Parish Vitality Report - February 2023 Available Now!

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Evangelization

3.1 Parish Evangelization Inventory

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If any parish within your Family of Parishes didn’t take the Parish Evangelization Inventory during Phase 0, now is the perfect time to do so. You can find it under the “Materials” tab above.

A relevant staff person or other parish leader (e.g. DRE, CRE, Pastoral Associate, Youth Minister, et al.) should fill out this inventory tool, which is specific to a single parish. This tool will be used in Phase 2 to help create your vision for evangelization.

Even now, ministerial cohorts can begin to discuss the common themes and other details found in all of the inventories of your Family of Parishes.

FAMILY OF PARISHES LEADERSHIP TEAM

Make sure that the evangelists of all the parishes within your Family of Parishes have access to all the inventories for your Family.

Forum_Prompt

Let’s Discuss: Why is the Parish Evangelization Inventory important?

2.1 Prioritizing Missionary Discipleship for the Leadership Team

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Your pastor will help your Family Leadership Team prioritize missionary discipleship by prayerfully leading the team through the creation of individual and team Missionary Discipleship Plans. See the “Materials” tab above for samples of these plans. Let’s Discuss: What are some ideas for fostering missionary discipleship on your Family Leadership Team?

Charisms Discernment

Your pastor may also take advantage of Charisms Discernment with the Catherine of Siena Institute. Stay tuned for more details about an upcoming Charisms Discernment Workshop, which will benefit parish evangelists and your Family Leadership Team.

Clifton Strengths

Another helpful resource is CliftonStrengths Finder from the Gallup Organization

Forum_Prompt

Let’s Discuss: What are some ideas for fostering missionary discipleship on your Family Leadership Team?

1.2 Hire a Director of Evangelization

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It’s important to conduct interviews before deciding which candidate to hire as your director of evangelization, even if the position is offered to a current employee. Whether you hire from inside or outside your Family of Parishes, you will find in this module the resources and consultation you need to fill the position.

Both the archdiocese Department of Human Resources and the Center for the New Evangelization of the Pastoral Center are here to assist you in the hiring process.

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Let’s Discuss: What are networking best practices  for hiring a director of evangelization?

1.1 Preparing to Hire a Director of Evangelization for the Family of Parishes

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Leadership is the first phase of the Pastoral Planning Pathway. Having the right leaders in place is foundational to any successful initiative, and Beacons of Light is no exception. Forming a Family Leadership Team is a Phase 1 initiative. A director of evangelization is a critical member of your FLT and even called for in Parameter 13:

Evangelization Reversed

“Competent and qualified staff are necessary to serve the Family of Parishes, especially in the areas of worship, evangelization (including love in action) and administration. As is possible, staff will be unified to serve the entire Family.”

Hiring a director of evangelization is a Phase 1 milestone:

“Hire or promote from within a director of evangelization who will be appointed to the Family Leadership Team.”

The primary function of the director of evangelization is to serve your Family of Parishes by shepherding the overall vision for evangelization within your Family. The director of evangelization leads your Family Evangelization Team, which is responsible for creating, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive strategy for evangelization. As a member of your FLT, the director of evangelization is a close collaborator with your pastor and supports him and other clergy in the ministries of sanctifying, teaching and governing.

It may be the case that an existing staff member among your parishes can be promoted to this role. If not, a new staff person will need to be hired to assume this important role. Regardless, he or she should generally meet the qualifications of a lay ecclesial minister, as defined by the USCCB.

Whether you choose your director of evangelization from existing staff or you need to recruit and hire a new person, it is important that you prayerfully prepare to make the best decision for this position. We recommend that you do so by consulting with local and national experts and utilizing the resources provided.

Forum_Prompt

Let’s Discuss: Need some advice for hiring a director of evangelization?

Evangelization Overview: Phase 1

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Phase 1 focuses on the leadership of your Family of Parishes. The key milestone in this phase is to hire or promote from within a Director of Evangelization. This person will serve as a member of your Family Leadership Team (FLT) and lead other evangelization staff within your Family.
 
As your FLT forms, this team will prioritize missionary discipleship using resources provided in the Evangelization pathway.
 
If your parish has not already taken the Parish Inventory for Evangelization, please do so soon and begin sharing the inventory with the other parishes to begin dialogue within the Family. You will find the Parish Inventory for Evangelization in the final module.

“Hire or promote from within a director of evangelization who will be appointed to the Family Leadership Team.”

I am convinced that Beacons of Light, born of great hope, will enable us to form stronger parishes, centered on the Eucharist, that radiate the love of Christ and joy of the Gospel… God has abundantly blessed our first two centuries and will certainly bless the next.

— ARCHBISHOP DENNIS M. SCHNURR