Parish Young Adult Responsiveness:

Evangelization and Outreach

“Go After the Lost Sheep”

Opening Prayer“Go After the Lost Sheep”

Art Print by Alfred Soord

What is Young Adult Ministry?

Who are young adults?What are they seeking?What are our goals for Young Adult Ministry?

Young Adults are...

18 - 35 years oldmarried with or without childrensinglein collegesingle againprofessionaland more

The Young Adult Seeks to:

Develop a meaning of workDevelop relationshipsDevelop a spiritual life

Develop a personal identity

How can young adults become…

Connected to JESUS CHRISTConnected with the CHURCHConnected with the MISSION OF CHURCHConnected with their PEER COMMUNITY

From “Sons and Daughters of the Light” pages 25-38

As a Community Dedicated to Ongoing Conversion of our Parishioners, we uphold the values that Young Adults are:

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DESERVING OF INTEGRATIONUNIVERSALLY WELCOME

UNIQUE

ADULTS IN PROCESS OF FAITH FORMATION

LOOKING FOR COMPREHENSIVE MINISTRY

Young adults are a gift to the Church which parishes cannot afford to ignore. Parishes which reach out to young adults and meet their needs are blessed with the service and leadership with which young adults reciprocate. Sons and Daughters pgs. v, 4

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Young adults deserve to be integrated fully into the life of the parish as participants and leaders. (Pg. 2)

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Parishes need to be young adult responsive in all their ministries. Every parish ministry—liturgy (pg. 35) and sacraments (pg. 28), religious education (pg. 29), RCIA (pg. 29), marriage preparation (pg. 30-31), justice and service (pg. 36-

37), pastoral care (pg. 35) —needs to welcome young adults and address their spiritual hungers.

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Young adults have unique developmental and social needs that require designing specific programs and strategies to meet these needs. (Pg 38)

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Young adults are adults. Most ministry with young adults will be done by young adults themselves, in a peer-to-peer manner. (Pgs 37-38) Young adults need the training and support which empower them for effective ministry. (Pg. 41) VALUVALU

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Parishes need to empower a core team of leaders (Pgs. 37-38, 41) to develop a comprehensive ministry with young adults through community life, evangelization, catechesis, liturgy and sacraments, spirituality, justice and service, and leadership development.

Core Values Adapted from Young Adult Works © 2001 Center for Ministry Development

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Young Adult Ministry:Moving Beyond Clubs to Integration

Many parishes struggle with the challenge of building a young adult “programs”.

They struggle to get young adults to gather for socials or service or prayer and are frustrated by the results.

Young Adult Ministry:Moving Beyond Clubs to IntegrationThe goal of young adult ministry is not to form clubs or groups that gather. Such a group might be a result of developing young adult ministry programs around specific needs (young mother’s group, men’s bible study, hispanic young adult minsitry), but is notnot the end goal.

The real target of young adult ministry is to integrate young adults into the life, mission, and work of the Catholic Church. To accomplish this, parishes must intentionally invite, welcome, and include young adults to a wide variety of opportunities within the parish.

In what areas of the parish would you like to better

minister to young adults?

BrainstormDoes our parish aid in extending hospitality and make efforts to welcome young adults? You may want to take the parish young adult self assessment to see. . .

Assess the Situation at your Parish

“Where are we successful?”“Where can we improve?”Are their any practical ideas we could move forward with as first steps?