Highlights


All About Leadership The term 'leadership' has many connotations and interpretations. Many times it is used to refer to those who embrace change and lead and inspire the change of organizations for the betterment of all. Some people believe that leadership occurs only at the top levels of organizations and that managing occurs in the levels farther down the organization. Some people believe that leadership occurs (or should occur) throughout the organization, while others believe that managing and leading occur at many levels of the organization and are interchangeable. Very simply put, a leader is someone who sets direction in an effort and influences people to follow that direction. Leaders set direction by developing a clear vision and mission, and conducting planning that determines the goals needed to achieve the vision and mission. They motivate by using a variety of methods, including facilitation, coaching, mentoring, directing, delegating, etc. There are many views about what characteristics and traits leaders should possess. There are also numerous theories about leadership, or about carrying out the role of leader, e.g., servant leader, democratic leader, principle-centered leader, group-man theory, great-man theory, traits theory, visionary leader, total leader, situational leader, etc. Hopefully this issue of NACYML News will provide you with an opportunity to explore ways in which you serve as a leader, ways in which you inspire and cultivate leadership in others, and ways to enhance leadership abilities.

New Leadership Team Members Each year, NACYML has been blessed with a leadership team of gifted and generous people. This year is no different. Within the structure of this team, certain roles of leadership are discerned for the smooth functioning of the association. This year, the Leadership Team gathered April 10-13 at Washington Theological Union to set the agenda for the upcoming year. In addition to the ongoing work of the coordinating committees, project teams and various subcommittees, there was discernment for new leadership positions roles. See the newly discerned positions. Regional Representatives The NACYML Leadership Team is committed to establishing and maintaining good communication with you. When you have questions, ideas, or find yourself in need of information, feel free to contact your regional representative. You should be receiving periodic updates from your regional representative, in addition to those received from the NACYML office. NACYML Receives Financial Grant Recently, the Catholic Youth Foundation USA (CYFUSA) awarded NACYML a grant in the amount of $1,875. NACYML Receives Financial Grant NACYML is very excited to receive this grant, which will be used to further the profession of Catholic youth ministry by offsetting costs associated with the upcoming online courses offered in collaboration with Ministry Training Source (MTS). CYFUSA, a subsidiary of the NFCYM, offers grants and scholarships to help offset costs associated with youth programs throughout the country, helping to strengthen the Catholic Church and the skills and competencies of the adults who have answered the call to youth ministry. Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord (USCCB, 2005) emphasizes the need to have programs that allow youth ministers to increase in their knowledge, skills, and formation in order for lay ecclesial ministry to succeed. We are grateful that CYFUSA recognizes that our project meets those goals and has given us the ability to move forward in our collaboration with MTS. We look forward to both creating a learning environment that will challenge and enrich your ministry and your personal lives, and to participating in these courses with you. We are truly blessed by the incredible resources that we have to offer to our members. Since we are a member driven organization, we are dedicated to bringing more programs to you!		From the Chair Moving Forward It is with a different perspective that I approach this quarter’s newsletter. I have written these columns as a voice of the leadership team and have offered articles as a member of the newsletter committee. This is the first time I have actually written as the Leadership Team Chairperson. There is no better topic for me at this time than leadership development. Read Mary's article… Also Featuring… Be Not Afraid: Cross the Desert to Online Learning Our education and development as youth ministry leaders is increasingly dependent on the Internet. There are universities and dioceses with entire courses and degrees online. Some of our most loved publishers have resources that are exclusively online. Harcourt, St. Mary’s Press, the Center for Ministry Development, and Ministry Training Source are just a few. In our busy ministerial lives, we find increasingly more difficult to go to one more place or do one more thing, even though we know time for ourselves and for prayer is of ultimate importance. Read more about NACYML's online learning opportunities… Being a Youth Leader in the Image of Christ In researching the topic of Jesus as a model for youth leadership, I found several books with promising titles referring to Jesus and servant leadership. While the books were amply filled with Bible quotations, they tended to describe how one can use Jesus’ “techniques” to run a successful business, to be a corporate leader, and, one could assume, become a millionaire in the process. This was not exactly the kind of leadership model I was looking for! Read more on this topic… Leadership Development in Catholic Scouting When it comes to methods of identifying and forming leaders in youth ministry, a resource available for youth ministers is the methodology used by both Girl Scouts USA and the Boy Scouts of America. Find out how by reading further...

Biennial NACYML Membership Gathering NCCYM in Celeveland on Thursday, December 4 The next Membership Gathering is scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 2008, immediately preceding the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM) in Cleveland, Ohio. The NCCYM is the largest adult conference for Catholic youth ministers in the country, and is sponsored biennially by the NFCYM in order to help form and transform adults ministering to youth in the Catholic Church. NACYML members receive a discount on the NCCYM registration fees. To claim your $20 discount, you must enter the discount code listed on the Members' website. More information and registration links can be found on the NCCYM website, or by downloading the informational flyer. (347 KB)

A Picture Is Worth... Articles in this newsletter correspond to the Core Competencies detailed in the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers. Look for the symbol in the article that indicates which core competency the article addresses. To learn more about the standards, see the resource page which is always accessible from the newsletter navigation bar. It provides a summary of the core competencies and the specialized competencies for youth ministry leaders.

Faithful Citizenship Youth Website Seeks Photographs of Teens in Action! Are you planning to participate in a diocesan lobby day, a letter writing campaign, or some other action to advocate for policies that promote human life and dignity? Be sure to take your camera with you! Catholic young people can now submit photographs of themselves putting their faith into action to be featured on the youth website that is a new initiative by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to reach out to teens with the messages of Faithful Citizenship. A Photography Gallery on the Faithful Citizenship Website will feature submissions received (with parental approval) and celebrate the work of young people to stand for and with the vulnerable. The USCCB is currently seeking photographs for this site. Please encourage the young people you work with to submit their photographs today! For more information, please contact Jill Rauh via e-mail. Faithful Citizenship Website See the Faithful Citizenship website for resources and more information, or download the informational flyer. (190 KB)
Print the Newsletter! Two print options offer streamlined process for printing NACYML News. Use your browser's print function or click on the " Print this page" link at the bottom of the right-hand navigation column to print an individual page. Print the entire issue by using the link below. This will open a single PDF document made up of "printed pages" of each article in order. Or, download this PDF to your computer by right-clicking the link and selecting "Save Target As..." With the PDF file open, click the printer command in the Adobe Reader interface and the entire issue will be printed. Download the PDF print file for this entire issue. (392 KB)