We all know that the Church faces critical ministry challenges. Research shows that 60% of young people fall away from the Faith as they grow into young adults. The coronavirus pandemic has made things even more difficult: a new study has found that ⅓ of people have stopped attending church altogether in the past few months. And the Centers for Disease Control has reported that one-in-four young adults have contemplated suicide this year.
Young people need the Church now more than ever. Yet ministry has, for decades, struggled to connect with them. And, as more programs have shifted online, more young people complain that they are “Zoomed out” and not interested in what the Church has to offer.
Why? And what can we do to connect people (especially youth and young adults) to the Church?
After years of research, Y2AM designed a new program to answer these questions and help you raise a new generation of faithful Orthodox Christians. “Effective Christian Ministry” is our new, cutting-edge ministry training program designed to help both clergy and laity lead young people to Christ. This program is transforming the way Orthodox Christians are responding to today’s ministry challenges. Over 650 people have already benefited from “Effective Christian Ministry.” In fact, many parishes have made the course required for all their ministry workers (from GOYA leaders to young adult workers to Sunday School teachers).
As one senior priest told us: “I could not be more grateful for ‘Effective Christian Ministry.’ As someone who worked directly in youth ministries for decades, I can say that this has been a long time coming. And I don't think it could fill the need we've had any better."
As a mom and ministry volunteer told us: “This is unlike anything I have ever read about or seen before. This training has exceeded my expectations and then some. I finally understand how I can change things--for myself, and then to help my own children and the families in our parish.”
And one father and ministry volunteer wrote to say: “I can’t thank you enough for how Y2AM is impacting our youth outreach and catechesis. ‘Effective Christian Ministry’ has raised the bar. Despite the obvious Zoom burnout, more kids are showing up each week. The word is getting out and we’re making a difference in the lives of the young people in our community.”
So what can you expect from the program?
“Effective Christian Ministry” includes Three Modules designed to help you lead transformational ministry in your home, community, or ministry program:
- The Mountains of Ministry
We start by diagnosing the problem in Module I. We can’t help young people stay connected with the Church if we don’t first understand why they’re falling away and disengaging from the Faith.
- Making a Ministry Map
Next, in Module II, we create a ministry map that will help us develop our strategy. We set forth the current state of ministry, where we need to go from here, and the five challenges standing in the way of effective Christian ministry.
- The Practices of Effective Ministry
Finally, in Module III, we respond to the five ministry challenges with the five practices of effective Christian ministry. These are the core practices that make up transformative ministry for today’s young people.
All students will have lifetime access to “Effective Christian Ministry” and be able to access the video lessons at their own pace, as many times as they want.
When you’re ready to transform the way you lead young people to Christ, use the code OBSERVER50 to access the course for 50% off the normal registration cost.
The code will expire at 12 pm Eastern on Friday, November 6.
Young people are struggling. Now is the time for us to lead more effective Christian ministry.
