- Youth ministry
Youth ministry is an age-specific
religious ministry and is the way in which afaith group, or otherreligious organization , engages with the young people who attend itsplace of worship , or live in itscommunity . Youth ministry will usually encompass one or more of the following:
*Encouraging young people who profess a faith to learn more about it and become more involved in spiritual life.
*Proselytism of young people who do not profess the faith of the organization, but who may have shown an interest.
*Providing openyouth club s or other activities for thecommon good of the young people, sometimes without an overtly religious agenda.As well as organizing events and activities, youth ministry will usually include some form of
religious education and a pastoral oversight of the young people.Christianity
Protestantism
In
Protestant churches, the term "ministry" often implies the service of an ordained minister orpastor . In youth ministry, however, this is not always the case — a youth ministry leader may be an ordained member of theclergy , an employedlay person , or avolunteer . Titles applied to youth ministry leaders vary widely as well, even within denominations, using terms such as "Youth Minister", "Youth Pastor", or simply "Youth Worker".Catholicism
Unlike the case in some Protestant churches, a Youth Minister in the
Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the clergy. Ministry, including youth ministry, is considered a function within the church. Therefore, one is more likely to hear the terms "Youth ministry leaders" or "Youth workers", rather than "Youth Ministers".Unitarian Universalism
There are many organizations within the
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (the primary organization of Unitarian Universalist Congregations in theUnited States ), as well as within theCanadian Unitarian Council (the national body for Unitarian Universalists inCanada ), which minister to and with Youth, of whichYoung Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) is the largest and most apparent. YRUU strongly emphasizesYouth empowerment , along withYouth-Adult partnership . There are also specific youth-oriented programs, such as Coming of Age, andOur Whole Lives , a lifespanSexual education program with a youth age group.Buddhism
The
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple in Singapore has a Youth Ministry, (kmsYM ) which serves as a platform for Buddhist youths to learn aboutBuddhism and serve the society via Buddhist values.ee also
*
Adolescence
*Youth culture
*Youth development
*Youth organizations External links
* [http://www.nywc.com National Youth Workers Convention]
* [http://www.youthspecialties.com Youth Specialties]
* [http://www.pastor2youth.com/index.php Pastor2youth - Youth Ministry Resources Galore]
* [http://www.youthworkers.net National Network of Youth Ministries]
* [http://www.youthwork.co.uk Youthwork - The Partnership]
* [http://www.kmspks.org/youth kmsYM program for Buddhist youths]
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