5 Steps to Start a Catholic Young Adult Ministry
1. Check your reason
Make sure your desire to start a Catholic young adult ministry isn’t coming from fear (like a parent worried their child won’t stay Catholic) or pride (someone who sees themselves as the savior with the perfect fix). Young adult ministry isn’t a soapbox, and it shouldn’t begin as a reaction rooted in anxiety. It’s meant to be a response of love and responsibility, making sure every young adult can find a spiritual home in the Catholic Church.
2. Talk to your pastor, then talk to the people
Some of us have an entrepreneurial streak and like to “do our own thing,” but ministry doesn’t thrive in isolation. This isn’t just about day one; it’s about every day after. If your goal is to build a healthy Catholic young adult ministry, you need to work with the Church, not around it. Start by getting your pastor’s blessing. Share your hope and intentions, then reach out to others. Once you and your pastor are on the same page, explore who else feels called to this. The Holy Spirit often nudges multiple people at once. You may be surprised how much support is already waiting for you. These conversations are key.
3. Build your communication channels
The parish bulletin is useful, but it won’t carry a young adult ministry on its own. Decide how you’ll spread the word about your launch. Most Catholic young adult ministries end up with a mix of email, social media, and good old word of mouth. Create a Facebook event as a Save the Date. Start an Instagram account to share simple graphics and photos. Story posts work well as gentle reminders about what’s coming up and what’s happening now. For email lists, dig into old Confirmation records in Flocknote and look at which years now fall into the young adult range. Choose the communication channels you can use consistently and do them well. In our FORTH resources, we have more detailed communication strategies.
4. Plan and push your first event
Get moving on your first gathering. Pick something you would personally want to attend, even if you didn’t know who else was going. One of the gifts of Catholic young adult ministry is the freedom to use off-campus spaces. That not only frees up parish rooms but also makes your ministry visible to people who might not even know your parish exists. Keep your first event social, simple, and affordable. You don’t need a complicated schedule. Something like “7–9 PM at [local brewery]” usually draws more people than an interest meeting in a parish room. Have your leaders arrive early and make every conversation count. Those one-on-one moments become the building blocks of authentic community and long-term ministry health. Shamelessly take pictures; candids, group shots, or wide shots of the whole event crew.
5. Follow up
The biggest mistake Catholic young adult ministries make is launching big but following up poorly. Your launch should be strong, but it should also leave room for growth. Consistency in communication and scheduling shows intention and stability. After your launch, you can go in many directions, but the key is to build step by step and keep people aware of the next thing. Maybe your launch leads into attending Sunday Mass together, then a formation night, then another social, and so on. People don’t expect you to do everything at once. They just expect something “next.”
Starting a Catholic young adult ministry doesn’t require perfection or a huge team. It asks for steady steps, honest motives, and a willingness to build real community over time. When young adults find a place where they can belong, grow, and walk with the Church, everything else begins to take shape. If you stay rooted in prayer, communicate clearly, and keep offering the next step, your ministry will have room to flourish in ways you never expected. While this is a general overview, consider supporting your parish young adult ministry with long term success through our FORTH resources.
