Most Catholic Churches today are program dependent. By that I mean that they only know how to do this method of ministry and find it very difficult to do any other.  The Lord modeled for us two styles or methods of ministry in the gospels – Program Ministry and Relational Ministry.

The sermon on the mount is a great example of program ministry. He sat on the hill side and preached to the multitude. He did this all over the place in between his ministry of healing and other duties. Yet when we examine how he chose to progress the Kingdom of God, we can see that he was focussed on the other model of ministry.

He called twelve men to follow him. Over the course of three years, he invested his heart into those men. He lived with them, ate with them, taught them, tutored them, and finally commissioned them to continue his mission. it is interesting to note that before they could begin their mission as Apostles of a newly founded Church, they had to first be introduced and infused with the person of the Holy Spirit. Once again, a relationship was essential for this to take place.

We have a rich history of relational ministry and it continues on today. I would say that it is more of the work of the Holy Spirt than a formal ministry model of the Church. The lives of the saints reveal to us the essential element of the relationships needed for the transmission of the Holy Spirit from one heart to another.

The faith that profess is not just a faith in God but it is bringing them into intimate union with God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have grown complacent and lethargic in our efforts to progress the gospel of Christ. The false religion of Hedonism has infiltrated our belief system and practices such that we find relational ministry too difficult to do. So we invite people we don’t really know to our events and wonder why no one comes except those who have the Spirit.

We must return to the practice of utilizing relational ministry within our programs. Programs become the natural means by which strangers get to know each other, if led to do so. Parish staff must make it a priority to get to know those they are ministering two and find creative ways to help them get to know each other.

Don’t just give them knowledge of our teachings – Give them you so they can see how Jesus lives in you and transforms you!