Youth ministry
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Youth ministry,also commonly referred to asyouth group,is an age-specificreligious ministryoffaithgroups or otherreligious organizations,usually from ages 12 to 30, whose mission is to involve and engage withyoung peoplewho attend theirplaces of worship,or who live in theircommunity.Christian youth ministryusually encompasses one or more of the following:
- encouraging young people (whether they have professed a faith or not) to learn more about a given faith and to become more involved inspiritual life
- providing openyouth clubsor other activities for thecommon goodof the young people, sometimes without an overtlyreligiousagenda
Youth ministry often consists of students in sixth grade though twelfth grade and adult leaders. Every youth ministry is structured differently and the culture will vary among youth ministries depending on how the ministry cultivates culture. Some youth ministries are also student led where students take on the responsibility of planning services.
Christianity
[edit]Protestantism
[edit]In Protestant churches, the term "ministry" often implies the service of anordainedministerorpastor.In youth ministry, however, this is not always the case — a youth ministry leader may be an ordained member of theclergy,an employedlay person,or avolunteer.Titles applied to youth ministry leaders vary widely as well, even within denominations, using terms such as "Youth Minister", "Youth Pastor", or simply "Youth Worker".
Catholicism
[edit]Catholicyouthwork covers a worldwide range of activities carried out with young people, usually in the name of the Catholic Church and with the intention of imparting the Catholicfaithto them and inviting them to practice and live out the faith in their lives. Activities in the field range from small scale youth groups attached to parishes orCatholic schools,to large international gatherings, such asWorld Youth Day.It is a field which has evolved much over recent decades, especially in comparison to more formal methods of education or catechesis within the church. Nearly all dioceses and a great deal of parishes have some form of youth provision running, although a great deal of areas particularly in the developed world are finding youth work both more difficult and rare as the numbers of young people regularly practicing the Catholic faith continue to decline. In contrast, though, the new and exciting developments of recent decades and particularly the influence of the new movements within the church are ensuring that youth work continues to be an active and fruitful field.
Catholic young people
[edit]Unlike the case in some Protestant churches, a youth minister in theRoman Catholic Churchis not a member of the clergy. Ministry, including youth ministry, is considered one of the functions within the Church because most believe that people should start learning about God at a young age so they have more time to grow spiritually through adulthood. Therefore, it is more likely for a Catholic youth minister or youth ministry leader to be a lay person, rather than an ordained priest.
Unitarian Universalism
[edit]There are organizations within theUnitarian Universalist Association(the primary organization ofUnitarian Universalistcongregations in theUnited States), as well as within theCanadian Unitarian Council(the national body for Unitarian Universalist congregations inCanada), which minister to and with youth, of whichYoung Religious Unitarian Universalists(YRUU) is the largest and most apparent. YRUU strongly emphasizesyouth empowerment,along withyouth-adult partnership.There are also specific youth-oriented programs, such asComing of Age,andOur Whole Lives,a lifespansexuality educationprogram with a youth age group.
Education and career path
[edit]Youth ministers may be trained specifically to work with youth. Most congregations or places of worship have a strict vetting process for their youth ministers, including but not limited to background checks, educational requirements and previous relevant experience.
ManyBibleandChristianuniversities and colleges now offerundergraduateandgraduate degreesin youth ministry. While youth ministry was previously considered a stepping stone on the way to becoming priests, nuns and other important vocations, the trend is currently moving toward treating it as its ownvocation.