What do you get when you take the Young Life model, tailor
it for Catholics and plop it down in one of the most secularized parts of the
country?[1] In a word, Sanctus. Last week I
met with Catholic youth ministers, priests, parishioners and Young Life staff
in Seattle, Washington. What drew
me there was a powerful movement of Catholics who have taken up the call to go
where kids are, build authentic relationships, and “earn the right to be heard”
about the greatest love story ever told.
Sound familiar?
You bet. The vision for Sanctus was inspired by the tried and
true methods of incarnational evangelization honed by Young Life to reach “every kid, everywhere, for eternity.” For over 70 years, Young Life leaders
have cared enough about teenagers to show up in their world, engage them on
their turf, and develop enduring relationships which convey the presence and
compassion of Jesus. Our founder,
Jim Rayburn, was completely sold out for these labor-intensive methods because
he was convinced that they are the only way to reach disinterested teens.
Amy Nash is equally convinced. “What Young Life does in reaching teens for Christ is
miraculous! The young people of
the Catholic Church are in dire need for relational evangelism. There is such a great harvest, but the
workers are too few! We are training up
college-aged students to be a living witness of Jesus to kids – especially
those in the Catholic schooling system.”
Nash is the architect and director of Sanctus, an approach to reaching and retaining the more than 80% of
Catholic teens who are leaving the Church every year. As a committed Catholic, youth minister and mother of two,
Amy isn’t satisfied with those statistics. “I want this cycle of loosing kids to change before my kids
are teens. I need to know that
someone – other than me – is going to come after them. It’s so exciting how God’s Spirit is
stirring in Seattle to reach the lost… we’re praying He brings others around
this mission so it’ll spread across the nation.”
Nash knows that spending time with young people and building
real relationships is the centerpiece of evangelization, not simply because it
was the way Jesus did it (if that wasn’t enough), but because she’s seen it
work in the lives of thousands of teens.
Where? Young Life. Amy loves
Young Life because she has experienced it first hand – as a Young Life kid, a
Young Life leader, and a Young Life staff person. And she believes those same methods can be effective in
reanimating the core of Catholic faith in Seattle teens. “Jesus is revealing his relentless
heart for Catholic teens, and our teens are desperate for a personal and real
encounter with Christ. They need
authentic, Christ-centered relationships.
They need to be pursued.”
And now, Nash is putting those methods to work in the heart
of Seattle. Drawing the
collaboration of Catholic parishes, Catholic high schools, and local Young Life
staff, Nash hopes to develop a culture of discipleship where young people are
awakened in their faith, inspired by the love of Jesus and committed to serving
their church and world. In
Catholic terms, it is about presenting anew the heart of the Catholic tradition
and the foundation of the “new evangelization” exhorted by Pope John Paul II. And what is that heart and foundation of Catholicism? A dynamic and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Ministry models like Sanctus represent an important step in the relationship between Young Life and the Catholic Church. Youth workers like Nash are showing that partnership and collaboration create the best environment for kids to encounter Jesus Christ and grow in their faith.
Ministry models like Sanctus represent an important step in the relationship between Young Life and the Catholic Church. Youth workers like Nash are showing that partnership and collaboration create the best environment for kids to encounter Jesus Christ and grow in their faith.
If you’re inspired by Nash’s work and want to learn more
about Sanctus, please feel free to
contact her at:
Amy Nash – Director of Sanctus Ministries
206-372-8371
Amy Nash (center) investing in college students by hiking in the Cascades.
Both students, now graduated, are in full-time ministry.
Both students, now graduated, are in full-time ministry.
