Hiring a Youth Minister

Is your parish looking to hire a youth minister, someone to coordinate ministry to middle school and/or high school teens?  THANK YOU!  We hope this page will serve as a helpful resource for you!

Why Should Our Parish Hire a Youth Minister?

Having dedicated ministry to the young people at your parish can help in these ways:

• Salvation of souls!
• Reverse the trend of young adults walking away from the Church
  • 13 years old - the average age when 'Former Catholics' made the decision to leave
  • There is only a 10% chance young people will remain Catholic in adulthood if they are not involved in youth ministry in high school
• What helps the faith 'stick' for young people?  If teens have these three things, there is an 80% chance they remain Catholic as adults:
  • Weekly gathering (in addition to Mass)
  • Mountain top experience (generally in the form of a Catholic retreat, conference, and/or camp experience)
  • Another adult to accompany them in the faith (in addition to parents; BEST chance is to have five adult Catholic role models - volunteers are key to this)
• Create a space for vocational discernment
  • 100% of the men at Borromeo Seminary in 2022-2023 came from a parish with youth ministry, or were involved in youth ministry at another parish 
• Increased donations (generally takes three years after launching youth ministry to see increase in collections)
• Longevity for your parish

Hiring Resources

Youth Ministry positions are hard to fill. Be patient and search for the best fit for your parish.  What sets your parish apart as a place someone would want to work? Make sure you sell your parish in the job description and take the time to post it on a variety of job boards.

Suggested Job Description

• This document is intended to be a starting point as you create one for your parish.  Subtract and change things based on your parish needs.

Where to Post the Job 

• This document has links to websites where you can post your job. The list is not exhaustive.

Suggested Pay Scale

• Please note that this document was created in 2021 for Lay Ecclesial Ministers. The vast majority of youth ministers in our diocese would be best described by Level 3 or 4 in this pay scale in terms of responsibilities. 
• As of December 2025, inflation has increased by 24% since that document was created, according to this government inflation webpage.
• Youth ministers generally leave their job (or do not accept a job for which they applied) due to low salary.  Please offer a living wage with regular raises to increase the likelihood of retention.
• The Diocesan Human Resources Office is happy to discuss this with pastors.

Interview and Selection Process

• This document give suggestions for your search committee and how to move forward with the interview and selection process of your new youth minister.

Questions Every Parish Should Ask

from Marathon Youth Ministry

The beauty of this approach is that it starts with listening and discernment, not just filling a vacancy. Whether your parish is in transition or simply looking to strengthen youth ministry, here are some questions that can guide the process:

• What’s working well for young people here? (Celebrate the bright spots.)
• What’s missing or not working? (Name the gaps honestly.)
• Where do young people fall in our parish’s priorities?
• If we had a youth ministry leadership team exist one year from now, what would success look like?
• What gifts or roles should be represented on that team? (Parents, mentors, organizers, prayer support, young adults.)
• What qualities should we look for in our next youth minister?

These questions aren’t just theoretical—they help define the vision that a future youth minister can step into. Instead of guessing, they’ll know what matters most to the parish and how their role fits into a larger plan.

We’ve Hired Someone… Now What?

The average youth minister lasts 9-18 months at a church.
How can you make sure your youth minister receives the support they need?

• Send them to the “New Youth Minister” webpage
• Diocesan Onboarding
  • Subscribe to Office of Youth Ministry eNewsletter
  • Schedule time to meet with Francine Costantini, Director of Youth Ministry.  She will share information about how the diocese can support the youth minister, and the youth minister can share what needs and questions they have.
  • First Things in Youth Ministry Cohort - a seven-session formation program for anyone new to youth ministry in the last four years, including an Orientation Day at the Diocese. Whether volunteer or paid, this training provides direction for the first six months of taking on a new leadership role. Think of it as Basic Training in Comprehensive Youth Ministry, developed by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry and run as a diocesan cohort by the Cleveland Diocesan Office of Youth Ministry.  The next session will launch in September 2025.  Registration is required. Cost is $50 and includes all cohort materials and 1-year of membership to the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.

Suggested Parish Onboarding

Check out this document for detailed onboarding suggestions. It is important to have a plan for onboarding so your new employee isn't left to flounder and figure it out on their own.

CLE youth ministers, priests, seminarians, and volunteers attending the Catholic Youth Ministry Convention in Arizona in June 2022.

Do you have other tips for hiring a youth minister you would like to share?  Please email Francine.