My Story

In my parish and community everyone was a volunteer, so it did not occur to me that youth ministry could be or was a paid position. I am the mother of three and have always been a parent who kept busy by volunteering.

I was so caught up in doing God’s work that I did not know people got paid to do this. I believed volunteering in my parish was called stewardship, and I was being a good steward. My intent was to help chaperone the youth ministry events in which my daughters were participating at our local parish. That is where I became hooked!

I was excited about what the young people in my church and community were learning through youth group. I began to feel that I wanted to become more than just a chaperone.

It was not long before others began to sense the excitement in me. The parish director of religious education asked me if I would be interested in becoming the new youth minister as the current youth minister was leaving the parish. At the time, the term “youth minister” was pretty foreign. I said no! I felt I had the desire, but not the skill.

Later that summer, I was asked to job share as a co-youth minister. This time I accepted. It was not long before the other co-minister decided to leave, and there I was…the youth minister. Even though I still had the desire, some skill, and the faith of others, I knew I needed training.

Becoming a Professional

Training and certification are the keys to any profession. These qualifications answer the most asked questions: How do I know what I know? By whose authority did I learn it? How do we validate what knowledge and skills we bring to our youth, parish, school, and community?

We do all of these by seeking knowledge, getting credit for obtaining that knowledge, and then putting that knowledge into action.

We can also seek those who mentor. We need to learn from those who are good at what they do, so we can do the same. We need to be willing to pass on what we have learned so that others can obtain the same level of knowledge and professionalism.

Most of all we need to have faith: Faith in the God who called us to become youth ministers; faith to be disciples of Jesus; faith to trust Jesus to guide us through our ministry; faith in the Holy Spirit to be both innovative and creative.

Today I Am

I did not know I was becoming a volunteer professional until after years of training, attending various workshops, being mentored, mentoring, working in my local parish and diocese, and attending diocesan, regional, and national events.

I am a professional youth minister because of the training, time, and commitment that I have put into learning my craft. Being paid (or not paid) does not affect who I have become.

There are many reasons why there are volunteer youth ministers in parishes around the country. They should be called professional if they have put in the time to become well-trained and well-practiced.