Full-time missions with Life Teen is an opportunity to dive into a year of formation at Covecrest or Hidden Lake that is rooted in the sacraments and focused on forming missionary disciples dedicated to leading teens closer to Christ.
Life Teen Missions is answering the call from Christ’s final command in Matthew 28:19, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” through our specific ministry to teens. We invest in the lives of the youth around us by inviting them into relationship and teaching them what it means to follow Christ.
From prayer exercises to work projects to formation sessions, all activities are focused on formation through studying and exploring Catholic Missionary Spirituality.
Formation sessions are focused on spiritual reading such as “Story of a Soul” by St. Therese or “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen, as well as teachings of the Church and Holy Scripture. Themes include: Scripture and Prayer, Missionary Heart, Evangelization, Mary and Life Teen Core Values, and Theology of the Body.
A rhythm of a prayer is at the heart of the formation year, centered around a holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament every morning, daily Mass, rosaries, and liturgy of the hours.
Missionaries do an 8-10 day mission trip during their mission year as well as serve in leadership positions over the summer during Life Teen Summer Camp.
Missionaries participate in a number of outreach efforts in order to lead teens closer to Christ, both at their respective mission bases, and beyond.
Retreat groups that travel to Life Teen Camps are assisted by missionaries in whatever capacity they are needed. Parishes, core teams, and even other missionary organizations are just a few of the groups that missionaries will welcome home and journey with during their stay.
Local outreach is also part of the mission year, through discipling teens at local schools, assisting in community cleanups or events, engaging in homeless ministry, and much more.
Life Teen missionaries live together, pray together and grow together. At each of the mission bases, all male missionaries live together and all female missionaries live together. All missionaries share bedrooms and living spaces.
Missionaries will also journey alongside the Life Teen staff members and their families who are living at their mission base, through weekly community recreation time and family dinners every other week.
Missionaries are stretched, but ultimately strengthened through the mission base community, by building trust through vulnerability, affirmation and encouragement.
Looking for Life Teen’s missions program that’s just over the summer? Head over to Life Teen Summer Missions
Life Teen Missions is answering the call from Christ’s final command in Matthew 28:19, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” through our specific ministry to teens. We invest in the lives of the youth around us by going out to them, inviting them into relationship, and teaching them what it means to follow Christ. In order to best disciple teens, all Life Teen missionaries spend a year in formation to assist them in developing and growing in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
During this year of formation, missionaries grow in an understanding of why discipleship is necessary, how to be a disciple of Christ, and how to make disciples with teensYear Begins: September at Covecrest in Tiger, GA or Hidden Lake in Dahlonega, GA Year Ends: Mid-August Missionaries have roughly a two-week break for Christmas and a one-week break for Easter each year.
Applicants must be one full year out of high school by the beginning of their Mission Year in September.
September through April is the Formation Phase of the year. During this time missionaries journey through various formation pieces under the direction of the missions leadership team (Mission of the Redeemer, Prodigal Son, Disciple’s Heart, Missionary Action, Theology of the Body), go on either a foreign or domestic mission trip, participate in an 8 day silent retreat, facilitate weekend and weekday retreats, spend time in community, do local outreach work and homeless ministry, help with work projects at their respective camps, and much more. Over the course of the year, missionaries are trained and formed to serve the missionary movement of Life Teen. The schedule changes frequently throughout the year based on what is going on at the time and which base you are assigned to.
May through August missionaries will dive head first into Summer Camp. They will help to facilitate all programming and activities, as well as have a leadership role among the college aged students who come to serve as summer missionaries. They are expected to be an example of missionary zeal and radical hospitality for everyone present at camp.
All Life Teen Missionaries depend completely on God’s providence. All Life Teen Full Time Missionaries are committed to invite others into the mission of leading teens closer to Christ through Mission Partnering. Mission Partnering involves raising both monetary and spiritual support of our mission of leading teens closer to Christ. Missionaries will ask family and friends to pray a rosary, an Our Father, or even offer a Mass intention for the conversion of souls throughout the mission year.
The sacrifices made by these “prayer partners” aid the success of the mission. Missionaries will also raise funds on behalf of Life Teen to support their mission as well as the mission of Life Teen as a whole.
We are confident that God will provide for what He has called you to do. You will invite friends, family, co-workers, and parishioners to be “mission partners.” Mission Partners commit to prayer and financial support throughout your mission year. You, in turn, commit to praying for them and their intentions, as well as sending them monthly updates on how God is moving through you and, thus, through their investment in you as mission partners. Your mission partners are your personal prayer team, your army of prayer coverage as you go out to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. The preferred method is to invite people to give monthly. This forms an ongoing relationship and reflects the reality that your mission partners are truly on mission with you. Each missionary is expected to reach the monthly fundraising goal and create a spreadsheet to organize contacts, invitations, and donations. Life Teen Missions will provide specific fundraising training at orientation, as well as sample letters, response cards, and fundraising ideas that will help you in this important ministry to mission partners. If you believe in your missionary call, share your story and invite others into this mission, God provides.
Prayer is the foundation of all Christian life. As missionaries, we are called to be “contemplatives in action.” All our activity flows out of our prayer life, which includes both personal and communal prayer. The typical day of prayer for a missionary includes:
Holy Hour
Morning Prayer – Liturgy of the Hours
Mass when available in town or at camp
Night Prayer – in your homes
In addition, we explore the riches of the Catholic treasury of prayers including the rosary, scripture study, journaling, novenas, consecration to Jesus through Mary, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In developing a more personal relationship with Christ, missionaries will learn how to listen to His Word that ultimately leads to contemplation. Missionaries will also go on a personal eight day silent retreat at Covecrest in January.
Our prayer life is lived out in community. Our missionary communities consist of Catholic Christians committed to a full life in Christ. Life Teen mission communities share a common vision, pray and discern together, and do all things for the Glory of God. Each member lives this out by embracing their unique role and by building trust through vulnerability, affirmation, and encouragement. Community life offers a safe but challenging place to live out our faith.
Practically, all missionaries share bedrooms and living spaces. All male missionaries live together and all female missionaries live together. Men are encouraged to build their strongest relationships with other men and women with women. The relationship between male and female missionaries is one of honor. Formation missionaries commit to not dating or engaging in new romantic relationships of any kind. The purpose of this is to protect and honor this committed year between God and each missionary.
While every aspect of the year is designed to “form” the missionaries, formation refers to committed time to study and explore Catholic Missionary Spirituality. The spirit is formed through prayer and exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The mind is formed through studying Holy Scripture, teachings of the Church, and spiritual reading. The will is formed through humility and obedience to Life Teen Missions’ Rule of Life. Formation primarily takes place in a small group setting facilitated by Life Teen Missions leadership and guest speakers. Main themes include: Identity, Scripture and Prayer, Disciple’s Heart, Missionary Action, Evangelization, Missionary Spirituality, Mary and Life Teen Core Values, and Theology of the Body, Salvation History, as well as fundamental topics in theology.
Additionally, Life Teen Missions formation is a hands-on mission experience developing youth ministry skills, public speaking, teaching, organization, logistics coordination, and leadership to serve the missionary movement of Life Teen. We form young adults to be missionary in the everyday! Life Teen missionaries are the hands, feet, and heart of Christ in their communities. Missionaries learn to turn all aspects of their daily life into mission. The very identity of the Church is missionary, therefore the very identity of each of Her members must be missionary as well. By our baptism, we are missionary. It is not just what we do; it is who we are. St. John Paul the Great encouraged us to “become who you are.” As we do that, we find that we are missionary.
Specific opportunities include local outreach, leading retreats, foreign mission trip, and assisting with Life Teen Summer Camp. In addition, missionaries will work alongside Life Teen staff in various fields. This could include camp work projects and office work.