• Personal Invitation

The most effective way to engage young adults is to use the Jesus method of personal invitation. Bulletin announcements, generic emails, texts or social media announcements or flyers are only as effective if the parish is taking the time to personally invite adults 20-30 years of age. Don't be afraid to invite them to a retreat, parish picnic or a special parish celebration. Young adults time and again are very pleased to receive a personal invite from the pastor, parish staff, or another young adult.

• Vocation & Discernment

Young adults are challenged with questions such as "What am I going to do with my life?" They may welcome opportunities for quiet reflection, prayer and tools of discernment as a way of answering life's questions. Offer opportunities for mentoring within the parish setting or offer avenues for spiritual direction that help to tackle the questions. A few great resources may be found here:

• US Conference of Catholic Bishops: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/discernment-tools.cfm  

• Catholics on Call, a national discovery program of the Bernadin Center at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago: http://www.catholicsoncall.org/ 

• Vocation Discernment Guide for Career Transitions, an online resource from the Coalition with Young Adults - a Catholic network for people in their 20s and 30s across Northwest Ohio: http://www.cya-cleveland.org/content/vocation-discernment-guide-career-transitions 

• Diocese of Camden's Vocations Office: http://www.camdenpriest.org/am-i-called/is-god-calling-me/how-will-i-know-i-am-called  

• Create a "Preferential Option" for Young Adult Catholics

Creating a "preferential option for young adult Catholics" remembers that effective ministry can be a specific ministry as well as a ministry integrated into the rest of the parish activities. It is important for parish leaders to build relationships with the young adults within your community and include them in the parish dynamic as parish council members, catechists, Eucharistic ministers, music ministry, and the leadership of any specific ministry that caters to the needs of young adults.

• Encourage Spirituality, Prayer and Meditation

Encourage young adults to challenge themselves spiritually through prayer and meditation. Many young adults lead very hectic and busy lives. They may welcome opportunities for quiet reflection and prayer as a way of keeping their lives in balance. Does your parish have prayer groups or small faith communities that continually welcome new members? Is your parish offering short term experiences of retreat or "user - friendly" resources for prayer and spiritual growth?

• Build Catholic Identity in a Positive Way

To build a Catholic identity in a positive way promotes and supports individuals in their faith. Make a mark in the lives of young adults as they prepare and celebrate the sacramental moments. Weddings, funerals and Baptisms have great potential as avenues for outreach to young adults. Perhaps the parish could occasionally offer a blessing after Sunday Mass for expectant mothers or parents at the Baptismal font. (One may be found in the Book of Blessings on page 110.)

• Build Better Community

Is your parish building community with young adults? Skills that allow community members to welcome the stranger could include a smile and a simple saying of welcome. May we suggest to your community to begin sitting in the middle of the pew first? Joint service projects like Habitat for Humanity projects quickly break down barriers in order to build homes for the poor. Or what about celebrating a "welcome back" Christmas party for young adults returning from college?

• Parish Web Strategy

Does your parish have a website and/or a social media presence? If you are wondering whether young adults between the ages of 18 and 39 are visiting your website, you can find out through Google Analytics. If you have a parish Facebook page, you can get this data through the Insights section. The general consensus among people who study web traffic is that we have 4 to 10 seconds to connect with visitors. Can we be sure to include images of members of their generation on our website and can we provide content that adds value to their everyday lives? Will they find a warm welcome, easy to navigate site and images of happy people their own age in religious and church related activities?

If you or your parish community would like to learn more about Young Adult Ministry or how to communicate with young adults, please contact Greg Coogan at gregory.coogan@camdendiocese.org or 856-583-6122. We are here to help!