Young adult Catholics are interested in church ministry, study finds

Published: 2008-04-01

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Although many young adult Catholics are interested in church ministry they find it difficult to connect their career plans or talents with available ministries, according to a survey released this year. The survey, "Young Adult Catholics and Their Future in Ministry," was commissioned by the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project, a joint project involving six national Catholic organizations and funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. A preliminary report on the survey of young adult Catholics will be the topic of an upcoming National Ministry Summit April 20-23 in Orlando, Fla. The summit, initially planned for 1,000 participants, recently was expanded to accommodate all who wish to attend. "The waiting list kept growing," said Christopher Anderson, executive director for the National Association for Lay Ministry, one of the sponsoring groups of the project. He said the interest in discussing the survey's results shows that it "struck a chord with the people who minister and those who plan for future ministry in the Catholic Church." The nationwide online survey of young adult Catholics was conducted by sociologist Dean Hoge of The Catholic University of America's Life Cycle Institute and Marti Jewell, director of the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project.

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