History of Life Teen
Life Teen is a Catholic youth ministry organization and movement originating in the United States. Life Teen was established in 1985 at St. Timothy's Parish in Mesa, Arizona. There, they came up with the plan aimed to revolutionize youth ministry and bring the message of Jesus Christ to teenagers in a way they could understand. According to Life Teen sources, Life Teen now has over 1000 individual programs in the United States and around the world and are typically established in individual parishes.General Life Teen Program Information
In the Life Teen program, youth attend a Sunday Mass specifically intended for them, along with adult program leaders (CORE). Music is focused on teens, generally with more contemporary Christian music. The youth are invited to be trained in the liturgical ministries such as ushers, alter servers, lectors and greeters.After Mass, a Life Night is held, which incorporates teaching in Catholic beliefs, interactive activities, and socializing. Life Nights cover catechetical, social and issue related nights that are 100% Catholic and comprehensive.
The majority of the Life Teen programs host multiple events during the week, such as Bible Studies and Social Events.
The Life Teen Ministry Approach
The primary Life Teen youth activities (e.g. LIFE Night and EDGE) consist of four components: Gather, Proclaim, Break, and Send.- Gathering involves getting teens together, introducing them to each other, and "breaking the ice" in order for their comfort level to increase and for them to get the most they can out of the evening in a comfortable atmosphere.
- Proclaiming involves communicating the message of the night in varying kinds of format, usually a teaching, lecture, or activity that emphasizes the given topic.
- Breaking involves breaking the group of teens into smaller groups for discussion or some kind of small group project, like creating a skit, to further enhance the understanding of the topic.
- Sending involves wrapping up the session, reinforcing the message, and sending the teens out.