The Pope Creates Opportunities for the Church

A recent Pew Research poll shows that not only is Pope Francis popular among American Catholics, but perhaps more importantly, among the “nones” (those people not identifying with any religion).  This is an opportunity for the local Church.  While this interpretation is not addressed in this research, I would suggest that Pope Francis has changed the dialogue for Catholicism today.  While doctrine hasn’t changed, the approach has.

To begin with, the Holy Father encourages dialogue, rather than the monologue that his two immediate predecessors seemed to engender.  This is the first opportunity for parishes throughout the country.  We can really only take advantage of this opening at the local level.  Parish communities should be building on the Pope’s approach to invite a broader community into conversation.  This conversation with the unchurched will lead to conversions from among their ranks.

More important than the openness the Pope is advancing is his focus.  Despite not changing doctrine, from the taking of his name he has shone a bright light of the Church’s preferential option for the poor.  He has been in one way or the other saying that regardless of how important the various inflammatory “morality” questions are, there is no more primary question than how do we treat the least of our brothers and sisters.  And this, paired with an openness to conversation, is a very powerful evangelization opportunity.

A while back I highlighted the book Rebuilt.   One of the foundational points that those authors make is that it is not the responsibility of a parish to serve the customers that are parishioners; rather the mission is to strengthen parishioners for discipleship and evangelization.  The Sunday mass should be the beginning of the week, not an isolated hour within it.  From the communion with the Risen Lord, we should be renewed for our efforts as disciples in the world.  If our parishes commit to our charge and go out as Catholic Christians, serving the poor, we will be preaching as both the Holy Father and his namesake would have us.

Combining service and dialogue would be a very powerful force to grow and enliven our church.

 

Creating Good Content

On my other blog, Increasingly Strategic Planning, I just posted about the rise of PR and good content in the marketing world.  The good news for evangelization is that we’ve got lots of GREAT content.  It’s called sacred scripture!

If you want something written more recently, I would suggest Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis’ Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel.  I had a little trouble finding a version of it online, but it is worth a little effort.  This is some good reading during Holy Week.  While quoting the Bible from time to time may be appropriate in casual conversation, the Pope’s writing has an immediacy; an up to date critique of modernity, which follows and reinforces the teaching of the Catholic Church that has been for millennium.  I found a Catholic New Service video through Ad Deum’s website does a good (a brief) job of showing that Evangelii Gaudium is not a radical departure from recent Papal teaching.

Although, it is still radical.  Radical in the tradition of Christ Himself.  Jesus came to shake up the status quo.  But this status quo is not going away quietly and we need constantly renew ourselves in the fight.  Pope Francis doesn’t mince words.  At the very beginning he says “The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience”.  While I wouldn’t use these words precisely, the sentiments aren’t hard to work in to modern debates.

There’s plenty of GOOD content in there!

 

Local pastors learning from mega-churches – Catholic Free Press

See on Scoop.it – Catholic Parish Management

Catholic Free Press
Local pastors learning from mega-churches
Catholic Free Press
These churches, known as mega-churches, located mostly in the South, apparently have some welcoming techniques that Catholics can learn from.

BillHeiden‘s insight:

Rebuilt is a well written explanation of one Catholic Parish’s revitalization.  They are steadfast in there Catholic identity, but unabashed in their acknowledgement of looking at successful protestant churches for insight.  If more of the Catholic Church can learn and innovate, while maintaining the Eucharist centered faithfulness, evangelization will soar.

See on www.catholicfreepress.org