Por JC Montenegro, PhD
Editors note: The following article was published in NFCYM Ministry Insights* on Friday, September 4, 2026.
(Bellflower, California) – For the last 25 years, I have helped lead a summer program called Camp Savio. What makes this program special is that young people are not simply participants. They are leaders. They help plan the camp, organize activities, lead prayer, mentor younger participants, and take responsibility for the success of the entire experience.
A few years ago, one teenager arrived at camp barely speaking to anyone. During leadership meetings, this young person avoided eye contact, rarely participated, and seemed terrified of being noticed. Most adults probably would have assumed leadership was simply “not their thing.” But little by little, other young leaders encouraged this teen, invited them into conversations, and trusted them with small responsibilities. By the end of the second summer, that same teenager stood before more than 500 children and youth, leading an activity with confidence and joy.
That transformation did not happen because someone forced leadership onto them. It happened because someone believed in them before they believed in themselves.
Experiences like this have convinced me that young people remain engaged when they become co-responsible for their own evangelization and faith journey.
Too often, it is designed for young people instead of with them. We ask them to attend, listen, or help with small tasks, but we hesitate to trust them with real leadership, real responsibility, and real ownership. At the same time, many adults become frustrated when youth appear disconnected or uninterested.
But young people cannot feel ownership in a Church where they are only spectators.
1. Young People Engage When They Are Trusted with Real Leadership
Recently, I conducted research with members of the National Youth Advisory Board (NYAC) for the NFCYM. One of the most important findings was that highly engaged young leaders are usually not forced into ministry involvement. Instead, they are accompanied, encouraged, and supported by parents and adults who believe in them.
The research showed that parents play a critical role in sustaining youth involvement in ministry, not through pressure or coercion, but through encouragement, dialogue, practical support, and consistent presence. Many of these young people also identified youth ministers, priests, teachers, and mentors as adults who helped them feel seen, valued, and capable of leadership.
This reminded me of a quote from Don Bosco: “It is not enough that you love young people. They must know they are loved.”
That idea may be one of the greatest pastoral challenges facing the Church today.
2. Young People Engage When They Become Co-Responsible for Their Faith Journey
Young people do not simply need better programs. They need relationships rooted in trust, authenticity, and accompaniment. They need adults willing to walk with them through questions, mistakes, fears, and growth without immediately judging or dismissing them.
The encounter on the road to Emmaus offers a powerful example of this kind of ministry. Jesus walked with the disciples before correcting them. He listened before teaching. He accompanied them before fully revealing Himself. He entered their confusion and disappointment before inviting them to recognize His presence.
This is more than a ministry strategy. It is a model of discipleship.
Young people today are searching for meaning, belonging, structure, and hope. They do not need adults who simply point out everything they are doing wrong or constantly remind them of their failures. They need adults who are willing to listen, challenge them with love, and help them recognize that God is already at work in their lives.
3. Ministry Must Be Done with Young People, Not for Them
One of the most surprising discoveries from the research was the number of young people who freely choose leadership and ministry involvement when they feel trusted and supported. Many adults assume teenagers participate only because their parents force them to attend church activities. The reality described by these young leaders was very different. Their involvement was shaped by dialogue, encouragement, mentorship, and opportunities to make a meaningful contribution.
Young people want to know that their gifts matter.
They want to feel useful.
They want to know their presence makes a difference.
When a ministry only allows young people to move tables, stack chairs, or remain passive observers, we unintentionally communicate that their voices are not truly important. However, when we invite them into leadership, planning, discernment, and service, we help them recognize that they belong to the mission of the Church now, not someday in the future.
They are not the future of the Church.
They are already part of the Church today.
4. Lasting Engagement Comes Through Accompaniment and Trusting Relationships
Another important insight emerged from additional research about relationships between adolescents and adults. Many young people themselves recognized the importance of openness, communication, respect, and trust in building healthy relationships. They understood the need to communicate honestly, stay engaged in conversations, and show respect even during disagreements.
This gives me hope because it reminds us that young people are not rejecting relationships with adults. In many cases, they are waiting for adults who are willing to meet them where they are.
One of the biggest mistakes adults make in ministry is expecting teenagers to behave like fully mature adults while simultaneously refusing to trust them enough to grow. Young people will make mistakes. That is part of discipleship, leadership, and human growth itself. Growth often happens precisely through failure, reflection, and accompaniment.
As ministry leaders, parents, teachers, priests, and mentors, we are called to create environments where youth feel welcomed rather than judged, trusted rather than controlled, and accompanied rather than managed.
5. Young People Flourish When They Know They Are Not Alone
The future of youth ministry may depend less on how well we organize programs and more on whether young people encounter adults willing to walk beside them long enough for them to discover that God has been walking beside them all along.
Sometimes, the most important thing we can offer a young person is not a perfect answer, but the confidence that they do not walk alone.
*NFCYM Ministry Insights is a members-only monthly series that shares practical wisdom and honest reflections from experienced youth ministry leaders. Each month, members receive guidance that can apply to their ministry. Whether you lead, support, or accompany those serving young people, this guidance can help strengthen ministry, build community, and make a lasting impact.