Almost every parish we have visited has as one of its goals Young Adult Ministry, that is, attracting those in their 20’s and 30’s to attend church and become active members of the parish. Some success models do exist, such as St. Monica’s in Santa Monica, CA or Old St. Patrick’s in downtown Chicago. For most parishes, however, it is a dream left unfulfilled. What follows is one success story that has been going on for the last fifteen years. It comes from Lance Johnson, a member of the YAG (Young Adults Group) at St. Dominic’s Parish in San Francisco.

Defining the Mission:
“The mission of our group is to help young adults of San Francisco grow closer to Christ together with their peers. We recognize the value of all aspects of young adult life, including faith formation, socialization and community service. The focus is on people in their 20’s and 30’s, with the average age around 32. Running a young adult ministry is not an easy task, but it bears much fruit.” Lance goes on to describe the three areas of activity and the type of functions YAG provides.

Faith Formation:
“Our primary focus is on the formation of our young adults. We meet every Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:00 pm and provide our members with a presentation of some kind. Occasionally we bring in outside speakers, and at other times we have our own members present in areas where they have particular expertise or interest.” Some of the recent topics included Sex and Love, Just War Theology, Faith Commitments in a Postmodern Society, Googling God. The primary objective is getting speakers who can answer the questions that young people are asking. Also, as part of formation efforts, YAG sponsors a young adults retreat in the spring of each year.

Socialization:
“We realize,” Lance goes on to say, “that our young adults are looking not only to grow in their faith but also to make friends with those who share their values.” To meet this need, YAG provides a variety of social events throughout the year, including game nights, camping trips, hikes, wine tasting parties and dances. As Lance describes it, “We recognize that it is essential that our members feel they are part of the YAG community. We try always to make people feel welcome. We also do what we can to empower them to take ownership of a particular event or activity.”

Community Service:
“One thing we try to do, but probably don’t do enough of,” Lance says, “is encourage our members to get out into the wider community and serve others. We do provide at least one regular volunteer opportunity each month. YAG also puts on an annual ‘talent show’ for the parish. All the solicited donations go to a charitable cause. Last year we raised almost $9,000, the bulk of which went to the Lima Center, a day ministry for the homeless.”

Lance’s final advice is to start small! “Focus on only one area and get that working well before branching out. Otherwise you run out of energy and people won’t come. Perhaps only one speaker a month is enough. Get that going and then branch out into socializing and service.”

Tom Sweetser, SJ & Peg Bishop, OSF
www.pepparish.org
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Parish Newsletter - June, 2008
A Service of the Parish Evaluation Project
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Reproduced on the OPRFM website with permission