Standards in Context

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud

Standards Illustrated in the Context of Ministry

Standards and standard mission statements are from "National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers serving as Parish Catechetical Ministers, Youth Ministry Leaders, Pastoral Associates and Parish Life Coordinators" from The National Association for Lay Ministry, the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, copyrighted 2003.

Standard One is Personal and Spiritual Maturity. Megan is a Youth Minister competent in Standard One. She puts in her hours at the church, but makes sure that she still has time for herself and for her family, especially her boyfriend. She thinks of herself positively, and has professional relationships with her coworkers and carefully navigates her relationships with the youth she serves. Megan spends time thinking about how the Gospel impacts her life, and how she can live better based on Gospel values. She attends church regularly, and serves as a Eucharistic minister. One of Megan’s gifts is her ability to work comfortably with diverse groups of people.

Standard One: A lay ecclesial minister demonstrates personal and spiritual maturity in ministry with the people of God.

Standard Two is Lay Ecclesial Ministry Identity. Aaron is a Youth Minister whose life reflects growth in Standard Two competencies. Aaron has spent a lot of time thinking about why he works for the church. He knows that he feels a “call” to ministry, and has been learning over time that his “call” is a vocation. Through Ministry Formation class he took through St. John’s Aaron learned that he as a lay minister is called to ministry through his baptism. Since then, Aaron has been learning what being called to ministry through baptism means, and he now recognizes himself as one called to ministry through baptism. Aaron’s recognition of vocation has been confirmed by the community around him. In fact, it is partially because of them that he is now working in Youth Ministry.

Standard Two: A lay ecclesial minister identifies the call to formal and public ministry as a vocation rooted in baptism.

Standard Three is Catholic Theology. Julie is a good example of a Youth Minister that is competent in Standard Three. Julie entered a Master’s degree program four years ago and has been working ever since to integrate her classroom knowledge into programming at her parish. When she attended a class on New Testament one semester, the next she offered a Bible Study for her youth on the Gospel of Luke. When she attended a class on spirituality, she explored different prayer forms with her youth. Every class became a learning experience not only for Julie, but for her community as she continually integrated her knowledge of theology into her ministry. She’s also used her knowledge to choose curriculum for the catechetical programs she runs, and has structured her Confirmation program differently based on what she learned about the Sacrament in class.

Standard Three: A lay ecclesial minister integrates knowledge of Catholic faith within ministry.

Standard Four: Pastoral Praxis. Sue is a Youth Minister that exhibits competency in Standard Four. Last year after the big blow out about sexual abuse, Sue worked with her Youth Advisory Board to create comprehensive policies for their parish’s youth program. As a group, they explored the mission of their program and in light of their mission asked what their program ought to do about child abuse, and what trainings they ought to require for their volunteers. They put together permission forms, and talked about how to deal with various community crises putting general plans for dealing with crises in their handbook. In addition to her work with the Youth Advisory board with their handbook, Sue has a gift for remembering and attending to the needs of minorities in her parish, especially the growing number of Hispanic families. Sue has taken a lot of time leaning about the various needs of people in her parish and does her best to work with everyone, calling them forward into the life of the church.

Standard Four: A lay ecclesial minister engages in pastoral activity that promotes evangelization, faith formation, community, and pastoral care with sensitivity to diverse situations.

Standard Five is Professional Practice. Paul is a Youth Minister competent in Standard Five. When you meet Paul, the first thing you notice about him is the way he carries himself. His professional manner, organizational skills, and easy communication make him a natural leader, a role he carries well. One of Paul’s gifts is his ability to vision and plan, and though he’s been bogged down by taking on too much in the past, he’s recently learned how to delegate better. Paul didn’t have problems making decisions when he directed a Castaway retreat last year, and settled more than one disagreement between people during his time directing the retreat. Paul’s leadership has won him a role on the Diocesan Education Council, a position he enjoys.

Standard Five: A lay ecclesial minister provides effective leadership, administration, and service, in the spirit of collaboration.