will be helpful to look for ways to improve upon what you may consider great ministry (e.g., better communication, more outreach to families, a broader perspective with regard to the age of those you seek to serve, etc.)
- For those items you choose for the current year, list some ways to accomplishing this indicator. Think “big picture.” Think outside the box. Involve young people in your conversation. Keep your goals measurable and realistic. The suggestions we listed are only suggestions. Feel free to come up with your own ideas.
- Plan a strategy for how you will accomplish your goals. Assign tasks. Set up a date and time to get together to evaluate your progress. Ongoing evaluation is key.
- Meet at least once per year with your parish leaders to review your progress and to repeat the steps above for the following year.
Bibliography
Bring It Home Newsletter
Published each Thursday, Bring It Home focuses on the role of parents as the “first teachers in the ways of faith” by connecting the readings we hear in Mass with day-to-day family life. Each newsletter will feature an easy-to-follow tip to enrich the family’s home life and heed the week’s Scriptures.
You can sign up to receive Bring It Home by clicking here. You can also receive the newsletter via text message. Send “@bringhome” (without quotes) to 302-778-9746.
To request postcards you can distribute to your parents, please click here. Postcards include an explanation and instructions for signing up. To download your own and print it at your parish or school, click here.