Parish as Mission

[assisifish]

I seem to have caught some kind of bug during the year of faith. It seems that after 20 years as a Church worker I am beginning to see how far I have to go in calling those I serve to looking at themselves as disciples in training. vehicles of the transmission of the “Good News.”

I also have come to a deeper understanding of the need to be part of a team/staff that see it’s own on-going formation as critical to being able to be used by the Holy Spirit.

 

[KCT]

You might enjoy reading Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell.

She talks a lot about being a disciple vs being an active Catholic. Interesting stuff.

(Just to be clear, one can be both, but active Catholic does not automatically equal disciple).

 

[Joannm]

Excellent book. I have read it and even did a talk on it to RCIA leaders.

 

[Joe_5859]

I was going to recommend that book, too. The quote I just added to my signature is one that I came across in Weddell’s book.

Another interesting book in that same vein is “Rebuilt” by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. It recounts the story of one parish who decided to focus more on the people who were not there at Church than those who were. In other words, they attempt to follow Jesus’ example of going after the lost sheep rather than simply catering to the sheep that are present because it’s easier.

I firmly believe that this type of intentional discipleship is really at the core of Pope Francis’ approach, and even to what St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict were getting at with all the talk of the “New Evangelization.” Many places in the West are now post-Christian, and there are many people in the pews who may have been catechized (to greater or lesser extent) but never evangelized. Until more are evangelized and come to an authentic encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, no amount of catechesis or parish programs are going to make things better.

As Pope Paul VI back in the 1970’s, the Church exists in order to evangelize. That is the mission. It’s what Jesus told the apostles right before he ascended: “Go and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” If we’re not being disciple-makers, we’re neglecting a very crucial aspect of what it means to be Catholic.