Franciscan at Home

Who could survive a low-paying, time-consuming, unpredictable, and exhausting job for more than a few years? And if they do survive, who could possibly thrive, especially as a family? We are living proof that it is possible, but it takes an important skill that many of us were not taught: building and protecting boundaries.

The first requirement to continue in ministry for more than a few short years is, of course, knowing ourselves to actually be called by God to this work. When we are called by God, bringing others into a deeper union with Christ and his Church in a substantial and concrete way becomes our overarching purpose. All Christians have this call by reason of their baptism, but not everyone is called to make it his or her professional employment. When considering full-time ministry work, there are important questions about boundaries that require clear answers. Can we do God’s will to the fullest in just the forty hours a week we are hired for? Does having time clearly set apart when we are completely removed from work limit our ability to love and serve unconditionally? If we are not at every event or providing several weeknight activities each week, how will we reach people well?

To learn more or to register for the St. John Bosco Conference, click here or call 740-283-6315.

Several years ago, I was working as a parish Coordinator of Youth Ministry, and one of my responsibilities was teaching a high school religious education class. The class was arranged by the parish DRE and met as part of her programming each Wednesday night. There was no set textbook or program. We had a wide range of topics and materials available, and we were able to move as the class needed. The class was comprised of a diverse range of students with varying backgrounds and levels of catechetical formation. Mid-year, a new family moved to the parish. The parents only spoke Spanish, and they had two sons in high school who had very little formal religious education.

The older of the sons was in eleventh grade. He didn’t speak much. I’ll refer to him as “Frank.” You could tell by what few personal stories he shared that Frank’s life was a hard one. He lived in a bad neighborhood. He adored his parents, who were hard-working, but recognized that they were consumed by the preoccupation of the family business and were also not as devout as they expected their children to be. The boys completed that school year and came back the following fall.

“With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well” (1 Thes 2:8).

For more information about the celebrations for the University's 75th Anniversary, please go to 75.franciscan.edu. Or call (740) 283-3771.

For more information on the 2022 Steubenville Youth Conferences, go online at www.steubenvilleconferences.com or call 1-740-283-6315.

How to change a flat tire. How to turn off the water to an overflowing toilet.

How to manage money, create a budget, and balance a checkbook.

How to perform the Heimlich maneuver or CPR in an emergency.

One of my primary roles in my work for the Church has been to respond to questions from parish priests and lay leaders about how to start a youth group or the right time to hire a youth minister. As I’ve met with these individuals to discuss these questions in greater depth, I’m often struck by the “why” of the questions. What are they wanting to accomplish? Some of them have few, if any, youth involved in their parish so they are looking to hire a staff person or to start a program that will better engage the youth. Some are starting to see youth wanting to get more involved and they are seeking to offer support. Honestly, several times the leaders in the parish simply state that they want an active youth group because the church down the road has one or they have fond memories of their own childhood youth ministry.

Despite a plethora of reasons for starting or improving youth ministry, there are really only two common responses the average parish considers: starting a youth group or hiring a youth minister (or a combination of these two). When discerning the best path forward, it’s important to take time to consider the known options but also to have an openness to whatever it is that God desires. The risk of not doing so can hinder a ministry’s fruitfulness. Also, if decisions are made out of ignorance, pride, or even simply an impatience with the current realities, the ministry itself can be disordered from the start.

Though there isn’t a “one size fits all” option and I don’t claim to know what God’s will might be for any given situation, my hope here is to share with you some of the ways that I’ve seen youth ministry work most effectively. In the following paragraphs, I’ll explain a certain option, some of the benefits of implementing it, and finally some of the limitations and implications of each initiative.

Stay connected to your parish or school. Download myParishApp here for free.

This is a paid advertisement in the July-September 2021 issue. Advertisements should not be viewed as endorsements from the publisher. 

How do you bring someone to faith in Jesus Christ? As Christians, this is a question we should have a ready-made answer for.