Council for Youth and Young Adult Ministry

In order to “ensure that the unique gifts and talents of youth and young adults are present in all aspects of the life of the Church” (UCC Bylaws, section 286)1 the Council for Youth and Young Adults shall gather themselves according to these guidelines. These guidelines should be evaluated at least once every two years and altered by the currently convened group if needed in order for the group to best serve its primary functions.

The primary functions of CYYAM2 are to:

  • Gather together networks of and build community among UCC youth and young adults;
  • Build leadership capacity among UCC youth and young adults;
  • Nominate qualified youth and young adult leaders to the UCC National Boards and other wider church leadership positions;
  • Assist in the planning and execution of youth and young adult events
    • hold two video calls in conjunction with NOWCYM to discuss RYEs, youth@synod and other events throughout the denomination
  • Establish and plan youth and young adult Sundays (with curriculum and advertising) for the United Church of Christ
  • Make statements on behalf of youth and young adults during relevant world and national events
  • Actively maintain social media accounts for youth/young adults
  • Host webinars or other learning and faith formation events utilizing online platforms for youth and young adults

The Council for Youth and Young Adult Ministries (CYYAM) shall gather itself in two separate, but overlapping groups:

1.) Youth (applicants should have completed their sophomore year and be no older than 15)
2.) Young adults (graduated high school or its equivalency and be between the ages of 19-26)

The Youth council shall consist of 6-8 youth members and 2-3 young adult mentors while the Young Adult council shall consist of 6-8 members. (For a total of no more than 19 total CYYAM members.) Members will be drawn from UCC youth and young adults from across the denomination via the application process. CYYAM will include two older adult advisors (age 25 and older, preferably of different gender identities/expressions, including persons who identify as non-binary) who will serve as mentors, support and, when necessary, chaperones for youth members of CYYAM. CYYAM will be supported by the UCC’s Faith Education, Innovation and Formation team. All budgetary expenditures shall be approved by the team’s staff liaison in accordance with UCC policies and procedures.

Adult advisors will ensure that mentoring is a crucial part of the interaction between these two groups. For example, Young Adult Members and/or experienced members of CYYAM can be assigned as mentors to younger/newer members of the Council. All members will be responsible for recognizing and recruiting potential new members of the council while they are members. These two age-separated groups shall meet at least once a year in an overlapping session.

As CYYAM seeks to be faithful to the UCCs call for diversity, there may be times that some members will be asked to sit on separate councils/affinity groups and give voice to the youth and/or young adult perspective. While true inclusion and welcoming is this council’s goal, we also know there is much work to do inside and outside of ourselves to make that a reality.