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The Art of Forming Young Disciples: Why Youth Ministries Aren't Working and What to Do About It
Not long ago, veteran Youth Minister Everett Fritz counted the number of his former Youth Group members who were still practicing the Faith.
The result? Almost all of themhad left the Faith!
Fritz learned that otherparishes reported similar staggering losses, pointing to a grim truth: today's Youth Ministries simply do not form young people into lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
Not satisfied with these dismal results, Fritz devised a different way of forming young people in the Faith. It's an approach that can truly transform the spiritual lives of young people by applying the same one-to-one personal method that Jesus Himself used to form his twelve original disciples . . . only one of whom was lost!
Fritz has worked with countless parishes, helping them make the shift to a small-group discipleship structure. You'll learn to avoid the many pitfalls and common mistakes parishes make, as well as ways you can easily build the volunteer base needed for a successful transition.
He will help you create a comfortable environment that leads young people into self-reflection, as well as the critical role parents and the parish community play in youth formation.
Finally, Fritz shares various resources that can help you accomplish your goal. But he warns: you're not running a program that has been pre-developed. Relationships and mentoring make disciples; programs do not.
If you're troubled by the number of young people in your parish who leave the Faith year after year, then open these illuminating pages and learn the art of forming young disciples.
The result? Almost all of themhad left the Faith!
Fritz learned that otherparishes reported similar staggering losses, pointing to a grim truth: today's Youth Ministries simply do not form young people into lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
Not satisfied with these dismal results, Fritz devised a different way of forming young people in the Faith. It's an approach that can truly transform the spiritual lives of young people by applying the same one-to-one personal method that Jesus Himself used to form his twelve original disciples . . . only one of whom was lost!
Fritz has worked with countless parishes, helping them make the shift to a small-group discipleship structure. You'll learn to avoid the many pitfalls and common mistakes parishes make, as well as ways you can easily build the volunteer base needed for a successful transition.
He will help you create a comfortable environment that leads young people into self-reflection, as well as the critical role parents and the parish community play in youth formation.
Finally, Fritz shares various resources that can help you accomplish your goal. But he warns: you're not running a program that has been pre-developed. Relationships and mentoring make disciples; programs do not.
If you're troubled by the number of young people in your parish who leave the Faith year after year, then open these illuminating pages and learn the art of forming young disciples.
114 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2018
33 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 16, 2024
Great book that speaks to the heart of what every person desires. Highlights meeting the importance of meeting the needs of teens and how failing to do so has lifelong effects.
April 14, 2019
This year, I went back to being a Confirmation catechist, so this book found me a receptive reader, to say the least. I found myself unable to put it down, and though the topic is youth ministry, I would posit that this book presents a problem that many adults in their late 20s and 30s also face.
With chapters titled “We Are Losing Our Youth” and “The Parish Problem: Why Youth Groups Fail,” Fritz isn’t holding back. I give him credit, though: He doesn’t just point fingers and talk smack. Part 3 is all about the proposed solution.
Spoiler alert: We are all part of the solution. And that’s the takeaway that I think makes this book almost a must-read for every parent of every Confirmation student I have. (They won’t. But I can dream, can’t I?) What our kids want – and what we want, too, from what I’ve seen – is community. That’s the beautiful part of what the Body of Christ is about. And Fritz offers some ideas that, while they may not work exactly as he proposes, at least get us thinking and hopefully taking some action.
With chapters titled “We Are Losing Our Youth” and “The Parish Problem: Why Youth Groups Fail,” Fritz isn’t holding back. I give him credit, though: He doesn’t just point fingers and talk smack. Part 3 is all about the proposed solution.
Spoiler alert: We are all part of the solution. And that’s the takeaway that I think makes this book almost a must-read for every parent of every Confirmation student I have. (They won’t. But I can dream, can’t I?) What our kids want – and what we want, too, from what I’ve seen – is community. That’s the beautiful part of what the Body of Christ is about. And Fritz offers some ideas that, while they may not work exactly as he proposes, at least get us thinking and hopefully taking some action.
May 6, 2018
I would highly recommend this book for anybody involved in youth ministry of any kind. Some times the bold “new” ideas are really the old, tried and true ones that we inherited from Jesus and the Apostles themselves. This book takes an honest look at the climate of youth ministry and endeavours to offer a way forward that will make disciples in parishes of all sizes and configurations.
February 15, 2025
Shoutout to Kelly Ll who forced me to read this book against my will
June 3, 2020
Great book, put words and solutions to what many of us have seen in youth ministry in the last decade. A must read for those who work in youth and campus ministries
April 24, 2018
This book was the kick in the butt I needed to recognize our parish programs are failing and to actually do something about it. I finished it in two sittings. The solution is simple. Focus small to grow big- Jesus changed the word with just 12 men. You can’t argue with the fruits of programs that use the same small group model- FOCUS, Young Life, Alpha, etc. I’m highly motivated and excited now with this information to restructure our youth ministry and confirmation prep!
May 14, 2023
This has given me a lot to think about!!!
July 24, 2020
This brief yet effective book is on the need to change the way American churches conduct youth ministry. Fritz has put his theories into practice, and so his book is permeated with real-life stories of the effectiveness of new models of youth ministries. I appreciated his musings on Jan Tyranowski - JP II's small group leader in Poland in the 1930s. That Polish layman had no theological training - just a heart for young people and for the Gospel. He mentored just five boys, teaching them how to pray and how to lead other young people in the Church. In turn, each of these boys mentored twelve other boys. JP II was one of the five, and his life and work and pontificate have obviously changed the world.
Fritz's thesis is that intentional adult to teen mentoring within the context of a Christian small group will revitalize youth ministry and therefore the Church. "Youth group" doesn't make lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ; intentional small groups with adult mentoring, fellowship, accountability, and prayer do. Small groups give young people the space to be themselves and also to be receptive to long-term mentoring by experienced Christians. Fritz encourages the reader to leave behind the old, nineties style youth ministry that culminates in the "youth night" at church: basically opening worship, a fun game, food, and some Bible study. The programmatic style of ministry is clearly not working in our age as the Church is bleeding young people.
Fritz also describes how he's placed this small-group model into practice. It worked. He urges youth leaders to take a similar approach:
- Ask a believing couple who have high school age child(ren) out to coffee. Mentor them. Introduce them to the idea of a small group.
- The couple reaches out to the parents of their child's friends, inviting them to a small group that would meet at a coffee shop or home. Meet these parents. Introduce them to what the small group would be. All parents want their children to be spiritually and emotionally healthy, so most parents should be open to a small group idea.
- Work with the original couple on identifying a leader for this small group.
- Train and mentor the leader.
- Let the small group do its thing.
- Repeat.
It's not difficult; organizing fresh, new entertainments and big-production events once a week for teens is! This relational, small-group model is based on parent involvement. It is organic, not programmatic.
Fritz's thesis is that intentional adult to teen mentoring within the context of a Christian small group will revitalize youth ministry and therefore the Church. "Youth group" doesn't make lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ; intentional small groups with adult mentoring, fellowship, accountability, and prayer do. Small groups give young people the space to be themselves and also to be receptive to long-term mentoring by experienced Christians. Fritz encourages the reader to leave behind the old, nineties style youth ministry that culminates in the "youth night" at church: basically opening worship, a fun game, food, and some Bible study. The programmatic style of ministry is clearly not working in our age as the Church is bleeding young people.
Fritz also describes how he's placed this small-group model into practice. It worked. He urges youth leaders to take a similar approach:
- Ask a believing couple who have high school age child(ren) out to coffee. Mentor them. Introduce them to the idea of a small group.
- The couple reaches out to the parents of their child's friends, inviting them to a small group that would meet at a coffee shop or home. Meet these parents. Introduce them to what the small group would be. All parents want their children to be spiritually and emotionally healthy, so most parents should be open to a small group idea.
- Work with the original couple on identifying a leader for this small group.
- Train and mentor the leader.
- Let the small group do its thing.
- Repeat.
It's not difficult; organizing fresh, new entertainments and big-production events once a week for teens is! This relational, small-group model is based on parent involvement. It is organic, not programmatic.
June 20, 2018
The two main recommendations in the book are worthwhile, which are that direct mentoring of young people is key and smaller communities rather than larger programs are the desired setting. All of that is established in the first part of the book, with some helpful step-by-step recommendations at the end (like how to get a small community started, how to recruit parent leaders, etc.). I appreciated this book in the initial stages.
In the second half of the book, the author goes well beyond his area of knowledge. He is incredibly harsh on Catholic schools, seemingly on the basis of a few news reports of exceptional cases such as ones involving gay faculty who get married. He even comments on the Land O Lakes agreement and blames it (without any supporting evidence) for the downfall of most Catholic colleges… with certain exceptions, which happen to align with the Cardinal Newman Society’s list.
As a youth minister with valuable experience and a couple important insights, the author has something useful to share, but not enough was included to sustain this book. By trying to comment on too much in too thin a manner, the whole book became rather suspect in my eyes.
In the second half of the book, the author goes well beyond his area of knowledge. He is incredibly harsh on Catholic schools, seemingly on the basis of a few news reports of exceptional cases such as ones involving gay faculty who get married. He even comments on the Land O Lakes agreement and blames it (without any supporting evidence) for the downfall of most Catholic colleges… with certain exceptions, which happen to align with the Cardinal Newman Society’s list.
As a youth minister with valuable experience and a couple important insights, the author has something useful to share, but not enough was included to sustain this book. By trying to comment on too much in too thin a manner, the whole book became rather suspect in my eyes.
January 27, 2024
I agree with the premise of the book, in which youth ministry needs to address the basic spiritual and emotional needs of the teens. Jesus engaged 12 disciples and walked with them daily, which is where youth ministry typically lacks.
However, I partially disagree with Fritz that moving to a small group only approach is detrimental to the ministry. I have seen this model be really successful over a span of 4-7 years, but each group eventually dies out unless they are actively recruiting. It is natural for a small groups that are built around high schoolers to wane, as high schoolers are around for 4 years before going onto college or trade school. As long as there is good oversight and support, this method has potential for success in the long-term of creating lifelong disciples.
However, I partially disagree with Fritz that moving to a small group only approach is detrimental to the ministry. I have seen this model be really successful over a span of 4-7 years, but each group eventually dies out unless they are actively recruiting. It is natural for a small groups that are built around high schoolers to wane, as high schoolers are around for 4 years before going onto college or trade school. As long as there is good oversight and support, this method has potential for success in the long-term of creating lifelong disciples.
March 7, 2018
Bukunya sangat bagus!
Beberapa komentar singkat:
1. Rasanya semua pemikiran saya terkait kegiatan orang muda katolik atau yang sejenisnya dibahas dan didukung di buku ini.
2. Hal utama dalam proses menjadi murid ialah kualitas relasi antara guru dan murid. Makanya filsafat pendidikan atau pedagogi menjadi penting! Terutama bagi mereka yang berkecimpung dalam formasi iman.
3. Proses mentoring juga tidak kalah penting bagi anak muda, justru malah hal ini yang tidak didapatkan dari kegiatan2 OMK yang saya ketahui.
Udah itu saja. Selebihnya silakan baca sendiri.
Beberapa komentar singkat:
1. Rasanya semua pemikiran saya terkait kegiatan orang muda katolik atau yang sejenisnya dibahas dan didukung di buku ini.
2. Hal utama dalam proses menjadi murid ialah kualitas relasi antara guru dan murid. Makanya filsafat pendidikan atau pedagogi menjadi penting! Terutama bagi mereka yang berkecimpung dalam formasi iman.
3. Proses mentoring juga tidak kalah penting bagi anak muda, justru malah hal ini yang tidak didapatkan dari kegiatan2 OMK yang saya ketahui.
Udah itu saja. Selebihnya silakan baca sendiri.
October 12, 2018
Insightful and right on the money as to why youth ministries aren't working. They don't want to play silly games and talk about faith with strangers. They want to have fun and have deeper conversations with friends and those they feel comfortable with. It will be a process to change things, but with the right faith formation leaders and parents who are committed and involved, great strides can be made. I look forward to using some of these faith formation techniques at my own church.
April 1, 2020
I found this book easily accessible as it was written in clear language. Fritz's advocacy of small group youth discipleship was logical in that it allows for real relationships that traditional youth group ministries are unable to accomplish. It reminded me of why I prefer forensics to full plays - I can connect more with each individual student because I am working with them one on one (or one on five - you get the idea) rather than one on 20.
August 31, 2021
Awesome book for youth ministry. Really puts everyone’s perspective on why the typical parish youth ministry does not work. The solution offered has been tested by the author himself and has proven to be successful in impacting lives not just of the youth but of the parents and the parish as a whole.
February 6, 2023
I like the ideas for small group ministry, but find the author's attitude a bit off putting. The first 80 pages of this book is "nothing is working and we need to abandon traditional catechesis (which, arguably is what got us here in the first place). This book is really only effective in the last 25 pages and would be better as a booklet.
April 6, 2024
Short book with valuable insights from a seasoned youth minister who has shifted his approach away from what hasn't been working in creating lifelong disciples (youth groups, youth activities, and religious ed) to what does work: mentorship, small groups, and relationships that actually meet the pastoral needs of teens and parents.
April 30, 2019
Decent book with solid ideas. As someone who has an extensive background in youth leadership, I knew most of what was presented in the book. That being said, it still was a nice reminder of what works and what fails when working with our youth.
May 22, 2018
Can't wait to get pastor and more parishioners on board to try these suggestions.
It is a simple, quick read, but I think we'll worth it.
It is a simple, quick read, but I think we'll worth it.
June 4, 2018
Not what I thought it would be. Wasn't as practical as I would have liked. Nothing was in this book that I hadn't already read in basic blog posts and other books.
July 18, 2018
Eye opener
The book offers practical solutions to a serious Church problem, both domestic and universal. Turning a blind eye never works.
The book offers practical solutions to a serious Church problem, both domestic and universal. Turning a blind eye never works.
September 30, 2018
Absolutely a game-changer for youth ministry. Inspired me to redo my entire program.
February 4, 2022
I would highly recommend this book to a parish looking to start or enhance a youth ministry, recognizing that it is a good book, but not every word is gospel.
March 18, 2022
4.5 impactful book
August 18, 2022
While I concur with the author’s diagnosis of the problems with youth ministry, I think the solutions presented are way oversimplified.
June 12, 2023
Fritz argues for a teen-centered approach, rather than a program-centered approach. It's well worth considering. I'm reading through it for a second time.
November 6, 2024
This is a great youth ministry resource.
February 9, 2025
fr. paul,
i really want your thoughts on this book, especially the author’s proposed solution. please read.
sincerely,
your spiritual daughter (k-dawg)
i really want your thoughts on this book, especially the author’s proposed solution. please read.
sincerely,
your spiritual daughter (k-dawg)
July 24, 2024
This is a must read for all youth ministers, leaders, and pastors in the Catholic Church!
August 22, 2021
The author's plan is a bit impractical and depends on the parish having a close knit community of adults willing to devote lots of their time to forming relationships with near strangers.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews