Accompanying Youth: Mapping the Path Toward Deeper Discipleship
Executive Summary
INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES
Goodfaith launched Next Level to help Catholic parishes develop, test, and implement a new model for deepening the faith of young people and nurturing their engagement in parish life. The Next Level experience was anchored by youth-led, parish-wide “passion projects” inspired by Catholic social tradition. These campaigns presented an opportunity for participants to identify, research, and take action around something that they cared about – a service or justice issue, community need, or area of concern or interest; use their creativity, gifts, and talents to launch a multi-faceted and sustainable project; and engage their fellow parishioners in the effort. Sample passion projects addressed topics like immigration justice, food insecurity, mental health, and intergenerational bridge-building.
The research team hypothesized that the unique approach used in Next Level would lead to deeper faith commitment and engagement among stakeholders including youth (ages 13-18), adult mentors, pastoral leaders, and parish communities.
To measure this, Goodfaith introduced a new framework called the Pathways to Discipleship and investigated participant growth through four key areas:
1. Accompaniment: a posture of forming and being in genuine relationship with others rooted in the patient, compassionate, and enduring love modeled by Jesus in the Gospel.
2. Encounter: the experience of God, God’s presence, or Christ in one another, those around us, and in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Church.
3. Protagonism: the action of becoming the main character in one’s faith story with God as the author; having a sense of meaning and purpose in light of one’s own dignity and giftedness as created in the image of God.
4. Spiritual Imagination: the creative ability to identify and articulate the Spirit’s presence in one’s life and communities, and to contextualize the Gospel at work in the world today.
Participant growth was assessed according to increased competence and confidence in each of these areas.
Methodology
Led by Dr. Charlotte McCorquodale of Ministry Training Source, the evaluation utilized a mixedmethods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative measures. The following results reflect responses from 199 youth and adults from 12 Catholic parishes in New Jersey and New York.
Key Findings
Youth Impact
“Before, I always thought, ‘Why does God put people through this? He can fix it, and He chooses not to.’ And I feel like now I’m being realistic – God has to work through people like me in order to make a change. I have to do my part and do what I feel I’m called to do.”
l 93% reported practicing faith in their daily lives due to Next Level
l 92% felt known and supported by adult parish members
l 91% recognized experiencing God through service
l 87.5% of youth felt Next Level mentors and staff personally cared for them
l 81% found Next Level provided a safe space for faith-sharing
l More than two-thirds said Catholic social teaching became central to their faith and how they lived their lives
Across the data set, youth demonstrated growth according to a host of core competencies ranging from listening and communication and cultivating intergenerational relationships to practicing and leader prayer, faith in action, and understanding their meaning and purpose.
Mentors
“My favorite part of Next Level is watching adults who have no clue how awesome teenagers are, open their eyes to that truth and feel so completely inspired in their own faith as a result.” (Pastoral Staff)
l 100% of mentors believed that Next Level helped them to grow in their own faith and how to live it out. They also reported increased confidence and competence in sharing their faith with, listening to, and cultivating nurturing relationships with youth.
l 87% of youth affirmed that mentors witnessed their faith through their statements and actions, in both what they said and what they did
l 81% of youth reported that they could count on Next Level adults to follow through on their promises
l Eight out of ten youth indicated that it was true that they could trust the advice of Next Level staff or mentors
Successful mentors shared several common characteristics, including compassion, persistence, and flexibility. Through Next Level, they developed and engaged strong listening skills; exhibited curiosity and openness to the needs, interests, and ideas of youth; strengthened their ability to walk with instead of teach or prescribe; and demonstrated a willingness to foster an environment of teamwork, relationship-building, and belonging among their cohorts. They were also consistently honest, authentic, and trustworthy in their interactions with youth and one another and comfortable sharing from their own lived experience.
Parish Success Factors
The most successful Next Level parishes shared these core elements in common:
l Welcoming culture for youth leadership
l Strong pastoral support
l Engaged and caring adults
l Commitment to Catholic social tradition and community engagement
CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Next Level demonstrates that intentional, youth-led discipleship models foster deep and lasting faith engagement. Traditional “plug-and-play” youth ministry approaches are insufficient. Instead, young people thrive in faith-based environments that nurture agency, ownership, and intergenerational relationships.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
l Depth over breadth – Investing in smaller, intentional cohorts leads to a more intentional approach to faith engagement and a deepening of discipleship in both youth and adults.
l Relationships are key – Intergenerational mentorship is crucial for long-term faith development in both youth and adults.
l Parish culture matters – Youth flourish in hospitable environments with strong pastoral vision supported by trusted, caring adults.
l Intentionality is essential – Effective discipleship requires structured, goal-oriented engagement sustained over time.
Goodfaith is now working to scale Next Level through its Pathways framework in collaboration with (arch)dioceses, schools, and parishes nationwide. Recognizing the model’s success, Goodfaith is also launching a new initiative focused on Catholic social tradition for families, expanding its mission to nurture faith beyond parish settings.
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For more information about bringing Next Level to your community, please visit wearegoodfaith.org
About Goodfaith
Goodfaith is an independent, non-profit Catholic organization based in New Jersey.
We are a community of ordinary people committed to the belief that transformation—in us and through us—is rooted in the goodness of the Gospel. Our mission is to cultivate a vibrant movement of faith in action through transformative experiences centered in Catholic social tradition.
Our vision is to promote an expansive and inclusive understanding of Catholic social tradition— one that our research and firsthand experience proves can inspire and empower people of faith to transform themselves, their communities, and the world. Our hope is to explore, apply, and advance CST in diverse and imaginative ways – from navigating everyday relationships to addressing complex societal issues.
What We Do
l Equip individuals, families, and communities to journey together in the Gospel call to service and justice through our Pathways framework
l Accompany faith leaders and ministry partners as they implement and adapt best practices in diverse contexts
l Advance the Church through bold innovation, in-depth research, and transformative insights
Our History
Founded originally in 2008 as the Center for FaithJustice, we were long-known for our “WorX” programs inspired by the scripture passage: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). More than 7,500 individuals participated in these experiences, representing more than 500,000 combined hours of direct service and social justice education.
In 2018, we published our first research study –the only one of its kind testing the value of faith-based service immersion programming. We launched NeXt Level in 2019 and Family Matters in 2023. Today, Goodfaith is frequently called upon to serve in a consultative role with many partner organizations, parishes, and Catholic schools because of our track record and unique expertise.
Organizational Leadership
Stephanie Peddicord, President, Goodfaith
Maggie Smith, Vice President, Goodfaith
Ministry Training Source
Charlotte McCorquodale, Ph.D., President
National Advisory Council
Robert J. McCarty, D.Min., Chairman, Pastoral Ministry Consultant and Trainer
Stephanie J. Peddicord, President, Goodfaith
Gregory Coogan, Secretary of Catechetical Formation & Parish Life, Diocese of Cleveland
Elizabeth Hughes, Foreign Affairs Officer, U.S. Department of State
Mike Jordan Laskey, Director of Communications, Jesuit Conference and Multiple WorX Program Alumnus
Charlotte McCorquodale, Ph.D., President, Ministry Training Source
Ted Miles, Executive Director, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps
Cynthia Penscik, Mentoring Program Director, The Given Institute
Nicole Perone, National Coordinator, ESTEEM and Multiple WorX Program Alumnus
Kerry Robinson, President and CEO, Catholic Charities USA
Marilyn Santos, Associate Director, Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Pat Sprankle, D. Min., Pastorate of Christ the King and St. Bernadette, MD
Darius Villalobos, Senior Project Manager, National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry
Kristin Witte, Ph.D., Senior Advocacy Manager, CARE