Episode 072 – What Parents Really Want From Youth Ministry with Robert Feduccia

  • 60 min

What Parents Really Want From Youth Ministry | Robert Feduccia, Ep 072

The Church Podcast

Play

Watch on YouTube | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio

"If the church could help me get beyond the one-word answer with my son, I would come to everything you did." One father's words changed how Robert Feduccia thinks about parents.

Youth ministers say it all the time: "I love working with kids, but the parents drive me crazy." Robert Feduccia, president of EQ Saints, went looking for a different answer. With grant funding, he and his team sat down with marginally engaged Catholic parents: families who drop their kids off for faith formation but aren't at Mass on Sunday. They met in parishes in San Diego County, outside Dallas, in rural Pearl, Mississippi, and in the Archdioceses of Chicago and Boston.

What those parents said overturned two common assumptions. They don't hate parish programs, and they are not disconnected from their kids. They want to meet other parents, laugh with their child and have a real conversation, and they want help getting past the one-word answer. Robert shares how he puts this into practice at his own parish, why the classroom has quietly become the "source and summit" of parish life, and why the Church needs to answer the "so what" of the Eucharist, not only the "what."

In This Episode

• 0:00 Welcome and introduction
• 1:58 Meet Robert Feduccia
• 9:41 Who stays Catholic, and why
• 15:16 Listening to marginally engaged parents
• 18:36 What parents actually want from church
• 24:14 A parent-teen night that works
• 34:20 Why parishes fall short
• 39:55 The "so what" of the Eucharist
• 51:11 Trade an adversarial posture for empathy
• 54:35 Robert's hope for the Church

Key Takeaways

• Dropping off is an act of faith. There is no social pressure left to bring a child to church. Parents who do it are choosing faith, so affirm them.
• Don't hold a meeting that could have been an email. Parents want three things from a parish event: to meet other parents, to laugh with their kid and to have a real conversation with them.
• Help parents get past the one-word answer. Give teens good questions to ask their parents, such as "Why is it important to you that I'm confirmed?", and let the conversation happen.
• Formation is everyone's job. Invite marginally engaged parents into small roles, like helping in a catechist's classroom. Faith grows through invitation, not only programs.
• Answer the "so what." Teach why the Real Presence matters to a parent facing disappointment, not only what it is.

About Robert Feduccia

Robert Feduccia is the president of EQ Saints, which equips youth leaders through events, training and resources. His ministry began on NET Ministries retreats as a teenager. He later served as a parish youth minister, led youth liturgical leadership formation at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, and spent about nine years at Oregon Catholic Press as general manager of Spirit & Song. He serves on the scripting team and as on-site program director for the National Catholic Youth Conference, and he lives in Nashville.

Resources Mentioned

This section contains an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

• EQ Saints
• Springtide Research Institute, The State of Religion & Young People 2021: Catholic Edition
• Search Institute, 40 Developmental Assets
• Future of Faith
• NET Ministries
• National Catholic Youth Conference
• TENx10
• Pope Leo XIV, General Audience catechesis on Dei Verbum, January 21, 2026
• Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI), Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life (affiliate link)

Connect with Robert

• Website: eqsaints.com
• Email: rfeduccia@eqsaints.com

Keep Growing with Marathon Youth Ministry

• M2GO: teaching videos, practical articles, team exercises and a Discord community, including tools for parent nights and family formation.
• Ministry Coach: support for the leader behind the ministry.
• The MYM Store: Church Podcast gear, mugs, hats, sweatshirts and shirts.

Never Miss an Episode

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or iHeartRadio. If this episode helped you, a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps other ministry leaders find the show. Know a parent who would appreciate this conversation? Share it with them.

Elevate Your Podcast Experience

The Church Podcast is a proud member of the NFCYM Podcast Network. Check out some of our other shows like the Accompany Podcast and the YDisciple Podcast.

Elevate your podcast experience and support our mission to do church better. Visit thechurchpodcast.org and join our community of dedicated listeners.

Recorded on Riverside (affiliate link).

The Church Podcast is produced by Marathon Youth Ministry and Stephen Herrera of Be Well Creative.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.