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August 31, 2017
If you are a parent of a teenager, you know how hectic life gets. Part of you is uber-driver while the other parts are nurse, maid, coach, chef, college cheerleader and even tutor. The fast-paced life of the modern family can cause detours that lead to dead ends, difficult decisions and never-ending questions on what is best for our kids. Certainly, it’s easy to look at attending youth group as an equal option out of many, and it’s easy to justify not attending, or not getting confirmed, because, after all---we need to focus on academics, scholarships, college applications and extra-curricular activities, all of which are worthy of our time and efforts. More often than not, many exhausted Catholic parents give in to making faith formation a low priority because there are just too many choices and well, we are too tired to fight for it.
I understand the temptation. As a parent 5 children, two of whom are teenagers, and are active members of various high school clubs, drama groups, athletic groups, competitions, practices and jobs (how about we throw in the dating scene just to make it more interesting?)--my husband and I are constantly under pressure to measure every event through the lense of what matters most. And we have decided that youth group attendance must be a priority.
So let me advocate for the importance of youth ministry in the lives of teens. Not because I’m the director of youth program here at STM, but because I have teens myself and have worked with them for over 20 years and see that this community can make a difference. I’ll give you 5 reasons to register your teen for youth ministry/Confirmation classes:
Teenagers need God
Let’s be frank. A challenge to overcome for most teens is the self-centered desire to satisfy their appetites more than the needs of others. More than anything, they are looking for reasons to believe and strong witnesses in the faith that model true discipleship. Youth group tries to impart the simple fact that they are loved unconditionally and that God is writing a life story for each of them, filled with purpose and value. Youth ministry teaches that when you put God first, everything else flows out of that. The God of creation who created the stars, moon universe and our world, knows each of our teens by name, and loves each one with endless mercy.
Teenagers need Community:
Pope Francis’ words from World Youth Day-Madrid echo in my mind from 2013. “What is the best tool to catechize a young person? Another young person.” It’s true that parents are called to be the first and best teachers of their children in the faith, but more research is showing that young people need strong secondary influences so that the faith takes root. Children eventually come to a point in their lives where they ask, “Is everything I learned at home true?” Having credible witnesses close at hand is necessary to confirming all the good work that began in the home. Teens need to see people other than their parents living a rich life of faith to assure them that what they’ve been told is actually true.
Teens need rest
Here’s a fun fact: The average high school student reports doing three hours of homework a night. That’s nearly twice as much as teenagers reported doing 15 years ago. Our teens are the most exhausted generation than any other. Why? Higher than ever expectations on their time, pressures to perform, late night social media postings and you get the perfect storm creating the most overworked and underslept generation in history. While every other adult voice in a teens life presses for more, the call of Jesus urges teens to enter into the presence of God and to rest in Him. Incredibly, our youth group members would report that their favorite times at our retreats are the silent, meditative moments we have in adoration and confession. They relish time in a dark chapel where they talk to God and unburden themselves from the weight of their poor decisions. We all need that.
Teenagers need a cause:
When Jesus challenged his disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations", he was tapping into the activist wiring of these men. In the same way, your teenager needs to be challenged with the mission to connect with the poor, disenfranchised and un-churched. All teens need a cause to support, and they will find one. Not all causes are equal. Youth group is a place where a teen can serve like Jesus called us to serve. Through our service projects and mission trips, they will find the real reason they are on this earth. But it's also a place where they can be equipped to share the good news of Jesus with their own peers (which will help them grow in their faith!)
Teenagers need theology:
Youth group is a place where teenagers can wrestle through the theology you've been teaching them and have it reinforced in a powerful and personal way under the guidance of catechists and peer leaders who ask great questions and point teens to sound truth.
This should result in your teenagers knowing and owning their faith on a deeper level. Youth group and small groups should be a place where teenagers can ask tough questions and even share doubts and struggles with their beliefs without fear of judgement. STM youth ministry strives to do that.
Teen life is busy. But it would be a shame if our teenagers graduated from high school and were catapulted into "the real world" without every opportunity to know, live, share and own their Catholic faith.
At the end of the day, our teenagers embracing and embodying the Catholic faith is more important than sports and more important than academics. Getting them involved in youth ministry is worth fitting into a crazy, busy schedule. And if it's not quite as good as you think it should be then please help with the program. We need catechists to help our teens navigate troubled waters and find hope. Volunteer to make youth ministry stronger at St Thomas More.
There's too much at stake for us to get this wrong. So let's get it right--together!
Registration for Junior High Youth MInistry (JYM) and High School Youth Ministry (TYM) is going on now. You can register without a late fee until September 1st. Click here for registration forms.
Our kick-off begins on September 17th! See you all there!
Georgie Clemens
Director of Youth MInistry