What To Do If Enrollment For Faith Formation Are Down

Numbers for enrollment are down, way down. Part of me hopes it rebounds once schools are back in full swing; however, I know deep down inside that won’t be the case because there is a pandemic.

Right now, faith formation and youth ministry programs are low on the priority list for most of our families. Mass numbers have been down, and now we’re seeing the same with our fall programs. While we could blame COVID-19, people’s reluctance to do anything virtually, and everything else going on, the real reason people aren’t signing up is due to something bigger. They don’t see it’s value.

To help them will take more than a communication plan. It’s going to be more than merely offering a better program. If you want to remind people why their catechesis matters, then you need to remind them that they matter by:

PICKING UP THE PHONE AND REACH OUT

At the beginning of the pandemic, many churches picked up the phone and called their parishioners. Youth ministers went door to door and delivered care packages. This fall should not look different. It is the perfect time to reach out to teens and their families to ask the question, “How are you doing?”

While you might want them to sign up for your programs, put that on the back burner—Check-in with parents, especially the ones who have to balance work and schooling at home. Talk to teens and see how they are holding up. The basic message you want to convey is that you remember them.

ADDRESSING THE REAL NEEDS OF YOUR COMMUNITY

Faith formation is essential, but it’s not relevant in the lives of many of your parishioners. Parents are trying to figure out school, save their job, and stay healthy all at the same time. Unless you can offer something to address those needs, they aren’t going to pay attention. It is time to set aside specific programs and try something different like:

• Opening up your parish and recruiting volunteer tutors to help teens with school work.
• Purchase, collect, and distribute extra masks, sanitizer, and cleaning supplies for the families in your parish.
• Order, pick up, and deliver a meal for a few families in your ministry to take one thing off of their plate.

What you do can be big or small; it does not matter as long as it meets the needs of people in your parish. Parents will enroll their kids, and teens will return to the programs if they know that you care about the obstacles and hardships they are facing. Just as Theodore Roosevelt once said:

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”

INVESTING IN YOUR VOLUNTEERS

Your ministers require your care. If you want them to help you through this trivial time, it’s essential to make sure they are doing okay. Before you ask anything from them, make sure you are asking what you can do for them. Your volunteers won’t be able to help you out if they haven’t made sense of their own lives. Don’t just launch your programs without having the right help.

It’s essential to help them adapt and learn with you. Make sure they’re reading the articles, listening to the podcasts, and engaging in the opportunities that come across your plate. Like you, they care about the teens and their families. They want to do more, but might not know how to do that unless you show them.

MAKING THE FAMILIES THE FOCUS OF YOUR PRAYER

A friend of mine told me a few years ago that he was a part of a ministry that drove around the neighborhood of the parish he was serving. The church was going through a significant transformation and had hit a point where all they could do was pray. He and a colleague got into a car, drove through neighborhoods, and prayed.

While there is a lot to figure out, we need to be praying for our teens and their families. We need to invite our volunteers and coworkers to join us. Your focus on prayer will bring you into a deeper relationship with God. Your prayers will bring blessings and help you navigate these uncertain times. Before you plan any more programming, schedule times and places, you and your team can pray and let the Holy Spirit work through you.

Bottom line, prioritize the relationship, and you’ll see people reengage in your ministry. Signups are not going to happen right away, and that’s okay. Make sure what you are doing and planning is for the long term. As you continue to connect and check-in with those you serve, you’ll remind them the church hasn’t forgotten them and does care about what they are facing. And if there is one thing we need to remember, it’s that we are not alone.

What are you doing this fall to address low enrollment?