Reaching men ages 16–30 in the digital space isn’t about one broad, inspirational message—it’s about knowing who you’re speaking to and how to speak to them. Just as every fisherman knows different bait attracts different fish, so too does effective recruitment and retention require audience segmentation.

This generation of men isn’t a monolith. Some are searching, some are skeptical. Some are drawn to stories, others to facts. Some respond to bold challenges, others to quiet witness. Their interests, habits, and values vary widely—so your message must be tailored, not generic, if it’s going to land.

Think of it like preaching a homily to a diverse crowd—what resonates with a father of four may not touch the heart of a college freshman. The same principle applies digitally. Targeted content, informed by real data and ongoing engagement, allows you to connect with men where they are, speak their language, and walk with them toward where they’re meant to be.

The more you learn about who’s engaging, the more effective your message becomes—and the greater the chance of real transformation.

This is the work of digital recruitment of men for discernment: not just casting the net, but casting it strategically, repeatedly, and intentionally.

Fishing for men, today, requires a new method. The initial approach of “Have you ever thought of becoming a priest” used to work well – for centuries – for engaging men in their vocational discernment. But it presupposed they were, in some way, ready for the question.

With the degradation of the culture, where the foundational, formative support is lacking, we can’t start there anymore. Men, today, need opportunities to discover meaning and purpose in their lives, to build their character, to have virtues and values instilled, to discern what healthy and virtuous masculinity looks like, and to deepen their relationships with Christ and His Church – all leading them to a point of readiness to discern God’s calling for their lives.

This is where both digital and in-person programs, events, retreats, and other intentional efforts to nurture men’s engagement and formation are key to vocational ministry, no matter their level of readiness, to draw them in to validate their purpose and God-given vocation for their lives. With our extensive connections, we are able to provide you with already-developed programs and initiatives that can support your ministry and meet this important, fundamental need to grow your base.

Let’s get you started!

Young men today:

• feel a sense of loss
• experience isolation
• search for meaning and purpose
• lack mentors
• look for fellowship
• desire to explore the big questions of life in a trusted environment

Without a strong, consistent, and clear presence and voice of the Catholic church in the digital space, they are left to misinformation, indifference, secular ideologies, and distorted narratives shaping their lives. The church needs to establish her place in this space.

To reach them we must go where they are: the digital space.

Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.” If we want to reach them, we must cast our nets in the right waters. Today, that mission field is online.

Some Statistics
Young men in this demographic don’t just visit the digital world—they live there. Online is where they learn, connect, explore ideas, and form identity. To engage them meaningfully—whether for vocational discernment, formation, or fellowship—we must meet them in their lived digital reality, not just show up.
 

• 98% of Gen Z individuals (ages 13–24) use the internet everyday, spending on average 6 hours and 40 minutes online.*
• 97% of Gen Z (ages 13–24) own a smartphone; about 84% view it as their most essential device.**

Over 90% of Gen Z are active on social media.***

• 74% of young men (ages 18–34) use social media daily^†
• Social apps usage is 3-4 hours every day***

Usage among young U.S. men ages 18–34^†:

• YouTube: 84%
• Facebook: 69%
• Instagram: 66%
• TikTok: 56%
• Also common: X/Twitter, Snapchat, Reddit, Discord, and LinkedIn
• 89% of Gen Z identify as gamers, averaging 3-6 hours/wk. These gaming and streaming spaces double as social hubs, especially appealing to young men.^††

The men you’re seeking are already out there—
swimming in a vast digital sea.

We’ll help you go where they are,
connect with them in ways that resonate,
and guide them to you and
toward deeper exploration of God’s call.

AN INTENTIONAL SHIFT IS NEEDED

…and to have a different outcome,

new approaches are necessary.

Are you ready?

If you find yourself as a one-man office, with little administrative support, or with other duties and responsibilities in parish life, you’ve quickly come to realize that you can’t do it all. Not to mention, creating engaging programs and messaging weren’t exactly a part of the coursework in seminary. 

The tasks at hand are enormous:

• Meeting the yearly goal of seminary entrants
• Harnessing funding to support vocations ministry
• Initiating contact with prospective men
• Providing accompaniment of men through their vocational discernment at various levels of readiness
• Creating digital outreach via emails and social media posts to engage men
• Coordinating various events and retreats to nurture vocational discernment and to fundraise – and coordinating the marketing and registration of these events

And the list goes on.

You need and deserve a collaborator that brings the experience and expertise of an award-winning communications media company, that understands the Catholic space, your unique audiences, knows the ins and outs of the Church’s vocations ministry, and whose success is already proven.

Through segmented communications strategy and workflows, we will capture the unique information of those who jump into your net and get them into the engagement/cultivation funnel. This allows us to filter them accordingly while nurturing them along the process of their vocational discernment with continued, engaging content―leading them to a level of readiness for you to engage with them one-to-one.

You can’t do this alone.
The digital sea is vast—but the fish are out there!
We want to help you cast your net
in a way that gets real, lasting results.