Goals and Objectives for Young Adult Ministry
Introduction:
The Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry works with pastoral ministers, campus ministers, volunteers and young adults supporting single and married Catholics in their late teens, twenties and thirties as we develop and strengthen relationships with Christ, one another, and the wider community. In the document Sons and Daughters of the Light, the U.S. Bishops identified four goals for young adult ministry. These too are the foundation of the specific goals and objectives for the Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministry.
- Connecting Young Adults with Jesus Christ
- Connecting Young Adults with the Church
- Connecting Young Adults with the mission of the Church in the world
- Connecting Young Adults with a peer community
Goal 1: Advocate on behalf of young adults (18-35, single
& married) with diocesan departments, parish
communities and the Western New York
community
Objective 1: Create and publish articles concerning relevant and
current trends in young adult ministry in
The Western New York Catholic, E-newsletter
for the Departments of
Lifelong Faith Formation, Parish Life, and Youth & Young Adult
Ministry (quarterly articles beginning September 2009)
Objective 2: Establish training sessions for the Catholic Education Division and Pastoral Life
Division (January 2010)
Objective 3: Design learning sessions and presentations for vicars meeting and letters to the
vicariates (January 2010)
Objective 4: Train Diocesan Evangelization Teams in the needs of young adults
Objective 5: Prepare young adults as parish advocates on “How to develop young adult friendly
communities” (spring 2010)
Goal 2: Provide support, resources and trainings for parish leaders on young adult
ministry, generational tendencies, communication techniques, and
evangelization efforts
Objective 1: Develop a consultation process for parish communities
(January 2010)
Objective 2: Create real and relevant power point presentations
to be posted and offered for parish leaders: (November 2009)
- Who are Young Adult Catholics?
- Y Evangelize
- Communicating with Millennials
Objective 3: Establish and update Young Adult Ministry Ideas, a compilation of book & web tools
for parish leaders. These tools will include power point presentations, parish
assessments, and a bibliography. All materials above may be downloaded from the
department website.
(Spring 2010)
Objective 4: Create young adult interest and needs finder template for parish
communities (Summer 2010)
Objective 5: Introduce online resources and podcasts for young adult and parish use
(Summer 2010)
Objective 6: Establish Campus Connection Initiative which creates pathways to connect young
adults from their parish to the campus Catholic community and then from the campus
Catholic community to the parish community (April 2010)
A) Collect names, contact information and the university or college that students
will be attending from Catholic High Schools and parishes
B) Correlate information to send it to University or College Campus Ministry
programs with a letter to suggest some ways to use the information
C) Fashion a College Connection Parish Resource Packet to include student send-off
ideas, how to prepare a student for send-off, ideas on how to stay connected to
student parishioners during their college years, how to be a welcoming
community to returning or new college graduates
D) Link to resources for young adult college students on department website
E) Provide resources on-line that will help young adults after graduation from
college
Goal 3: Facilitate department communication efforts to
and for Generation X, Millennial Generation
Catholics, and seekers in parishes and the
community
Objective 1: Reformat the young adult section of the department
website, creating avenues to make information
readily available for parish leaders and young adults
(November – December 2009)
Objective 2: Establish a database of young adult leaders
(including pastors, pastoral ministers, campus ministers, and young adult parish
coordinators) (beginning September 2009, ongoing)
Objective 3: Establish a presence for young adults in the Diocese on Facebook
(January 2010)
Goal 4: Facilitate strategic collaborations and leadership
in the area of Catholic young adult ministry
Objective 1: Establish a Young Adult Ministry Committee
composed of diocesan, parish and young
adult leaders
A) Originate a young adult needs survey for
possible parish and diocesan use
Objective2: Develop strong collaborative relationships with:
Lifelong Faith Formation
Promote, help and connect growth and learning
opportunities to young adults
Family Life Ministries
Promote, help and connect Family Life offerings to
young adults (engaged, married, young families,
separated, divorced or experiencing difficult marriages)
Vocations
Promote, help and connect young adults exploring a vocation to priesthood or
religious life to vocation directors and the Network of Vocation Directors of WNY
Parish Life
Promote, help and connect young adults to offerings through parish life and
evangelization efforts.
Cultural Diversity
Promote, help and affirm the diversity inherent in the young adult generations and
connect young adults to parish and diocesan offerings.
Catholic Schools
Promote, help and connect young adult teachers and parents to parish based
resources for young adults.
Tribunal
Seek avenues to reach young adults needing services and questions regarding the
annulment process
Campus Ministry Vicariate
Promote, help and connect campus ministry centers and young adults and continue
to explore parish to campus connections and transitions
Objective 3: Explore, in collaboration with the Department of Lifelong Faith Formation, revisions
and possible renewal of the iServe program
This endeavor is a pathways to ministry project for the Diocese of Buffalo. iServe is a
program for young adults (20’s & 30’s). It will foster a deeper understanding of one’s
gifts and the leadership skills needed for the Catholic Church of the new
millennium. Church leadership skills, diversity training, and other learning
opportunities will prepare participants for effective lay leadership within parish
communities.
(Fall 2010)
Goal 5: Facilitate young adult ministry pilot projects that connect young adults and parish
communities to Jesus, the Church, the Church’s mission in the world and the peer
community.
Objective 1: Partner with parishes and communities on Charis, online and Busy Person retreats
Objective 2: Develop strategies for leadership development of the 18-22 year old young adult
population (January 2010)
Objective 3: Explore the need and possibility of a Catholic School teachers’ (20’s & 30’s) retreat in
collaboration with the Departments of Lifelong Faith Formation & Catholic Schools
(Summer 2010)
Objective 4: Encourage parish communities to embrace evangelization opportunities on community
college campuses (ECC, GCC, JCC, NCCC)
Objective 5: Advocate for Elmwood Village parish outreach initiatives
Young Adult Ministry Plan 
We can provide resources, consultations, and helpful advice. Please contact Laurie Marshanke (lmarshanke@buffalodiocese.org) or 716-847-8789 for more details.