NEW YOUTH
Minister Bootcamp

EXPERIENCE

December 7-10, 2026

CHATTANOOGA, TN

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Your first year in youth ministry doesn’t have to be spent in survival mode.

IT'S TIME TO THRIVE!

Let’s be honest: most new youth ministers get handed the keys and a calendar and are left to figure out the rest.

Maybe you were hired on the spot. Maybe your job description is one paragraph long, or doesn’t exist. Maybe you’re running every event yourself and already wondering how long you can keep this up.

You’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong. Nobody showed you how.

‍That’s exactly what this Boot Camp is for.

What's Included?

LODGING

You'll have your own bed in a comfortable shared bedroom on-site at the ProjectYM Mission Base for all three nights.

MOST MEALS

Breakfast and lunch are provided every full day of the event — dinners and a few other meals are enjoyed together at local restaurants on your own tab.

LINENS

All towels, linens, and pillows are provided.

AIRPORT PICKUP

If you're flying into the lovely Chattanooga airport, we'll pick you up!

PROGRAMMING

All Masterclass sessions, materials, and facilitation are included from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.

COMMUNITY

You'll leave with a network of peers who understand your ministry context and will continue to support you long after the event ends.

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Does any of this
sound familiar?

Most new youth ministers walk in carrying the same real-world challenges – so if you resonate with any of the things below, this is the right event for you.

No clear roadmap.

You said yes to the job, but nobody explained what success looks like, or what to do first.

Doing everything yourself.

You know you need a leadership team, but you don’t know how to build one without it becoming one more thing on your plate.

Already feeling the weight.

Between the hours, the expectations, and the rest of your life, burnout feels closer than it should a few months in.

Still getting to know your pastor.

You want to serve his vision, but you’re not sure what it is, and you’re not sure how to ask.

Somebody else's shadow.

You inherited a program, a reputation, or an empty room, and you’re not sure whether to keep it, change it, or start over.

Not sure who to call.

There are people in your parish and diocese who can help, but you don’t know who they are, or you feel like asking is a burden.

You need a plan, a team, and people in your corner.
‍
The New Youth Minister Bootcamp
gives you all three.

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What's the Rhythm of the Week?

Every day has a loose structure, but we keep it flexible based on what the group needs. Here's the general shape of a typical day:

MORNING

Breakfast together, followed by prayer,
and then the work begins! Our mornings tend to be more content-heavy than the afternoon.

MIDDAY

Community lunch and some time to reflect and recharge for the rest of the day

AFTERNOON

Most of our afternoons are spent in small groups breaking down how to apply what we've learned in each person's context.

EVENING

Out to dinner together, followed by evening fun!
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How the New Youth
Minister Bootcamp Works

A Boot Camp isn’t a stack of lectures or just a binder you’ll never open again.

It’s four days of practical teaching, real application, and genuine community, built on the four dimensions the Church uses to form ministers: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral.

‍You might be coming for the practical stuff, but you’ll leave formed as a whole person.

TEACHING

Practical, field-tested sessions on the things
nobody taught you before you started.

This bootcamp isn't about theology or theory – we teach the practical!
(MORE CONTENT DETAILS BELOW)

APPLICATION

Small-group breakouts where you build out what this actually looks like for your parish, your teens, your context.

COMMUNITY

You're doing this work alongside a small group of other new youth ministers who are wrestling with the same questions.

"I found the training from ProjectYM to be exceptional. The hands-on approach and practical insights were exactly what I needed. I left with a clear, well-defined plan.”

JONNA OBRYAN
Louisville, KY

Only $200

MISSION BASE EVENTS ARE NORMALLY $900-$1,200, BUT THIS IS EVENT IS SPECIFICALLY PRICED TO MAKE SURE IT'S ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL NEW LEADERS!

Includes lodging, breakfast, two lunches, and all the supplies/resources for the week.

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Click here to find out more about what's different about a ProjectYM Mission Base event.

Let's talk details.

Here’s exactly what you’ll learn during the New Youth Minister Boot Camp.

THE Bootcamp

The content for this event was built by the ProjectYM team and shaped by conversations with new and veteran youth ministers as well as diocesan youth ministry leaders from across the country.

  • THE BOOTCAMP COVERS:
  • A Basic Launch Plan
    The big-picture vision matters, but if you're starting from nothing, you need something you can get started on now. You’ll leave with simple, doable steps that start getting teens in the room.
  • Know and Listen to Your Community
    How to observe the real needs of your teens, leaders, and parish before you start changing things, especially if you’re new to the parish.
  • PASTOR COMMUNICATION
    How to ask about his expectations, his vision, and what he considers success, so you’re building toward the same goal.
  • CreatING and CastING Vision
    How to craft a clear, compelling vision for youth ministry and share it with your pastor, staff, volunteers, and parents — to get buy-in from the people you need on board for your ministry to be successful.
  • BUILDING A Leadership TEAM
    A step-by-step system for inviting, training, and supporting the right adults — so you stop scrambling for "warm bodies" and start building a team of real mentors.
  • TransitionING from AN Existing Program
    How to move your ministry from where it is now to where you want to go without blowing everything up or losing the people who are already active in your ministry.
  • Relational ministry 101
    The tried-and-true practices of contact work and in-person relationship-building that are still the heart of youth ministry.
  • THE Most Effective Small Group Format
    Learn the exact weekly rhythm that turns a group of teenagers into a community that actually goes deeper together, accompanies one another, and forms committed disciples.
  • Ministry that multiplies
    You’re called to minister to parents and volunteers just as much as teens. Learn how that shift multiplies your impact.
  • collaboration and communication
    How to communicate well with parents, coworkers, sponsors, and your diocese, and how to find the people and resources that already exist to help you.
  • CAlendaring and saying no
    The power of a well-built calendar, and the freedom to say no to good things so you can say yes to the right ones.
  • Healthy rhythms
    Practical ways to integrate youth ministry with the rest of your life so you’re not burned out by spring.
  • Essential Processes and Procedures
    The behind-the-scenes systems — training, reporting, accountability, communication, and more — that keep a growing ministry from quietly falling apart.
  • PLUS:
  • Online community support
    You'll be added to our private Thrive Group exclusively for new youth ministry leaders. This is the perfect place to get feedback, answers, and ideas as you build (and scale) your ministry.

Only $200

Four Day Bootcamp
INCLUDES lodging, breakfast, lunch, and supplies

Register now – very limited spots available

Coaching Add-On

The Boot Camp gives you a plan. Coaching makes sure you actually use it.

Let’s be real: the first year of youth ministry is where most people either find their footing or start looking for the exit. You’ll go home from Chattanooga with a launch plan, a list of questions, and a lot of energy. Then real ministry life hits. The Coaching Add-On walks with you through those months, so you’re never figuring it out alone.

  • one-on-one coaching
    You’ll get six months of monthly, personalized, one-on-one coaching sessions with a ProjectYM coach – a veteran youth minister who’s been where you are. They’ll help you put your launch plan into action, troubleshoot roadblocks as they come up, think through tough conversations with your pastor or parents, and stay accountable to the goals you set at Boot Camp.

    Think of it as having someone in your corner who remembers what year one felt like and knows how to get through it.
  • thrive pro subscription
    You’ll get a year of Thrive Pro – the paid tier of online community for Catholic youth ministry leaders across the country. That includes access to Pro Groups, a place to ask questions and get real answers from other youth ministers, and huge member discounts on ProjectYM Masterclasses and events.

Only $750

IN addition to the Masterclass Registration Fee of $200

Regularly priced at $1,150 – a 35% discount!

You'll be able to opt into the coaching
add-on after you register.

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Made by Michael Marchand
We love youth ministers.
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