Is LifeTeen supposed to be about Catholicism or relationship advice?

[Hoosier_Daddy]

LifeTeen, like any program can be poorly run…

We moved to our current place about two years ago. We hate it here but one of the things we do like better here is the Catholic identity and parishes. It is wonderful. But I was a youth minister for a few years before we moved. So when we got here and started parish shopping we found the BEST parish we have ever seen. It is liturgically solid. VERY liturgically solid. And the parish is young, with big families. Really big families. We had the priest over for dinner one night and I was all ready to make my pitch. They had no youth program. And they are a poor parish so I thought. "man, this is going to be great! I am going to be able to build a youth program from the ground up and I can do it all on a volunteer basis. (many parishes that are poor have to have volunteer YMs if they have any YMs at all.) And I certainly did not mind that idea. I love working with the teens and I love youth ministry. So, I thought I would enlighten Father on the great amazing opportunity that had just fallen into his lap by having me show up on his doorstep. What I found was a vastly different situation than I thought. Father had been the priest at this parish for over 28 years. He baptized the teens who were in the parish, he married their parents… This is a rarity in these days of Bishops seeming fond of a two year rotation from parish to parish. And the new priest (we have three priests) Was baptized and confirmed and led to the seminary by the older Father. We also have a Hispanic priest but all of our priests are bilingual. There is a great devotion to the Eucharist with 24 hour adoration and a wonderful “fatherly” atmosphere in our parish. But this is getting off track. I asked father if he would be interested in meeting with me about getting a youth program in place. He was very polite, but disinterested. I said what is the youth program now? He said, well. every Wednesday night I meet with the teens in the parish for catechisis, The nuns cook dinner in the rectory and they have what I can only describe is like “theology on tap” without the “tap”. He is completely immersed in the parish people, He knows their names, their parents, their sports, and even who they are dating, And his philosphy is even more of a familial one in that family worship and activities take the place of age specific ones. Further nurturing the domestic Church as well. Something life teen (or any youth program) has always wanted to do. Does this parish need lifeteen? No way. They don’t even need a poor little old youth minister willing to donate time… Now, I know that this is a rarity But the point is that there are different situations.

I would not run a lifeteen program or curriculum again. Nor would I send my kids to a lifeteen youth group. But that does not mean that I don’t think some parishes should run the program and some parents should send their children. Just like my Seton example, curriculum needs to be chosen based on the alternatives and the personalities of the students along with the politics of the parish.

 

[pianistclare]

I think lifeteen has wisely moved away from thier original purpose and moved into the curriculum category. But you should know being a lifeteen operator that there is indeed a liturgical component. And I don’t know how long you have been involved with lifeteen but that component is still around in many parishes. I have attended lifeteen conferences in Arizona at the original parish.
here are some interesting tidbits I would like your (name removed by moderator)ut on.
ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=330774&Pg=&Pgnu=&recnu=
jimmyakin.com/2004/07/flash_lifeteen_.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Fushek
And in regard to Dale Fushek, Does it give you any pause or is it separate enough for you to not connect the two. Personally, it would give me pause. But I know others whom I respect that have separated the two apart.

If indeed lifeteen were just a curriculum then no correction would have been needed liturgically.

But on the curriculum issue I see a parallel here Pianistclaire,
I homeschool using Seton Homeschool curriculum I love it and it is truly the BEST Catholic education my kids could get. I firmly believe that for my children anything else would be a disservice to them. Does this mean that I think Seton is correct for every child or even every homeschooler? Of course not! But in homeschooling circles curriculum wars abound. Same with youth ministry. Everyone thinks that their program is correct. For everyone. You have even given the impression that lifeteen would be ideal or even adequate for every parish. This is not true. And lifeteen markets itself this way and I think that is a mistake. A blanket program for every situation is unattainable and no amount of rebranding or refocusing by lifeteen will change that. The fact is that Catholic youth ministry is in need of a cleaning. And lifeteen is really the biggest and most well known program. I think a monopoly or dominance indicates a vacuum in the market. And I think teens are starving for authentic food. The person I feel that could really implement this program is Matthew Kelly, whom I personally probably would not get along with and I have criticisms of his books and talks but honestly, he has the business mind and social knowledge to develop a viable teen program. Now I have no idea if Matthew has ever attempted this or would be interested in it but I honestly think he could help give a real alternative to Lifeteen.

For my next YM position should this bear itself out, I am curious to try out ydiciple. Which was not around in my YM days. I know several of the people involved with it and am still learning about it. The philosophy really hits at what rings true to me in the arena of Youth Ministry. Have you had experience with it? I would love to hear your (name removed by moderator)ut as a Youth Minister.

I think it is important that we not look to one source as the end all be all for every parish. I think lifeteen has certain drawbacks to it and I think others do as well. But I think we should not be so blinded by our passion to defend it or destroy it that we refuse to see it’s faults and benefits and realize that two parishes may have two different needs that lifeteen could or could not fill. And a lot depends on the YM too. Lifeteen saved my bacon my first two years. And I am not saying it is only for YM who are not experienced. Some of the best youth ministers I know are using life teen. Also, by skeleton I was not referring to “content” but of the ability to tailor it to your nights. It used to be much more rigid and scripted. I think giving more flexibility was a smart move. By skeleton I mean that they give you the bones and you can fill in the meat.

The Liturgy guide is only used of you have a separate teen Mass, and it’s just a planning guide.
No must haves.
We don’t have a teen Mass.