“I can honestly say that after 11 years of ministry,YDisciple has revolutionized our ministry to young people. We have done almost everything to the book as YDisciple suggests and our numbers have exploded. We have double the number of teens regularly engaged in Discipleship Groups than ever showed up to youth group last year—including the teens who showed up to youth group only once. And this says nothing to the number and diversity of adults and parents in the parish who are now engaged in youth ministry. Beyond numbers, we are already seeing incredible fruit in parish engagement and commitment to prayer and the Sacraments.”

—Youth Minister, Minnesota

• Videos to make teaching the Faith simple for leaders and engaging for teens
• Leader Guides to help mentors facilitate fruitful discussion
• Parent Sheets to keep parents informed and engaged
• Teen Sheets to reinforce key concepts

• Offering small groups in addition to an existing youth group for teens who want to go deeper
• Building a small group ministry in place of a large group
• Creating a discipleship approach to confirmation prep, in lieu of a classroom model
• Forming short term small groups to follow up after big events such as conferences, retreats, camps, mission trips, etc.

• Empower parents to share the Faith and pray with their teenagers
• Draw teens out of youth culture and into meaningful relationships
• Be intentional in our time with teens and help them develop H.A.B.I.T.S. of a Disciple
• Develop a user-friendly tool for parents and mentors

• Asking teens who they would like to be in a group with, instead of assigning groups
• Asking parents to invite other families personally
• Asking the teens who in the parish they want to mentor them, instead of recruiting mentors through the bulletin
• Meeting in homes or coffee shops, when permitted, instead of classrooms
• Asking teens and families what day and time works best for them, rather than scheduling for them
• Asking teens what they want to discuss, instead of following a linear curriculum

1. Parish Leader or Lead Parent identifies one or more hungry teens
2. Parents and teens work together to identify other teens to invite into a group
3. Teens are invited through their parents to be a part of a small group for just 6 weeks
4. Teens and parents identify and invite a faithful adult to be the mentor
5. Mentors are trained with videos and handouts provided by YDisciple
6. Mentors go through necessary background checks and training required of your local diocese
7. Families are invited to host their teen’s small group in their home (if permitted) or in another comfortable environment at the parish or local coffee shop
8. Families register on FORMED to access YDisciple studies
9. Group meets 6 weeks in a row to do the Follow Me study and an activity together
10. Once the initial 6 weeks are over, teens are invited to continue with the group and challenged to become disciples
11. Group continues to meet at least twice a month

“Instead of just dropping my kids off at the church, YDisciple helped me work with the parish to form a small group for both my son and my daughter. Working with my teens form a discipleship group gave me an opportunity to talk with them about faithful friends and evangelization. This is just what they needed after Confirmation. They look forward to meeting each week, asking questions, and getting answers they can trust. Discipleship gives them a solid foundation as they step into adult life in the Church.”

– Stephanie, parent
Stillwater, Minnesota

“YDisciple has been a tremendous blessing for our parish. We tried a large group model of youth ministry at our small, rural parish for several years. Over time the teens drifted away and we had difficulty finding a volunteer coordinator for the program. A big part of why we felt called to YDisciple was the wonderful format YDisciple provides. Because YDisciple provides excellent video content and discussion guides, most of our time could be focused on small group discipleship instead of preparing a talk or a teaching. The Holy Spirit is really moving here in West Point. I think it shows that small groups meet fundamental needs that teenagers do not always get met in the home, school or by modern culture. Small group discipleship provides a great environment for teens to grow in their self-esteem and faith. The exercises, videos and discussion questions in the YDisciple lessons really help the teens feel known, loved, and cared for by their mentors, peers and parents. Our teens are meeting Jesus as a person, not just a subject.”

– Andy & Cassie, Volunteer Leaders
West Point, NE

“YDisciple gives me as a parish priest the ability to offer high quality catechetical formation through lay leadership. It is an exceptional model for youth formation at the parish level. The process shows parents how to form their teens as disciples of Jesus Christ and teens are given an opportunity to enter into friendship with Christ and one another. In just a short time after launching YDisciple, we have approximately 85 teens with 16 adult mentors.  We also have 5 Adult Mentors ready to take on new groups as they form.”

– Fr. Jason Buck
Newtown, PA

“When our youngest son came home for his first summer break from University at the age of 19, We felt the need to remind him about what was important.  Because our parish had just given us a subscription to FORMED, we been introduced to YDisciple. I discovered that the program addressed many of the real challenges our youth struggle with everyday.  We prayed he would be open to discussing some of the videos with me, but he was initially reluctant.  However, after we had done a couple of sessions, we found him waiting for me to get home from work so we could continue with our sessions.  Those videos and discussions had really caught his attention.  The day before he returned to University, he asked if it was okay to share these sessions with his friends.  I was amazed and could only thank God for his mercy. My only regret was not inviting his friends into the conversation sooner.”

– Diana & Jose, parents
Dubai, United Arab Emirates