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Catholic YM Blog
The Catholic YM Blog has been referred to as "the 411 of Catholic Youth Ministry." Your blogger is D. Scott Miller, director of the Division of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Baltimore... Read more...
Recent Posts
- Best Teachers
- ReBuild Carotta
- Slant33: Dating and Sexuality
- Youth Minister as The Artist
- January 2012 Top Posts
- The Power of a Dream
- At 54
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- Bragg Moore on ReBuild Carotta
- Scott on The Occupying Church
- Matt Toohill on The Occupying Church
- Jack Regan on CYM News 01-30-12
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John Rinaldo of the Diocese of San Jose recently made the argument that youth ministry coordinators should be seen as administrators. He is calling for a shift from the perception of the youth ministry coordinator as just the youth group leader.
John is calling for a paradigm shift that Youth Ministry is about team leadership. If we are to truly affect the lives of young people, we need to spend time equipping and empowering volunteer leaders that will allow us to more fully reach out to the youth population in our parishes. He places the priority for the youth ministry coordinator to be equipping and empowering volunteer leaders that will allow the parish to better fulfill their mission to “the younghurch.” Please consider reading John’s whole post.
My philosophy of parish ministry is always to “work myself out of a job.” The ministry is based on Christ manifest in a community of believers. At one point or another I did every task in a parish religious education and youth ministry effort, but only as a form of modeling – and handing it forward to another.
As lay ecclesial ministers ideally we work ourselves out of tasks and act as a conductor of a symphony. The Conductor knows each performer, the music, their instrument, abilities, gifts, potential…. and the conductor elicits greatness from the symphony working together.
Whether we are a director of youth ministry, director of faith formation, etc. its about empowering, affirming, mentoring (and at times being mentored) by volunteer leaders as disciples to make disciples!
Comment by sharon — Monday, January 11, 2010 @ 12:23 pm