Last week, Lisa Gomes and I attended the annual Region XI Youth and Young Adult Ministry Meeting in Orange, Calif. During our second day of meetings, we had a three-hour mini-retreat with Dr. Kathleen Schinhofen. She spoke of many things, but the idea of “planning out of reality” really struck me.
We can get caught up focusing only on implementing a program for our ministry causing us to lose focus on the most fundamental part. Structure and programs are very important, but building relationships is at the heart of the church. We must remember that Catholicism starts with a person. Structure will always be a distant second to our relationship with Jesus Christ (the first goal of young adult ministry, Sons and Daughters of the Light).
When we look at the church in our widest lens, we see that the personal relationship with Jesus is the foundation upon which the structure is built. Thus, when we are building our ministries, we must do the same. First, we build relationships with those to whom we minister (the foundation). This allows us to create a plan to help them build their own foundational relationships with Jesus upon which their lives can grow in authentic love.
Makana Aiona is the diocesan coordinator for Young Adult Ministry.