Evangelization Outreach / Rachel Gilman

Every adult can play a key role in ministering to teens

You have probably heard the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child” many times in your life and probably agree with that sentiment. I do.

We’ve seen time and time again that the more caring and loving adults that are present in teenagers’ lives, the more they feel loved, valued and seen. This same sentiment is true when it comes to helping a teen develop and embrace their faith and become a lifelong disciple of Christ.

It truly does take an entire Church community to support our young people on their faith journey. We have many amazing professional youth ministry leaders who help us to do this in our parishes. But the truth is, we can’t leave the role of forming and supporting our youths to just them; it is the responsibility of all of us.

In a sense, we are all youth ministers. We are all called to minister to and invest in youths when we encounter them in our own spheres—whether that be as a parent, a coach, a teacher, a pastor, a parishioner or a youth ministry leader or volunteer.

You may not realize it, but you have the power to greatly impact a teen and their faith simply by investing in them in the spheres in which you encounter them. You don’t need to be a professional youth minister or have a theology degree to love, care for and walk with a teen in their faith. You just need to be authentically yourself and embrace each encounter with a teen truly for what it is: an opportunity to show God’s love to them.

A teacher can embrace being a youth minister by caring for a student who is struggling by checking on them regularly. A coach can embrace being a youth minister by caring about their athletes’ well-being and by uniting faith and sports through prayer at practices and at games.

Even in the smallest of ways, choosing to invest in a teen in whatever role you play in their life goes a long way in helping them feel loved, accepted and ensuring they have a space where they can experience and grow in their faith.

Our youths need each and every one of us to be open to assuming the role of a youth minister in their lives.

One of our goals in the archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry is to support and equip all adults in embracing their role as youth ministers to teens in their areas of influence. In August, we will be hosting an event, “Into the Heart,” that invites adults from all spheres—teachers, parents, youth ministers, pastors, youth ministry volunteers, coaches and others—to gather together to be inspired, renewed and empowered in our shared role of ministering to and engaging in the lives of young people.

Will you join us in sharing the joy of investing in young people and their faith? All adults are welcome to attend “Into the Heart” from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, at Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish, 335 S. Meridian St., in Greenwood, to be formed and supported as we all strive to work together to walk with young people in our faith communities.

Visit our website at archindyym.com to register or for more information as it becomes available.
 

(Rachel Gilman is director of the archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry within the Secretariat for Evangelizing Catechesis. She can be reached at rgilman@archindy.org.) †