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Certificate Program in Youth Ministry Studies™

Equipping leaders with the knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques needed for creative and comprehensive youth ministry. The Certificate Program in Youth Ministry Studies™ helps to create a common vision for effective youth ministry in your diocese or region, forging a connected network of leaders and promoting collaboration among parishes, schools, and diocesan staff.

Now Accepting Sponsors and Students for 2022!

Benefits

Confidence

Participants gain greater confidence in their capabilities by successfully applying current theory and integrating innovative approaches into their ongoing work with young people.

Competence

A comprehensive sequence of courses provides a solid foundation of theory, theology, and practical approaches, which can be applied in any parish or school youth ministry setting.

Credibility

This nationally-recognized curriculum has been offered in 25 sites and sponsored by over 50 dioceses, whose graduates are in parish, school, and diocesan leadership positions all over the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and Scotland.

Certificate Courses

Context of Youth Ministry

Beginning with the ministry of Jesus and understanding that the Church is a sacrament of Christ, youth ministers will move from the Biblical roots to the contemporary context in the following topics:

  • The mission of the Church
  • The Biblical roots of ministry
  • Ministry in the early Church
  • The eight components of youth ministry
  • Modern adolescents

The Person of the Youth Minister

Recognizing that the youth minister is a disciple, care is given to the personal formation of the person. They will deepen their interior life with the Lord and understand themselves as a public minister through the following topics:

  • Being a disciple who disciples others
  • Authentic witnesses to the faith
  • The path of self-understanding
  • Praying as the Lord created me to pray
  • My path to holiness

Youth Ministry Management

Leadership in youth ministry requires management skills. The course seeks to raise the level of competency of youth ministers through:

  • Skills in training, retaining, and maintaining volunteers
  • Effective budget management
  • Understanding leadership styles and practices
  • Strategies for working as part of a team

Parish Infrastructure for Youth Ministry

Regardless of parish size, location, and demographics, a successful infrastructure can be recreated. The analogy of the course is that of artwork supported by the three legs of an easel, seen through the following:

  • Navigating the parish dynamic
  • Fostering youth leadership
  • Engaging parents in discipleship
  • Involving the entire parish in youth ministry
    • Programming for fruitful ministry

Forming Catholic Identity

Catholic youth ministers receive a mandate from the Church to foster a uniquely Catholic spirituality and worldview within the teens to whom they minister. The course seeks to help teens grow in both the understanding and practice of their faith through:

  • Deepening their liturgical spirituality
  • Reflection on their own practice of the faith
  • Examining the current cultural context
  • Skills for nurturing Catholic identity
  • Create experiences that are uniquely Catholic

Prayer and Worship

Liturgical prayer is the place where our salvation is worked out and studies reveal that daily personal prayer is the most common behavior among those who remain engaged in their faith. The course will present a vision and strategies for rooting teens liturgically and in personal prayer through:

  • Exploring methods for personal prayer
  • Learning to plan meaningful experiences of prayer
  • Instruction in ways to raise up liturgical leadership
  • Preparation of liturgical celebrations
  • Effective retreat preparation

Pastoral Care

Today’s youth ministers face different realities. There is a growing need to address the state of mental health among adolescents and also a desire among other adolescents to move more deeply in their walk with the Lord. The course seeks to:

  • Give an overview of the psychological development of teens
  • Help youth ministers assess the needs of teens
  • Aid youth ministers in the art of accompaniment
  • Provide guidance in building a network of professionals

Forming Missionary Disciples

The Church has a single mission to reconcile all things to the Father in Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. This single mission has two aspects. One is found in the Church’s evangelistic efforts and another is found in her work for justice. This course will:

  • Explore the Church’s evangelistic mission
  • Provide evangelistic strategies for reaching teens
  • Explore the Church’s social teaching
  • Provide strategies for engaging teens in works of justice
  • Help equip teens as evangelists

Opportunities to Join

  •   Sponsor a Program

    Provide a program with much-needed financial support.

  •   Enroll in a Program

    Grow your own knowledge and experience base to make your youth ministry the best it can be.

  •   Learn About Programs in Canada, Ireland, and Scotland

    If you're interested in joining one of our international programs, contact us for more information.

Learn More

We are currently accepting sponsorships and enrollments for 2022. Are you a diocese interested in sponsoring a program or a student looking to attain your certificate? Please contact us for more information.