Connections

The Challenge of Advocacy

We minister in ‘interesting times.’ At our summer meeting, the NFCYM Board of Directors spent considerable time reviewing the current church landscape, identifying the stressors affecting youth ministry, and developing strategies to be effective advocates for the profession and practice of youth ministry.

The Landscape

The church landscape is a mix of signs of hope and signs of chaos. There continues to be growth in the number of parish youth ministry leaders, even as diocesan budgets continue to be restricted. New diocesan directors have been hired, thirteen since May, while several offices are still closed from previous downsizing. Several universities, interested in creating youth ministry programs in their curriculum, have consulted with the NFCYM, even as we are limited in our ability to impact committees of the bishops.

The church landscape is further impacted by the abuse issues. In the wake of the extensive negative publicity generated, the church is attempting to solidify our own identity as Catholics. However, we seem to be narrowing the definition of Catholic. James Joyce once said that Catholic means “here comes everybody.” Today, though, we minister in a church experiencing communion sanctions, eucharistic famine, and loyalty oaths. There seems to be a theological and ecclesiological polarization within the church that does not seem open to dialogue. And in the public arena, while abuse issues are still news, both political parties court Catholics for the upcoming national election.

What interesting times.

Board Identifies Focus Areas

And in the midst of such interesting times, the board identified specific emphases for the coming year in order to strengthen our advocacy efforts.

• To advocate with church leaders for a comprehensive approach to youth ministry and adolescent faith formation.
• To position the NFCYM to influence church structures; e.g., USCCB, diocesan bishops, and national organizations.
• To position the NFCYM to advocate for diocesan youth ministry offices and services.
• To advocate for the profession and professionalism of youth ministry leaders.

These emphases were framed by three critical questions:

• What is our “message? ”
• Who needs to hear our voice?
• What is the best way to communicate our message?
• The board will develop practical diocesan and national advocacy strategies in response to these three questions and to the four emphases.

National Study of Youth and Religion

There are also several NFCYM projects that will significantly impact our advocacy efforts. The first is the National Study of Youth and Religion. The data has been collected and we sponsored a focus session in April with the board of directors and selected guests to begin interpreting the results. A board task group and national staff are writing an executive summary for presentation to the membership at the January 2005 membership meeting in Savannah.

Diocesan Directors Survey

A second project is the Diocesan Directors Survey. This is a follow-up to the 2000 survey which provided basic demographic and educational information, professional responsibilities and concerns, and identified other significant data that was very useful in shaping Federation services and programs. The survey results provided the first snapshot of diocesan youth ministry leaders.

This new survey is being conducted primarily online through the NFCYM I-net. It is accessible now through October 15, 2004 by starting on the introduction page. The full participation by diocesan directors is essential if we are to have statistically significant data describing the changes to diocesan ministry over the past five years.

Collecting solid information about our young people and about our diocesan leaders will enable the NFCYM to be a more effective advocate for the role of young people in the church, for the practice of youth ministry, and for the specific role of diocesan youth ministry director.

In the midst of interesting times, we need creative and hopeful approaches to better articulate our message, especially to those who have the most impact on our ministry.