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November 4, 2020When parishes in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City began using the YDisciple program for small group ministry, many ministry leaders had no idea how valuable the program would become. As changes in circumstances continue to push face-to-face interactions to a virtual platform, many parishes have been able to make a smooth transition with their youth ministry groups.
YDisciple, branded as a virtual toolbox, was created to help parishes establish and facilitate small group youth ministries. It provides online resources and facilitator training that guides leaders in effective small group ministry, helping them establish a deeper connection with each member. More importantly, YDisciple is designed to be used interchangeably in-person and virtually.
The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has partnered with YDisciple to sponsor the program for parishes interested in building their small youth groups. Currently, there are nine local parishes that have implemented the YDisciple program as part of their evangelization efforts.
Joseph Cipriano, director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Evangelization and Discipleship for the archdiocese, explained that the goal is to support the small group ministry concept.
“The principle behind YDisciple is what's important. The program is directly aimed at the small group discipleship component of faith formation,” Cipriano said.
“Most parish youth ministries are large groups,” he said. “We want to focus on the small group aspect of youth ministry and continue to utilize large group ministries as a supplement.”
Each YDisciple group typically consists of four to eight people.
In 2015, Saint Monica Catholic Church in Edmond started a YDisciple pilot program for their high school senior girls. Parishioner Julia Lopez spent her senior year engaging in small group activity with about six of her peers. Lopez described the group as an intentional community of growth, accountability and discipleship. The group, facilitated by leader Carrie Harkey, met weekly.
“It was very relational,” Lopez said. “We ate dinner together, watched a video from the series, then reflected on it and discussed it as a group.”
For Lopez, the group provided an aspect of accountability that helped her create and reach personal goals in her prayer life.
“I didn’t know what it meant to live out a relationship with Jesus,” she said.
She said being in a small group of girls with the same goals, encouraging each other, helped her feel more comfortable opening up and sharing.
“Because our group was small, we got really close,” Lopez said. “That trust was formed, and we all felt comfortable being open and vulnerable with each other. With vulnerability came spiritual growth.”
The biggest advantage of YDisciple is that each person has the opportunity to establish a personal relationship with the person leading the ministry, and know that person that is praying for them. Cipriano explained that this concept aligns with the call from Archbishop Coakley to “Go Make Disciples.”
“Ministry is all about relationships,” Cipriano said. “It is impossible to have a relationship with every person in a large group. This small group concept resonates with people because if we’re not making connections, our ministry isn’t effective, and we’re losing our disciples.”
Sally Linhart is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
For more information on YDisciple, visit archokc.org/ydisciple
