FAITH THAT MOVES: EQUIPPING TEENS FOR REAL SERVICE

There are only so many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you can make before the teens revolt. Early on in ministry I collaborated with several other youth ministers to design a summer service camp for middle school students. It was hard finding organizations that would partner with us due to the size of our group and age of our campers. 

Because we could not fill the schedule we always had a default day where the teens would go from station to station, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, greeting cards and casseroles. And no matter how hard we tried to liven things up (e.g., create challenges, incentives, etc.) the teens would end up revolting. It was the least rewarding part of the week. 

Sound familiar?Many of us want young people to serve in meaningful ways. But planning service activities to keep the calendar full, service can lose its why.

WHY THIS MATTERS

If we want teens to grow as disciples, service can’t just be about showing up. It needs to help them wrestle with the Gospel call to love, stand with those on the margins, and see Christ in others.

We need to connect service to formation. Instead of making mission work and serving in the parish a separate component of parish life we have to show how they are tied together. There is so much our Catholic faith teaches on these subjects, but if there is no call to action in our preaching or catechetical opportunities we're missing a huge opportunity to form young disciples. 

We need them to reflect, to talk about justice, to see that their faith matters in the real world. Our young people are fully aware of the issues happening in our country and abroad. They discuss them in their homes, at school and search for answers from the usual outlets (e.g., social media). But, do they know what the Church says about immigration, homelessness, gender equality, etc.? 

Is your parish singularly focused when it comes to faith justice or do you help young people see how broad it is? Do you help them see how the love and grace of God brings light into the darkness that injustice brings? 

Young people are searching for purpose, and they want to explore their identity further. The local Church has a responsibility for showing them why faith matters.

A SIMPLE FRAMEWORK

That doesn’t mean you have to invent an entire new program from scratch. And I'm not suggesting you have to do "one more thing". Over the last 20 years here is how I've seen this work in a parish setting:

Here’s one way I’ve seen this work in youth ministry:

Prepare: Talk about why you’re serving, who you’re serving, what Catholic Social Teaching says.

It's not about clocking hours to receive a sacrament or advance in school. Why the parish offers opportunities to serve should be directly tied to our faith. No matter what you are doing help them discover how this is tied to scripture, the Corporal Works of Mercy, a certain encyclical (e.g. Laudato Si) or something that helps them discover how the Church is involved.

Serve: Get your hands dirty—literally or figuratively. Make it real.

Don't just make your opportunities a message you give from the pulpit or a book that you give them to read. Do a project, create a plan and try something, even if it there is the possibility for failure. 

Reflect: Process the experience. What was hard? Surprising? Where was God?

After you serve (or even during it), give the teens time to process, reflect, ask questions and testify. Help them identify and measure where they see the impact God can have on the situation. This might involve a follow-up gathering, small group discussions or just a chance to talk one on one. Regardless of what you do, make sure teens have a chance to process. 

Act Again: Challenge them to make service part of their life, not a one-time thing.

Try to partner with organizations that involve ongoing service. Where are places people can serve consistently so that they can continue beyond your individual offerings? Most people will continue to serve if they know how to keep it going. When your service is erratic they'll lose interest and momentum.

You don’t need big budgets. You don’t need 40 teens. You need intentionality.

HOW WE CAN HELP

That’s what Faith in Action Cohort is designed for.

It’s a virtual cohort (Aug 20–Oct 2, 2025) for ministers who serve with youth who want to lead high school students into real, faith-filled service.

For $10, you get:

• A tested framework you can adapt to your context

• Tools and ideas for leading reflection and prayer

• A chance to learn with other leaders asking the same questions

We know your time is tight. This is designed to help you prepare now for the year ahead so service isn’t an afterthought—it’s part of how you form disciples.

WANT TO JOIN?

You can read more HERE with our program overview. But if you are ready to sign up click HERE

Let’s help our teens move from checking the box to living the Gospel.

How do you want service to shape your teens this year?