Connections

Questions Help Us Renew Our Vision

• What is your vision of youth ministry?
• What is our vision as an organization?
• What do you need to do in order to achieve the vision?
• What do we need to do?
• What are the barriers to fulfilling that vision?
• What do you need to do to overcome those barriers?
• What do we need to do to overcome those barriers?
• When and how can we take time to do visioning?
• How is our vision connected to the vision of Jesus?
• Do we, as a diocese, or as a national organization, have a cohesive vision?

These questions keep surfacing at regional and national gatherings of NFCYM members.

I recently met with my new archbishop to discuss the vision of youth ministry that drives our archdiocesan efforts. It occurred to me as we spoke that he probably was not familiar with Renewing the Vision, since he was ordained a bishop after it was published. This was accurate, and he genuinely was interested in learning more about issues that the document identifies as guidelines for our ministry.

I thought about that long and hard and realized that many of the pastors in our archdiocese also had little, if any, experience with the document that is so pivotal to our work.

The USCCB published Renewing the Vision in 1997, ten years ago! It gave us a framework for our ministry and proposed a vision for our work.

• It is still the document that guides our work and names a common vision?
• Do we still use it?
• Do we still operate with it as our framework?
• Has it stood the test of time?
• Ask yourself:
• Do I know this document and its content and its proposed vision?
• Does my bishop know it?
• Do the pastoral leaders in my parishes know it?
• Do I believe the document is still pertinent for my work in my parish or diocese?
• What does the document name as critical components and elements for effective youth ministry?
• Are those incorporated into the programming I offer in my parish or diocese? Should they be?
• What is missing?
• What do I need to do to assure that this document is the framework for the ministry that has been entrusted to me?

These questions identify NFCYM’s need to clearly define or redefine our vision for Catholic youth ministry and how we can move toward accomplishing it. I would like to suggest that we all use these questions for visioning sessions at the parish, diocesan, regional, and national levels in this new year.

I know that our agendas are packed and that there is never enough time to get all of our work done, but we must overcome that by making time for visioning. It is critical to our future as an organization and for strengthening the effectiveness of our ministry to the young church.

What opportunities will we have in the next several months to make time for visioning? Maybe we should ask our local youth ministers to gift their pastors with a copy of Renewing the Vision. We should each make sure our local bishop has a copy as well!

Last year, the NFCYM celebrated its 25th Anniversary. I would like to propose that now is time to launch ourselves into the next 25 years. We can do that by reconnecting with our “renewed” vision!