Sanctus in Seattle

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.

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

     amyn@stlukecp.org

     206-372-8371

Amy Nash (center) investing in college students by hiking in the Cascades.
Both students, now graduated, are in full-time ministry.

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            [1]  Seattle is the third least religious city in the United States, according to the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.  And what city takes the “top” prize?  Portland, Oregon, the other major hub of the Pacific Northwest.