The best part about working for the Catholic Church is that you really don’t need to plan much to succeed.  God does it – right? If you have ever been in charge of any program or initiative in a parish, you know that planning plays an important part in future success. Success doesn’t just happen.

I am constantly amazed at how strategic parishes are in their efforts to accomplish many initiatives. From fundraising to building projects to retreats, they will spend countless hours planning, preparing and measuring the cost. When they put their minds to it and they want it badly enough, they get it done.

Yet, when the time comes to plan for implementing the New Evangelization, very little strategy is utilized. Maybe they’re still hoping to find the magic program or maybe they really don’t want to change. There are plenty of people both in leadership and in the pew who don’t want to change.

 

But if we don’t change, many parishes will close within one generation.

 

Another phenomenon is occurring across the country. Church staff and their volunteers are still spending countless hours in planning and implementing their current programs and initiatives. However, they are not reaping the successes they had hoped to achieve. Now everyone is scrambling to find THE solution.  They keep doing the same things hoping to get a different result. If you don’t redefine what you are trying to achieve (make Disciples) you will fail.

I believe there are some critical reasons why there is so much resistance to change.

Here are just a few, to get us started.

Churches-

  • Don’t really understand the problem.
  • Don’t know what to do because the traditional methods are all they know.
  • Lack the proper vision of what their purpose for existing is.
  • They have grown complacent with not achieving their desired goals.

I believe that parishes need to do the work of going back to God and the basics to accomplish their mission.

Steps For Moving Forward In Planning

  1. Go back to the basics and regain a vision of making disciples. (Corporate Prayer)
  2. Evaluate if and how current programs are making authentic disciples.
  3. Seek the Spirit’s guidance on how to transform programs or eliminate them altogether.
  4. Bring everyone on board with the new direction.
  5. Understand that the entire church has to move through the fear to make real changes.

Most parishes are not using the optimal time (summer) to do the prayer, training and planning needed to lay out a new course of action. One thing is clear, a new course of action is needed.