Reflections For Those Building Youth Ministry

By the Rev. Enrique A. McCartney

The following series are available for anyone who is trying to build a youth ministry from scratch. Perhaps you are standing in an empty room, holding a sign-up sheet with no names. Perhaps you are questioning whether you are the right person for this work. Perhaps you have been at it for a while and need to return to the theological roots of why you began.

My own journey has been shaped by 26 years of ordained ministry. I served for nine years as Diocesan Youth Officer in the Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. I have both trained and helped to form youth leaders across the Province of the West Indies, the United States, and England. I have served as Rector of a parish and as Chaplain in two Anglican Episcopal schools. I now serve as a Campus Missioner, walking alongside college aged young people in that liminal space between adolescence and adulthood. Along the way, I earned a Master’s degree in Applied Theology of Youth Work. I have made my share of missteps in ministry. I have learned a few things. This series is my attempt to share what I can.

What these reflections are not: a formula, a guarantee, or a comprehensive program. They are simply an offering, a place to begin, made in the hope that something here might serve you and the young people God has entrusted to your care.

What these reflections are: honest, practical, and grounded in the quiet wisdom of our Episcopal tradition. They are written for the person who is trying to build something holy on a foundation of prayer, patience, and probably pizza. Our tradition reminds us that we are formed not by programs alone but by Word and Sacrament, by community, and by the slow, faithful work of the Holy Spirit.