When I first considered becoming a youth minister I remember some of the comments made by friends who had no idea what a youth minister does: “Well, what will you do for a full time job, since you can’t really make youth ministry a career?”, or, “All youth ministers play the guitar, go camping, and eat pizza…that is not a real job!”

For many years I have heard and been part of dialogues in which the primary focus has been to challenge these misconceptions, and to work to elevate the profession of youth ministry within the church. We do not simply provide a stop gap between children’s religious education and future adult participation in the community. What we do, who we are, and the ministry we offer is in and of itself valuable.

As a field, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who, in the last thirty years, have worked to offer our church a vision of comprehensive youth ministry. In their actions, ministry, and creative vision, these first generations of youth ministers challenged misconceptions and provided a framework within which youth ministers can develop and can articulate the many facets of ministry with teens.

We have listened to those already in the field; we have heeded their advice to gain a foundation in theology, to pursue training in catechetical areas and to embrace a vision of ministry in which the values of Renewing the Vision are deeply embedded.

For those who have entered the field of youth ministry in the past decade, there is no question as to whether or not this is a viable profession. It has proven to be so many times over. Our current challenge is not: “How does youth ministry become recognized as a profession?”, but, “How do we, as professionals, minister and act in a way that upholds the integrity of the field we have entered?”

We continue to seek ways to assess the effectiveness of our ministry in maintaining the objectives placed before us. There is, for many of us, an inherent level of professionalism which we strive to maintain.

As professionals, we recognize that:

• A Code of Ethics for Youth Ministry Leaders defines our ministerial roles, as well as our values for inclusion, accountability, confidentiality and referral, and personal conduct.
• The National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers sets forth concrete standards of personal maturity, lay ecclesial ministry identity, knowledge of Roman Catholic theology, professional praxis, and professional practice. With the approval and publication of these standards, we have a tool with which to assess the competencies necessary to healthy and fruitful ministry practices.
• Effective and pertinent training is vital to the formation and growth of youth ministry leaders. Conferences and academic programs are consistently expanding to meet the needs of the professional Catholic youth minister.
• The professional youth minister has a healthy spiritual life. The development of retreat experiences, support groups, and an emphasis on the importance of the faith life of the minister have resulted in youth ministers who are aware that tending to one’s own spiritual life promotes healthier ministry.

George Bernard Shaw once characterized all professions as "conspiracies against the laity." Erasing this characterization may be one of the greatest challenges we face in the profession of youth ministry. We must continue to share our efforts, leadership, and whatever perceived power and authority we have with those who are really in charge: God, our church leaders, parents and young people, and our core teams of adult leaders.

Points to Ponder

• How do you define yourself as a youth minister? A coordinator of youth ministry?  A lay ecclesial minister? The profession of youth ministry?
• What is your one-sentence “sound bite” for family and friends who ask about your job?
• How do you respond to: “What do you do for a living?”
• What “sound bite” do you provide if the pastoral council chair asks “What exactly is it that you do?”