By: Heather Campbell, Diocesan Youth Minister
In October 2023, more than 40 leaders from across the diocese gathered for the Diocesan Youth Ministry Vision Summit, where we envisioned six Five-Year Goals to strengthen youth ministry in our congregations. One of these goals—Youth Leader Formation—aims to “equip parishioners, staff, and volunteers with theological and practical tools to enhance their competence, capability, and confidence in leading parish-based youth ministry.”
In June 2024, a dedicated group of youth leaders convened to develop the next steps for this goal. This group consisted of Laurie Pierce (St. Paul’s, Indianapolis), Missy Roetter (Trinity, Indianapolis), Tyler Regnier (All Saints, Indianapolis), Kelly Nickson (St. Timothy’s, Indianapolis), Barbie Russell (Good Samaritan’s, Brownsburg), and Diocesan Youth Minister Heather Campbell.
Together, they created Youth Ministry University (YMU), a two-part approach to Youth Leader Formation:
- Congregational Assessments – A two-week process where congregations engage in discussions to define their unique vision for youth ministry and develop practical steps to pilot new programs.
- Youth Leader Cohorts – A year-long program offering hands-on youth ministry training, culminating in a “graduation” with YMU varsity sweaters.
We recently piloted Congregational Assessments with The Table and St. Timothy’s (both in Indianapolis):
- The Table, a growing congregation that recently moved into a permanent building, used the process to develop a vision for youth and family ministry, including cross-congregational collaboration.
- St. Timothy’s, which launched its youth program two years ago, found success in fostering intergenerational conversations and identified a strong desire for more opportunities like these. Their youth are eager to lead in worship, service, and community-building.
With these successful pilots complete, we are excited to launch our first Youth Leader Cohort in May 2025! While we have personally invited a dozen congregations we’ve worked closely with, participation is open to anyone interested.
The Youth Leader Cohort includes a day-long kickoff retreat on May 17, followed by a minimum of four training modules. The retreat concludes with a final retreat and graduation ceremony to celebrate the group’s work. The content of these cohorts will be highly customized, allowing participants to shape the topics based on what they find most important and relevant to their ministry.
If your congregation is interested in a Congregational Assessment or if you’d like to join the Youth Leader Cohort, please contact Heather Campbell. Registration for the cohort closes May 10th and can be found at indydio.org/youth.
We can’t wait to grow in ministry together!
