SPE Study:
Active Young Catholics Attracted to Ministry
WASHINGTON, DC—Active young Catholics are drawn to serving a Church that needs their ministry, but many don’t see how they can connect that interest to their own talents and career plans, according to a groundbreaking report released here last month.
Most survey respondents—both college students and young working adults—said they view lay ministry as a call from God. While more than a third of the college students expressed interest in such service, that number jumped to better than half of the active adults who have moved into the workplace. In addition, nearly half the men surveyed and more than a third of the women have at one time seriously considered ministry as a priest or religious.
The nationwide survey was conducted by the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project. Working to research and promote ministry in the Catholic Church, the project is a Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The men and women surveyed are more active than average, participating in campus or young adult ministries at Catholic churches around the country.
“It’s time for us to engage these young people and find out how we can get them on board,” said Bishop Blase Cupich, outgoing chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Vocations. “We are heartened at their level of interest, and we need to find ways to translate this attraction into active ministry that our Church urgently needs.”
Bishop Cupich, of Rapid City, S.D., is episcopal adviser to the Emerging Models Project.
In light of the aging cadre of ordained and lay ministers in the United States today, the survey set out to explore factors that encourage consideration of ministry as well as those that deter interest. The young people surveyed were responsive to the concepts of answering God’s call, helping others, and passing on the faith. But in addition to having other ideas about their career plans and talents, low wages were cited as hindering lay ministry, while celibacy was a deterrent for those considering vowed vocations.
Among the survey’s findings, released January 17:
Lay ministry. Nearly half of the young adults who are active in Church life say they have seriously considered working in lay ministry, compared with more than one-third of college respondents. While they have spoken about this call from God to parents, pastors, and lay ministers, two-thirds do not see a connection between lay ministry and their own gifts, talents, and career interests. Most said they were interested in youth ministry, religious education, and teaching in Catholic schools.
Vowed vocations. Many young adults in the survey—nearly half of the young men and nearly 40 percent of the women—have seriously considered the priesthood or religious life. A large majority believes the main reason for becoming a priest is to care for God’s people. Following other career paths and a desire for marriage are most often cited as the primary reasons not to pursue ordination, although women are more likely also to avoid a structure dominated by men.
Questions about changing the guidelines for who can become a priest, religious, or deacon drew some surprising results. Young women in the survey did not show great interest in becoming priests if they could. Nearly a quarter of the young men would find the priesthood more inviting if celibacy were not mandatory, but many do not have an opinion about it. The required lifelong commitment does not appear to be a deterrent. The diaconate is of interest, but it is viewed as an option for later in life.
Attitudes about lay ministry and priesthood. Young adults, especially men, believe ordination confers a special character or status to the priest. More than half say the Church needs to move faster to empower lay persons in ministry.
Tomorrow’s ministers. Young adults who are the ministers of tomorrow are active in the Church today. The survey found that the most significant indicator of interest in ministry was current involvement; few differences were based on age or marital status.
Diverse young adults want knowledge and engagement. The young adults surveyed want pastoral leaders to more actively engage them in the life of the Church. Those who are involved and active are asking for a more solid catechetical foundation. No one label describes them: some are calling for more traditional practices, while others want the Church to relate more to modern life and their personal experience.
“Underneath the differences, these young adults show deep care for their faith and an interest in the future of the Church,” said Marti Jewell, the project director, who conducted the survey with Dean R. Hoge, a professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America and a noted researcher on the sociology of religion. “Our next task is to find ways to engage them in a church for which discipleship is central and their involvement is crucial. The young adults in this study have given us some interesting ideas to think about, and point to further questions and study. It is an area of concern that affects us all.”
The survey report, “Young Adult Catholics and Their Future in Ministry: Interim Report on the 2007 Survey of the Next Generation of Pastoral Leaders,” is an interim report containing some of the main results of the survey conducted for the Emerging Models Project.
A full report on the study, including attitudes of those already in ministry, will be published in the coming year by Loyola Press as part of the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Series.
The Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project is a multi-year effort of research and national conversation to foster and sustain pastoral leadership. A major grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. funds this collaborative effort of six national Catholic organizations. They are:
- National Association for Lay Ministry
- Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development
- National Association of Church Personnel Administrators
- National Association of Diaconate Directors
- National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association
- National Federation of Priest Councils.
For more information, contact Jewell at (202) 291-4100 or by email at mjewell@nalm.org
