31 Comments »

1. Thanks, Scott, for stirring the pot of this vital conversation. I agree with your perspective. For years before his tragic death, Mike Yaconelli was saying publicly and nationally that youth ministry had failed. I wonder what he would be saying today. Of course in saying anything is a success or failure, one needs benchmarks or bellwethers. Although since 1997 our marching orders in youth ministry (in Renewing the Vision) said “it takes a whole church.” Now we know through the NSYR that in fact parents are far more the youth ministers than we are (which is what the church consistenly has taught in all her catechetical documents, by the way). So why is youth ministry still defined by pizza parties and youth groups, and success defined by the size of a youth group? I pose this question to further stir the conversation, but let’s be blunt: if we don’t change, we’re sunk. Look at the Church in Europe (catch the most recent issue of the Economist for a terrific article on this). That’s seems where we’re headed. The trajectory of meaningful involvement by youth and their parents in faith is well-established, verified, ironclad and daunting. We need far more conversations like this one to dislodge our weary heads from their familiar patterns and expectations, because the usual stuff isn’t working. Consider this: what would it be like to completely redefine youth ministry as primarily family-centered, parent-driven, electronically wired, apprenticeship-based, and discipleship-missioned? If we did so, it would require throwing out the book on conventional youth ministry methodology and methods and rethinking this stuff from the ground up. Thoughts?

   Comment by Sean Reynolds — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 8:55 am

2. On a quick search of the Economist, I believe Sean is referring to this article:
   http://www.economist.com/node/16740795 Three quick quotes…
   >> On closer inspection French Catholicism is not dead, but it is splintering to the point where the centre barely holds
   >> In many European places where Catholicism remained all-powerful until say, 1960, the church is losing whatever remains of its grip on society at an accelerating pace.
   >> In places like Italy, where the church shelters behind a high wall of culture and convention, the hardest days may still lay ahead.

   Comment by Scott — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 9:11 am

3. Youth Ministry is not “Youth Group”. Our Sunday or Wednesday program is only one aspect of youth ministry. We have young people that are lectors, EMHC’s, Choir members, liturgical greeters, servers, ushers (not just at the “Youth Mass” either, which we don’t have), Sunday School teachers and aides, Religious Education Aides, Retreat leaders, Parish council members, helping with the charitable work within our church and community, and so on. There are too many to list. They are also involved in leadership roles within our program, and others aspects of the Church and their schools.

   Then we also have our regular Sunday night “youth group”, although I don’t like that word, because it denotes a group you must belong to, and that’s not our philosophy. We get 60-90 youth on any given Sunday. So you see, we must get away from this idea that “youth group” is the end-all/be-all for youth. Youth need to be active members of the parish first and foremost, for youth ministry to thrive in any parish. We all need youth ministry to include all 8 components of youth ministry. I agree that the Pizza Party style youth group is no longer working. It never has. Yong people want to know their faith and live it out, and want the opportunity to do so. They want prayer, catechesis, and time to build relationships with other people in the same stage of life as they are within their Church. They also want to know that their Church and other adults within that Church care about them and want them to grow and succeed.

   If you want to have pizza parties, go ahead, but you won’t get the results that you are looking for, and neither with the young people.

   God bless all of you.

   Comment by John Gencarelli — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 9:59 am

4. Youth Ministry has been in decline for years because we have not changed with our teens. Youth Ministry is not about meeting on Sunday night, it is about showing how faith fits into their everyday lives, small group meetings that allows them to meet with their peers rather than forcing them in groups they are not comfortable in, it means understanding their television, pda’s, computer access and music. We need to connect with teens in their environments.
   As adults we tell teens not to judge, as I still see youth ministers stand in front of kids and lecture about bad movies, television, etc. You can call it a pizza party, but it is a lecture in disguise.
   Another area we need to change is our acceptance of other faiths and faith practices, of lifestyles and different family values. That does not mean we need to live these different life styles, but until we can show our young people we can love them and their family and friends (many of them are living in homes with alternative lifestyles) we cannot get them to consider buying into what we have to offer.

   Comment by Linda R. — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 10:11 am

5. From a young adult ministry perspective, this is indeed troubling news. As we try to bridge the gap between youth and young adult outreach, recognizing the struggles with attracting youth to church is critical to their future connection to the faith.

   In a way, from the low numbers getting involved as young adults in the Catholic Church, we have always known this reality in our guts – but hoped that it wasn’t the case (and all we needed to do is put on a fancier, better, slicker Theology-on-Tap). But studies like this confirm the back-of-the-head suspicions that all is not going well.

   One could argue that a model of Young Adult Ministry that relies on events like Theo-on-Tap or young adult socials (wine-and-cheese, happy hours, etc.) is destined to go the way of those teen pizza parties. So Scott, I agree that these models need to go away and that a new vision needs to take better hold. This vision, from a young adult ministry perspective, involves introducing young adults to a mix of action and contemplation in their lives; giving young adults a sense of “vocation” for their life’s work; mentoring extended-adolescents into a mature sense of adulthood; recognizing the importance and balance of spirituality and religiosity in one’s life; connecting young adults to meaningful “community” in the midst of individualism and isolationism…

   Thanks for sharing this article – for allowing me to reflect on the transition we have with youth ministry and what these stats say about my own church work.

   Comment by Paul Jarzembowski — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 10:13 am

6. Hello Boys-

   Great topic(s). Building upon what we know about parents (or better yet, don’t know), I agree with Sean about family-centered, parent-driven ministries. The problem is that the church does not know parents. I submit a few excerpts/ramblings from an article I recently wrote about the parents of the youth we wish to disciple:

   1. I was socialized Catholic apart from the Church. Gen Xers did not grow up in a homogenous Catholic culture. While this may appear to be a negative, it is the greatest strength of my generation. We were socialized in groups from birth. We grew up in divorced homes and had no choice but to adapt. We know the power of a welcoming community. We know how to be community. The Church was just one of those communities, not the only one. Church (and Catholic school) was a positive experience of our childhood. But we’ve moved on. Church was a necessary part of childhood- like having braces in 7th grade. As parents we will do our best to get our own kids involved in church simply because we know it is the right thing to do.

   2. I do not attend Mass because of obligation. For most Gen Xers, Mass attendance is a faith response, not obligation. Attendance does not equal relevance. An external event prompts us back to church- a wedding, a funeral, a baptism, an annulment. We do not need to be entertained. Gen Xers immerse themselves in spiritual enterprises daily and live the Paschal Mystery in family, work, life- they just do not have the language to prove it. My mortgage is obligation, Mass should be joyful worship. Our Catholic faith is detached from Mass (and we know the irony of such a statement!) Mass is not a reprieve from daily life. Ritual, sacrifice and prayer are the daily routine of life- we are simply unaware that Mass is a mirror of that life.

   3. My role as parent is primary. Gen X parents are opening blunt about this: If you welcome and acknowledge my child, you welcome and acknowledge me. Too often our religious education and youth ministry programs are youth centered. Look at youth sports programs- they are family centered. Parents know what is expected of them when their child is a part of the football team. Parents become a community because they are socialized to be football parents. Organized sports do exactly what our own programs hope to do: learn, affirm, celebrate, socialize and empower youth to use their gifts.

   Comment by Matt Schwartz — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 10:17 am

7. [...] Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » The Pizza Party is SO Over [...]

   Pingback by Thomas Associates – Staffing and Recruiting » Blog Archive » Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors: A Church Leader’s Guide to Staffing and Leading Youth Pastors — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 11:13 am

8. The magic phrase of the day is “missiological advocacy”. Youth Ministers, those who serve the young church (Protestant & Catholic), need to examine their individual motives and congregational expectations. Both desires can easily fuel the “numbers games”, “having something for the kids”, and “having fun while eating pizza”.

   “Renewing the Vision” is a document deeper than a mantra, it is a living document steeped in prayer and reflection of our Bishops. Those who are invested in youth ministry should take time to pray over “Renewing the Vision” and their parish mission, reflect over sacred scripture,review their pastor expectations, worship through mass with the community, listen to their team’s goals, and discuss with teens their desires for a comprehensive youth ministry program and then become the missiological advocate within their congregation.

   Imagine a youth minister that had no contact with teens. Instead their contact was with adults within the community whose gifts and talents are transformed into moments of apostolic opportunities of disciple based mentoring and formation. Instead of visiting high schools, the youth ministers visits parents in their communities to discuss adolescent discipleship and praying with children. Instead of mission trip, the youth minister coordinates opportunities for families to sign up and serve within the local community. Missiological advocacy focuses on holding up a vision of discipleship not just for adolescent but for the entire community to be a congregation of active disciples of Jesus Christ in the world today.

   Relational ministry will still happen and may be even more effective than the team of Sunday night volunteers. There could be even an incarnational-relational ministry, where the presence of Jesus Christ is encountered in “common” events of church life. For example incarnational-relational ministry happens when the 80 year old usher and the 17 year old share a conversation and greet people on Sunday morning as they hold open the doors of the church for parishioners. The possibilities are endless. Although I do desire to see an adolescent as head of the parish council with a professional CEO as vice head of the council, it would be fascinating to see what “old adults and children” could dream up collectively for the life of the congregation.

   Youth Ministry, I believe is naturally developing into the unfolding Kingdom of God that lies before us. It is an exciting and worthy adventure of epic proportion.

   Could someone pass a meatball slice?

   Comment by Joe Mele — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 1:00 pm

9. To some degree I don’t blame youth for waving goodbye to lame youth ministry. They are indeed busier in many different directions, most of which provide much more direct feedback on the significance of their participation than we do. A lot has changed since I began doing youth ministry, and the Catholic Church has NOT done a great job of adjusting to the times and needs of youth. Despite the official statements, i have never found our institutional church all that committed to youth ministry. It’ll take more than pizza to motivate youth, parents and ministers to gather to openly brainstorm a future. (Count me in when it happens – I love brainstorming!) I don’t mind allowing more than enough time to grieve and bitch the loss of old models. But, I do mind if we don’t move beyond that. It is a blessing to read this dialogue. Thank you all so much for your commitment, time and energy in the ministry! We are the better for you!

   Comment by Tom Rinkoski — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 1:00 pm

10. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by D. Scott Miller, Thadeus. Thadeus said: RT @CatholicYMBlog: WOW. Sean Reynolds offers comments regarding if Catholic Youth Ministry broken. Join the conversation! http://bit.ly/bdkyYv [...]

    Pingback by Tweets that mention Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » The Pizza Party is SO Over -- Topsy.com — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 1:15 pm

11. Paul Jarzembowsli (comment #5) kept the conversation going regarding young adult ministry over on facebook
    http://www.facebook.com/jarzembowski?v=wall&story_fbid=146439165374091

    Comment by Scott — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 1:17 pm

12. Such great perspective from all of you who have commented already!

    It seems as though this topic of the struggle/decline of youth ministry won’t go away. And the fact that mainstream media would pick up on it could indicate that this is now bubbling through the surface. If this is true, the time to address – no, to take ownership of – the failings of the practice of Catholic youth ministry is now, not later.

    Several of you have mentioned Renewing the Vision. A powerful document and call to mission, most certainly. However the problems we are discussing cannot be blamed on the bishop’s document. And, the truth is, they cannot be blamed on any of the countless published resources we have at our disposal that we use to plan and execute our programming. And they cannot be blamed on the causes that are listed in the USA Today article.

    I’m not here to propose a solution per se, other than the renewal of Catholic youth ministry will not be born until we, the Catholic youth ministers, are willing to surrender our lives first and our ministries second to the will of God. St. Paul did it. So did St. Peter. John Paul the Great was our great modern day model of surrender.

    What does this mean?

    That we, Catholic youth ministers, need to embrace the discomfort that comes with surrender. That we can no longer hide behind pizza boxes and “how to entertain teens with an obnoxious gamer/mixer” books and, yes, even our Catechisms and our Bibles to incarnate the Gospel message we preach, not to make it more disembodied. That ministry – true missional ministry – must drive methodolgy/programming, not the other way around. That we need to know humility very intimately before we start teaching and expecting others to be humble.

    Our discomfort can no longer be about lack of money, lack of pastor support, lack of parent support, disinterested teens, nagging staff members, not enough volunteers, too many teens to even hope to serve, not enough of this or that.

    Our discomfort needs to be us, Catholic youth ministers, carrying the the cross that we have shoved aside hoping someone else in our community will carry it.

    If we, Catholic youth ministers, really believe that God’s grace is enough, then we need to start living our our lives and serving our Church in that truth.

    Comment by Pat Villa — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 3:24 pm

13. Can’t say I disagree with the basic premise, although I’d say YM is not dead, just the way some people approach it. The folks that are all about pizza and drop-ins and hanging out aren’t providing “meat” for the youth. The youth may love the fun aspect and make you a popular leader, but if they’re not being challenged it’s not going to stick. While there’s a place for the fun our ministry to young people has to be in a constant state of evolution and conversion. If we get it into our heads we can recycle what we do every four years (or less) because we’ll have a new batch of youth to work with our ministry will die quickly. If we’re not challenging ourselves, how can we challenge them? If we don’t continually explore how our faith is manifested in what we do how can we expect to pass those concepts on to the youth in our care? I love pizza, but lived faith is the “meat.”

    Comment by Wayne Hipley — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 8:38 pm

14. I think this was a poorly researched article – an over generalization of what faith and Church life is for young people. For one thing attendance at expensive summer work camps during one of our country’s greatest recessions is not an accurate measure of youth participation in Church. If other youth ministers are gauging their ministry by that than they’re missing the boat and the teens are losing out.

    I think this article highlights the importance of a Church grounded in truth, tradition, and sacraments. While our teens may question and wander there is always something to come back to in the Church even if their friends, family, or interests change.

    Yes youth ministry as we know it today will someday change – it has to because we are a people centered ministry. As long as cultures, societies, and people change so must we inculterate the Message. The quotes the authors chose to highlight from these youth ministers were unfortunate.

    I guess I have a wider perspective of what youth ministry is than “youth group meetings” “socials” and “organized social justice” activities. I think if your vision is wider your success will be greater – it’s about helping young people become life long Catholics – lovers of the Lord not about having the highest youth group attendance which seems to be all this article cared about.

    Comment by Marissa — Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 10:12 pm

15. I don’t think we should ask the question if Youth Ministry is dead until we can figure out what it means if Catholic Youth Ministry is alive.
    The USA TODAY article wasn’t about Catholics. It was about Protestants. Are we assuming that all youth ministry is the same youth ministry? I think the history, culture, and current situation of Catholic Youth Ministry is very different than the ministry our brothers and sisters do in Protestant denominations. Yes, some general principals apply, but can we really say we are trying to do the same thing as they are?
    If we are, the statistics are clear that we are not doing as good of a job.
    It comes down to assessment. How do we determine whether Catholic Youth Ministry is alive or dead, growing or shrinking? How can you tell if a thing is alive or not if you don’t know where to look for the pulse?
    If we don’t have a real answer, then the default becomes numbers (which is how the USA TODAY article seemed to judge it.) None of us likes to play (or be judged by) the numbers game. But if we don’t provide an alternative, then that’s what we’re left with.
    I think we all have a sense that Youth Ministry isn’t doing as well as it used to. The 90s were so much more vibrant than the 00s. After World Youth Day in 93, everything was growing! But after 9/11, sex scandals, and economic “downturns”, youth ministry programs (especially on the diocesan level) are being cut from East (like Baltimore) to West (like Phoenix).
    Here’s a sober reality: Many dioceses that have lowered the Confirmation age have found their high school youth groups decimated. That’s because those youth groups used to require attendance to receive the sacrament. You could look at such a group and say the youth group has “died”, but I think the more challenging question is, “What is ever alive?”
    And what does that even mean?
    I concur with many of the comments about the lack of scholarship in the USA Today article. But I’m always happy whenever Youth Ministry is given any national attention. The real death of Youth Ministry will be when nobody cares enough to talk about it.

    Comment by Bob Rice — Saturday, August 14, 2010 @ 9:28 am

16. I love the discussion. I love reading the ideas that we all should be responding to to improve our ministries. However, I am cautious about being motivated to improve by calls that “the sky is falling.” It is interesting to look into youth ministry articles from the 1970s, 1980s, etc. and read the same kind of message. Perhaps youth ministry has been declining since before it began.

    The reality as I see it is that our strength will never be with large numbers. Even if we did gather 200 teens every night, I would question our effectiveness. When I consider that I was one of a few teens in my parishes program that was even willing to be positive about youth ministry, I should not be surprised that the same ratio of responsive:unresponsive teens still exists today.

    Yes, we are dependent on parents, pastors, Facebook, YouTube, Hollywood, and even pizza. But, even more than that, we are totally dependent on the workings of the Holy Spirit. And, the Spirit reaches one person at a time.

    Also, I truly believe that if we want to serve more young people, we should stop working with so many young people. The family structure is key. Also, lets consider the idea that we are trying to prepare adolescents for a discipleship in their teenage world and not for the adult world they are moving into. Teens are typically just entering the process of forging an “adult faith” when they leave our programs. And, we have only prepared them for where they are coming from, not from where they are headed. Adult formation is the only way to reach people where they are for the long run.

    Oh, and one more thing…. As and adult, I would still go to a meeting that offered pizza. Seriously, pizza is awesome. If you don’t like pizza as a reason to gather, I question your sanity.

    Comment by Kevin Feyen — Saturday, August 14, 2010 @ 9:41 am

17. [...] The Pizza Party is SO Over [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » New Format – – Same Old Blogger — Saturday, August 14, 2010 @ 2:02 pm

18. I wasn’t really surprised by the article, and as others have pointed out I didn’t think it was well researched. Was there anyone that read the article and thought, “I cant believe that pizza parties alone don’t work?” Sadly, yes there are. But those are the parishes that have the revolving door of untrained YMs with little or no real support. The bishops realize this, that is why they wrote “Renewing the Vision”. Dioceses and parishes who understand Christ wants a relationship with us and follow a model of ministry that embodies that reality will experience success, but not perfection. We are “unfinished” beings, but we and our ministry should be striving for “completion”.
    I recently heard an interview with Kendra Creasy Dean where she points out that Youth Ministry has been the experimental or testing ground to push the next generation of ministry trends. This is a great and fun place to be! There was a time when pizza parties, CYO dances and sports, classroom CCD and retreat programs like SEARCH did work. Well, not work- but it was better than what there was before. Each of those “programs” had some positive aspects to varying degrees. Those aspects were retained. Where there were holes, limits, and even negative new “experimental” programs were developed.
    The current situation of Catholic youth ministry. It varies far to greatly to make a blanket statement of thriving, static, or dying. Depending on the parish or diocese, I am positive you could find examples of each. I do know that if your parish is only having pizza parties and ice cream socials, or if your parish is only doing service projects, or if your parish is only bringing a group of teens every summer to a Steubenville Youth Conference then you might experience some short term success, but it is not comprehensive and will eventually fail. Even if you are doing all these things and more, I think most people are realizing it is not enough. It is not enough for many reasons, some mentioned by Bob Rice and others above. I think that Matt Schwartz’s comment regarding “football parents” is a key insight to the next generation of youth ministry.
    The Church has lost at least two generations to poor catechesis. Youth ministry is limited by the fact that we traditionally only work with 7th through 12th graders. And that does not work. I recently was hired at a parish that has never had anything that would be considered real youth ministry. I am the first full-time YM in the parish’s history, and currently the only YM in the diocese (there is also no diocesan director). Everyone is excited to have me but there is very limited understanding of YM. After attending all the weekend Masses for two or three weeks, my heart sunk when I saw a utter lack of teens, young adults, and young families. I commented to a friend, “Where are all the Catholic families and teens.” He replied, “I know,” and matter of factly stated, “they are at the park playing baseball and softball.” And they were, all wearing their ‘Holy Cross’ uniforms. I recognized two parents and one kid from Mass. The reality of this situation is that a thriving youth ministry program will never be achieved without effective ministry to those parents.
    The next generation is to make a conscious and targeted effort to work collaboratively and engage families. But I raise this concern. We can’t be doing it alone. When I say “we” I mean a parish should not be relying on youth ministry volunteers to exclusively take on addition ministerial responsibilities.
    We have to take the good from weekend retreats, service projects, summer camps, Sunday night catechesis, Bible studies, prayer groups, XLT, youth conferences, lock-ins, leadership conferences etc. and figure out how to expand in both directions (younger and older).
    Here is a thought and I would like feedback (maybe others are already doing it). If all our youth are playing sports, often through parish sponsored programs, then why not require that if practice normally at 6pm, then you have to come at 5:00 for an hour of catechesis. And just like if you play in practice, you don’t play in the game; if you don’t come for catechesis then you don’t play in practice or the game.
    One last thought. The Catholic Church is not known for its lightening quick response. I think part of our problem is that we are constantly struggling to advance and improve youth ministry, and it is actually progressing. There are many (youth ministers and even priests) who still have never even heard of “Renewing the Vision”. Others who will read this is well aware of the discussion that surrounds the need to go beyond “Renewing the Vision”. Youth Ministers are on the frontier for a Church whose default position is to avoid rocking the boat.

    Comment by Dewey Szarkowski — Sunday, August 15, 2010 @ 1:02 am

19. Would love to be able to print this article on “The Pizza Party Is So Over”
    I agree kids are buzy and overbooked. I think that is a good sign. They need to learn balance as we all do. They still need an opportunity to share faith with peers as well as the whole community, but coming up with ways to get them into the church and then a session or activity is the trouble. Many of their parents aren’t in church either, so it is bigger than just the youth.

    Comment by Sr. Janet Pewoski, CSJ — Tuesday, August 17, 2010 @ 10:12 pm

20. [...] The Pizza Party is SO Over [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » August Top Posts — Thursday, September 2, 2010 @ 10:53 pm

21. [...] on Relevant Radio’s Morning Air show with host Sean Herriott. We are planning the discuss the end of  the pizza party as well as what counts as real [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » More Relevant — Tuesday, September 14, 2010 @ 5:47 am

22. [...] lines) are going to Church, a figure that holds true for Catholics. Check out his post, The pizza party is SO over, at [...]

    Pingback by D. Scott Miller: The pizza party is SO over (youth ministry) — Wednesday, September 15, 2010 @ 7:20 am

23. [...] What does not get covered in such as brief time is the changes in youth ministry that are occurring.  Not only are we addressing the National Study on Youth and Religion but the on-going perception of being throwers of pizza parties. [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » 2010 Youth Contact – part two — Tuesday, September 21, 2010 @ 6:29 am

24. Scott and Friends,

    I’ve been meaning to respond to this post for quite a while now. I read the article when it came out in August. Rather than share my thoughts, I thought all of you might like to hear from one of our former youth who just started college this fall @ Alabama. She wrote the following article for our youth newsletter last spring, well before the USA Today article came out. Our newsletter is entitled G.S. Youth United, G.S. standing for Good Shepherd. Thanks all.

    Pat Clasby
    CYM – Good Shepherd Parish
    San Diego, CA

    Every couple of months or so, the G.S. Youth United appears in the bulletin for the entire church to read. In these newsletters, we try our hardest to convey entire experiences on paper. But you have to understand the circumstances that
    bring about these articles first. Let’s take a tour through Youth Ministry.
    Back in May, more than 200 youth from this parish received the
    sacrament of Confirmation, marking the next step on their journey through faith. They became soldiers of Jesus, ready to spread God’s word with strength and courage in the face of distress. While this marks the end of two years in Pre-Confirmation and Confirmation classes, it opens the first of many
    more doors into Youth Ministry. And even though it was hard enough to
    remember the facts of Catholicism – Who wrote the Nicene Creed and
    when? What kind of prayer is the Lord’s Prayer? How can there be
    three persons in one God? Is Jesus God? – it is crystal clear that the
    hard part has just begun. After all, the bowling for cans events, St. Vincent
    de Paul trips, youth masses, and retreats will always be there. The only difference is that now,these Confirmed youth have no requirements
    to meet, no classes to make, and no quizzes to make up. They are officially in charge of their own faith; they decide which doors to step through and which paths to take. And if Core Team, junior facilitating, and the millions and billions of community life and justice and service events available make
    up those doors, Youth Ministry provides the subsequent path and Jesus
    lights the way to the ultimate destination. Three years ago, when I first
    contributed to this newsletter, I quickly discovered how hard it is to
    write articles. Now, as a graduating senior, I am writing my
    last article ever, and things never got any
    easier. Disregard my status as an amateur writer, because this would be hard for even the most professional journalist on earth. How can we share the
    moments of peace, lifechanging days, and infallible bursts of faith
    we find in Youth Ministry? It seems impossible to share what we
    want to share with you, how we love Youth Ministry and everything it has
    done for us. I speak on behalf of every person in the past, present,
    and future who has written for this newsletter, when I say that this is the only challenge we face. So instead of reliving the experience, we paint you
    a picture. We tell you the facts, like how many people
    attended a trip to the soup kitchen, or what the weather was like during a 3-day retreat in Julian, but there is always something missing from the article. The truth is that you’ll only be able to find that missing piece in the yellow
    of the Good Shepherd Youth Ministry t-shirt, owned
    by 200 new kids each year. You can find it in the music from the praise
    and worship group. In the smell of the Holy Chrism at the Confirmation
    Mass and on the smiles of the newly Confirmed, in the excitement to go to
    church and in the need to go to Confession,you can find Youth Ministry everywhere. This is my best attempt to explain Youth Ministry. I have limitations, like four large paragraphs, one full page, things like that, but if I didn’t have restrictions and could explain Youth Ministry to you in one
    take, I would take you to an all-night party in the parish hall. Or I would
    take you bowling with us, or even to one of Praise and Worship’s weekly
    music rehearsals. I would take you to a Pre-Confirmation planning
    meeting so you could see young leaders in action, and then I would
    take you to the actual Pre-Confirmation class so you could see
    young leaders in the making. But obviously, I can’t. The best I can do
    is write this article about how Youth Ministry takes place in the youth
    themselves, and how this newsletter is only a frame for the ultimate picture.
    If you want to truly know Youth Ministry is, ask a youth! When you ask them, look for the answer in their heart and not their words. Why? Because the answer, as simple as it may be, is too great to say out loud, if that can even be achieved. What is Youth Ministry? It is love!

    Comment by Pat Clasby — Friday, September 24, 2010 @ 2:37 pm

25. I apologize, the previous article was written by Ms. Cheyenne Paiva.

    Comment by Pat Clasby — Friday, September 24, 2010 @ 2:37 pm

26. A successful youth ministry is one that helps get its youth to Heaven. To do this, it must get them to go to Mass, and it must get them to go to Confession. Neither of these are optional. The latter one is usually left out.

    Of course, most parish ‘sacrament schedules’ also just about leave it out, which dooms a lot of adult ministry and catechesis. *sigh*

    In Christ,
    a Canadian convert too young to drink in the States.

    Comment by Hidden One — Monday, November 15, 2010 @ 10:34 pm

27. [...] Fuller Youth Institute site recently revisited the whole pizza thing that we were beating up on months [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » The Very Nice Rev. Tim Tom — Wednesday, December 1, 2010 @ 2:03 am

28. [...] the Catholic Youth Ministry blog in 2010. Here’s about the most read post of the year – In The Pizza Party is SO Over, we had a heavily commented post related to a USA Today critique of traditional concepts of [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » 2010 Pizza Party — Tuesday, December 21, 2010 @ 2:02 am

29. [...] The Pizza Party is SO Over (1) [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » 2010 in Review — Saturday, January 1, 2011 @ 2:00 am

30. [...] be negative, I’m actually feeling quite positive (to reference the 2010 top ten list) that, yes, The Pizza Party is SO Over… that, yes, as a irrationally hopeful breed… you bet that we need to fully focus our efforts [...]

    Pingback by Catholic Youth Ministry Blog » The Makeover — Monday, January 3, 2011 @ 2:05 am

31. [...] Young people don’t need another program, event, song, skit, talk or even slice of pizza. [...]

    Pingback by Looking For the Gift in Young People — Wednesday, January 26, 2011 @ 2:07 pm

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