Building A Thriving Young Adult Ministry

A few days ago, I encountered a brilliant writeup of a successful Young Adult Group at St. Veronica’s Catholic Church, just outside of Washington D.C. Read about that here.

The Elements of A Successful Apostolate

The article takes the pains to list the four elements as to what makes their outreach so successful. They are:

• Consistency: [We have] weekly meetings and social events almost every weekend and dedicated leaders.

• Communication: [We have] weekly emails to members and advertising in social media, parish bulletins and the diocese.

• Caring: Be very welcoming. (We are most well-known for this.) Personal outreach to friends [is key], and follow up with new people.

• Creativity: The studies and the events must be out-of-the-box, relevant and intriguing.

My Own Experience

This brings me back to the years I was both affiliated with young adult groups, and also my experience in failing to start a young adult group in my own parish.

The successful young adult groups I was a part of all included some variations of these four themes. They had a consistent meeting time (weekly), and a social event a few times a month. Although limited before the days of social media (before email dominance), they did have means to put the word out to other churches of their existence. They had a process to welcome visitors and invite them to plug in. And they had a series of studies and/events that were both relevant and different from the norm.

It should not go unnoticed that the most successful part of St. Veronica’s Young Adult Group is their leadership structure. It was started by the priest of the parish, Father Marcus Pollard, and then when it moved to lay leadership, they continue to get the support they need from both their current pastor, and also the diocese.

Many times I had either attempted to start my own such group, or sustain one in my parish, but each time landing in dismal failure. One time I tried to start such an apostolate without the help of a local priest, but without any support from my parish, my meetings had no visibility in any Catholic sphere, and it fell apart within a year. Another time I assisted my priest to help jumpstart a young adult group, but once the lay leadership found themselves engaged to be married, their interest in sustaining a group plummeted.

It should not go unnoticed that the most successful part of St. Veronica’s Young Adult Group is their leadership structure.

Some priests are overworked as it is, dealing with myriad ministries and parish events that, oftentimes, are more about sustaining the needs of the faithful, than in helping reach the unchurched. It’s always a risk when it comes to attempting to do something new, for time spent pursuing a (supposed) failed endeavor could’ve been spent doing the same-old tried and true.

What’s interesting is that this program didn’t take off immediately. It took a number of years of trial and error, and it wasn’t until they somehow lucked into a number of volunteers with the passion to reach their generation that it started making a difference. It needed that first step, and then consistency to find their groove.

Having a vibrant young adult ministry, not unlike a youth ministry, is a balancing act which incorporates both catechesis and social events. Young adults have a need for a real live community, which they cannot get by social media alone. It must be established by a priest, but sustained by dedicated volunteers who are passionate about reaching their generation for Christ. And they must continually be in conversation with them, finding out what issues are relevant, and scratching where they itch.

Replicating This Model

Can this be replicated? In many cases, all it takes is a room full of dedicated volunteers, along with the support of the parish priest, each discovering their unique gifts, as it pertains to following this model.

For one person, their gifting may be in searching for relevant topics that appeal to young adults, and crafting a series of Bible studies or seminars about such. For another, their gifting may be to craft a number of social activities that may appeal to the same group. For another, it could be social media and getting the word out. Another, it may be the intricacies of keeping this going. For myself, it was leading the music team.

But for all of these, there needs to be a unity in vision (headed or supported by the parish priest), and a desire to grow spiritually from the experience.

Conclusion

I am confident that if parishes follow this model, they will help reverse the trend of the dearth of young adults in their parishes, and help fulfill the Great Commission.

Are you looking for ideas to help with your ministry for young adults? Check out my book 24 Unique Ways to Upgrade Your Catholic Youth Group, which touches upon many issues, built upon my personal experiences over the years. Read more about it here.