First, set a goal for developing relationships with non-believers. In most cases, we get so isolated in our Christian bubble that we seldom have strong friendships with non-believers.

Countering this tendency is not easy unless we intentionally strive to develop relationships with people outside of the church. Consider setting a goal to be in a growing relationship with

at least three non-believers at any time – while always watching for opportunities to share the Gospel.

Second, set a goal for praying for non-believers. Pray for the three relationships mentioned

above, and then pray for at least two more non-believers. Determine to pray at least weekly that God will open their blinded minds (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) and transfer them from the

dominion of darkness to the kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13). Pray as well that you will share the Gospel boldly and clearly when an open door is apparent (Ephesians 6:18-20;

Colossians 2:3-4).

Third, set a goal for simply speaking about God’s goodness. Many of us are out of the habit of speaking about God to anyone unless the other person raises the subject. One way to move

toward sharing the Gospel is to start by speaking of God’s goodness to someone each day. Speak about God to your spouse, a staff member, the convenience store clerk, or the bank

teller. Tell somebody about God’s work in your life each day, and sharing the Gospel may well become easier.

Fourth, set a goal for sharing the Gospel. Develop relationships, pray for others, begin to

speak about God – and then trust Him to empower you to speak the Gospel to someone. If you are not evangelizing now, consider a goal to share Christ at least twice a month. If you are

already doing evangelism, ask God to move you toward sharing Christ at least weekly, if not daily.

Fifth, set a goal for mentoring new believers. The Great Commission is not complete when a

non-believer has chosen to follow Christ. If you are not mentoring young believers, you are missing a critical component of the disciple-making process. Take the initiative – set a goal to

mentor one or two believers, and then go enlist them!

http://www.namb.net/gps/

GOD'S PLAN FOR SHARING (GPS)

God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) is a strategic framework for helping Southern Baptist churches see the Great

Commission fulfilled in our lifetime. It’s goal:

Every Believer Sharing, Every Person Hearing by 2020

GPS is a two-part process:

1. Churches intentionally align their evangelism ministry according to four biblical components:

o Prayer - Every church praying for every lost person.

o Equipping – Equipping every believer to share as a trained witness

o Sowing – Every lost person receiving a witness.

o Harvesting – Every church harvesting and celebrating every salvation response.

2. Churches participate in coordinated biannual evangelism campaigns that help them accomplish the GPS

goal. The campaign for 2014-2015 is Purpose: Find it Here, which focuses on impacting local

communities through a Day of Service or Season of Service.

Resources

o Day of Service

o Season of Service

o Pastor/Church Preparation Guide (English PDF)

o Pastor/Church Preparation Guide (Spanish PDF)

o Community Prayerwalk

o Community Exploration Experience

o Community Strengths and Needs Survey

http://www.sabecorse.net/goalsobjectives.htm

EVANGELIZATION: THE ESSENTIAL MISSION OF THE CHURCH

“The task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. Evangelizing is, in fact, the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize... She begins by being evangelized herself... Having been sent and evangelized, the Church herself sends out evangelizers. She puts on their lips the saving Word, she explains to them the message of which she herself is the depositary, she gives them the mandate which she herself has received and she sends them out to preach. To preach not their own selves or their personal ideas, but a Gospel of which neither she nor they are the absolute masters and owners, to dispose of it as they wish, but a Gospel of which they are the ministers, in order to pass it on with complete fidelity." ~ (Pope Paul VI, EVANGELII NUNTIANDI, 1975).

DEFINITION OF EVANGELIZATION “To evangelize is to bear witness, in a simple and direct way, to God revealed by Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, #26).

PHILOSOPHY Approach evangelization as a lifestyle rather than as a program. Create evangelizers rather than new evangelization techniques. Root evangelization in interior conversion through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

THREE PRIMARY GOALS OF EVANGELIZATION In "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES," A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, the U.S. Bishops state that evangelization means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself.

GOAL I: CONVERSION WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL

To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.

The enthusiastic embrace of Catholicism is the way to grow in intimate love of Jesus Christ, to be personally converted to him, and to follow him as faithful disciples. All authentic evangelization, in fact, everything we do as Christians, flows from this personal relationship with Jesus, which is a response of a person in faith to the kerygma, the proclamation of Christ’s saving love. Everything flows from this personal turning to Jesus and the decision to pattern one’s life on him. It follows that the first objective in implementing Goal One is to foster an experience of conversion and renewal in the heart of every believer.

This Goal One calls Catholics to continue to hear the Good News at ever-deeper levels. The call to holiness, given to every Catholic through Baptism, consecrates each one to God and to the service of the kingdom.

The strategy of this goal is to so deepen the sense of Scripture and sacrament that Catholics will pray more fully and, with a greater understanding of Christ’s call, live as disciples at home, at work, and in today’s many cultural settings. It seeks a greater openness to physical, mental, and cultural diversity among Catholics.

GOAL I OBJECTIVES To foster an experience of conversion and renewal in the heart of every believer, leading to a more

active living of Catholic life. To foster an experience of conversion and renewal in every parish.

To foster an appreciation of God’s Word in the lives of all Catholics.

To make the evangelizing dimension of the Sunday Eucharist more explicit.

To foster an appreciation of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and all of the Sacraments, the sacred signs

of our Catholic life.

To foster a greater appreciation of the power of God’s Word in our worship.

To foster an even deeper sense of prayer among our Catholic people.

To foster a renewed understanding of faith among Catholics.

To foster a sense of discipleship among Catholic adults and children.

To foster active and personal religious experience through participation in small-group and other communal

experiences in which the Good News is shared, experienced, and applied to daily life.

To foster active and personal religious experience through participation in small-group and other communal

experiences in which the Good News is shared, experienced, and applied to daily life.

To foster a sense of the domestic Church within households in which families, individuals and groups reside.

To promote and develop a spirituality for the workplace.

To foster greater appreciation of cultural and ethnic spirituality.

Clearly, unless we continue to be evangelized ourselves (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 15) with renewed enthusiasm for our faith and our Church, we cannot evangelize others. Priority must be given to continued and renewed faith formation in faith as the basis of our deepening personal relationship with Jesus.

GOAL II: CONVERSION TO THE CHURCH COMMUNITY

To invite all people in the United States, whatever their social or cultural background, to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ so they may come to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith. Catholic evangelization never considers Jesus apart from the Church. Pope Paul VI insists that there is a “profound link between Christ, the Church, and evangelization” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, #16). Catholics believe they embrace the fullness of the Incarnation when they embrace Jesus in the most intimate communion with His body, the Church. Goal Two offers the following challenge to Catholics across the country: To invite all people in the United States, whatever their social or cultural background, to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ so that they man come to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith. Only a Church renewed in spirit can pursue so grand a purpose. The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by being evangelized herself. There is a great need to work at becoming more welcoming, less anonymous, more active in seeking new members and reconciling old ones. Welcome, acceptance, the invitation to conversion and renewal, reconciliation and peace, beginning with worship, must characterize the whole tenor of the parishes. This Goal Two means that we are to invite effectively every person to come to know the Good News of Jesus proclaimed by the Catholic Church. It means not only that people are invited but also that an essential welcoming spirit is present in Catholic homes and in all our Catholic institutions.

GOAL II OBJECTIVES To make every Catholic institution, especially our parishes, more welcoming. To help every Catholic feel comfortable about sharing his or her faith and inviting people to discover

Christ in our Catholic family of believers. To develop within families and households the capacity to share the Gospel. To equip and empower our active Catholic members to exercise their baptismal call to evangelize. To use special times in parish and family life to invite people to faith. To cultivate an active core of the baptized to serve as ministers of evangelization in their parishes,

dioceses, neighborhoods, workplaces and homes.

To effectively invite people to our Church. To design programs of outreach for those who have ceased being active in the Church. To design programs that reach out in particular ways to those who do not participate in a church

community or who seek the fullness of faith. To foster the cultural diversity of the Church. To deepen ecumenical involvement.

The strategy behind this goal is to create a more welcoming attitude toward others in our parishes so that people feel at home, to create an attitude of sharing faith and develop greater skills to do this, and to undertake activities to invite others to know the Catholic people better.

GOAL III– CONVERSION OF SOCIETY To foster gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of the family, and the common good of our society, so that our nation may continue to be transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ. Goal Three addresses evangelization’s impact on culture and society: To foster Gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of the family, and the common good of our society, so that our nation may continue to be transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ. Catholics must affirm what is good in American culture, not unduly emphasizing the negative. Today, the Church stands among the most ardent defenders of immigrants, refugees, the elderly, the unborn, and the poor and the marginalized in general. Evangelization aims to build on this foundation to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth. Catholic evangelization is a counter-cultural activity that confronts disrespect for life, injustices, prejudices, divisions, loss of the sense of the transcendent, and many other ills in modern America. Nevertheless, the evangelization of culture remains a fundamental goal. This goal follows upon the other two: The appreciation of our faith and its spread should lead to the transformation of our society. The pursuit of this goal, however, must accompany the pursuit of the other two because evangelization is not possible without powerful signs of justice and peace, as the Gospel shapes the framework of our lives.

GOAL III OBJECTIVES To involve parishes and local service groups in the needs of their neighborhood. To foster the importance of the family. To develop groups to explore issues of the workplace and lay spirituality. To encourage Catholic witness in the arts and in the American intellectual community. To involve every Catholic, on different levels, in areas of public policy. To involve the Catholic Church, on every level, in the media. To involve Catholics, at every level, in questions of economic systems.

This goal means supporting those cultural elements in our land that reflect Catholic values and challenging those that reject it. Catholics, who today are involved in every level of modern life in the United States, have to address our society as a system and also in particular situations. This goal requires the strategy of strengthening our everyday involvement with those in need, of reflecting on the workplace and media, and of encouraging Catholic involvement in areas of public policy as a way of having greater impact on society’s values.

YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES Each of us is called to a personal relationship with our God who loves us. Each of us needs to listen to God’s Word as it is written in the Scriptures. Each of us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, must make a decision to surrender to God’s love and to commit ourselves to follow Christ, but we are mandated to know His Word so that we know Him. Each of us needs the support of a faith community to experience God’s love and empower us to go out to others.

Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission) “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Romans 10:14-17 (Where Faith Comes From) But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!” But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?” Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. Mark 4:1-9 (The Parable of the Sower) On another occasion, He (Jesus) began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around Him so that He got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And He taught them at length in parables and, in the course of His instruction, He said to them, “Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” Mark 4:10-20 (The Purpose of the Parables) And when He (Jesus) was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned Him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that ‘they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.’” Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” Revelation 22:17-19 (Living Water for All to Drink) The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the hearer say, “Come.” Let the one who thirsts come forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water. I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book.

PRAYER FOR EVANGELIZATION God of Word and Spirit, speak your life-giving truth, deepen our faith and quicken our enthusiasm for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Free us to communicate the faith we profess. As disciples of Jesus Christ, strengthen us to be people of hospitality. May we invite others to the Good News of salvation by the witness of our lives. May we extend welcome to those who journeyed from our midst. May we heal the hurts of alienation and offer a place of belonging to those in search of community. Renewed by conversion to gospel values, may we cast the fire of your Word and Spirit into our homes, our neighborhoods, our places of work and our world. May our nations and cultures be transformed by the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ, the Good News of Truth and Life now, always and forever.

We ask this in the name of your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen!

http://www.christlife.org/about.html

ABOUT CHRISTLIFE

Vision

Mission

Core Values

http://www.usccb.org/about/strategic-plan.cfm

USCCB > About Us

STRATEGIC/PASTORAL PLAN

2013-2016 - USCCB STRATEGIC PLAN

THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

JOURNEY WITH CHRIST: FAITH – WORSHIP – WITNESS

To make the New Evangelization a reality is to become pilgrims on a journey or pilgrimage with Jesus Christ-

much like the journey of Jesus meeting the disciples along the road to Emmaus. The journey or pilgrimage

includes moments for a deepening of our faith, increasing our participation in the sacramental life of the Church,

and leads finally to our destination of being Christian witnesses.

"A new evangelization is synonymous with mission, requiring the capacity to set out anew, go beyond boundaries

and broaden horizons. The new evangelization is the opposite of self-sufficiency, a withdrawal into oneself, a

status quo mentality and an idea that pastoral programs are simply to proceed as they did in the past. Today a

'business as usual' attitude can no longer be the case. Some local Churches, already engaged in renewal,

reconfirm the fact that now is the time for the Church to call upon every Christian community to evaluate their

pastoral practice on the basis of the missionary character of their program and activities."—Synod of Bishops XIII

Ordinary General Assembly, The New Evangelization for the Transmission of Christian Faith, Lineamenta, #10

The New Evangelization: Faith-Worship-Witness

The Year of Faith, as a doorway that engages us in the work of the New Evangelization, is a “summons to an

authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the One Savior of the world” (Porta Fidei, 6). The Year of Faith is a

first instance to be engaged in the new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith, is an opportunity

for Catholics to experience a conversion– to turn back to Jesus and enter into a deeper relationship with him. The

“door of faith” is opened at one’s baptism, but during this year Catholics are called to open it again, walk through it

and rediscover and renew and deepen their relationship with Christ and his Church.

The New Evangelization as a journey of faith, worship and witness, presents three opportunities or audiences for

the transmission of the Christian faith:

To engage more intently those who are faithful and need to be renewed with increased catechesis;

To reach out to those who have never heard the gospel proclaimed; and

To re-engage those who are baptized but have lost a living sense of the faith in their daily lives

The New Evangelization is an opportunity, a pilgrimage (journey) to rediscover the joy and confidence of believing

in the Triune God and to enthusiastically profess that faith as” a true encounter and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Transmitting the faith means to create in every place and time the conditions which lead to his encounter between

the person and Jesus Christ.” (Instrumentum Laboris, #18)

The New Evangelization/Journey with Christ: Faith-Worship-Witness has a natural progression that engages the

work of the Church and the USCCB in a three-fold movement during 2013-2016 through a focus on:

1. Faith: Inviting Catholics to a deeper relationship with Christ, and a deeper understanding of and relationship

with his Church, and knowledge of the faith.

2. Worship: Inspiring confidence in the gospel and the teachings of the faith expressed in a vibrant community

and sacramental life, most intensively in the Eucharist and Penance, but also through Marriage and greater

appreciation of the family as the domestic church.

3. Witness: Strengthening of our understanding of the Christian vocation lived through a public witness to Jesus

Christ and to the life and dignity of the human person where believers, living out their vocation to be

witnesses, affirm the freedom of religion and work to transform society through living and sharing their faith in

Jesus Christ and giving recognition to the life and dignity of the human person

http://www.usccb.org/about/2013-2016-plan-suggested-parish-diocesan-roadmap.cfm

2013-2016 USCCB STRATEGIC PLAN: SUGGESTED PARISH/DIOCESAN

ROADMAP

A Four Year Journey with Christ: Faith – Worship - Witness.

2013-2014: Focus on Faith

Beginning with the opening of the Year of Faith (October 2012 – November 2013) and continuing during the next

few years, diocesan and parish planning can focus on:

Helping Catholics deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and increase their knowledge of the teaching of

the Church;

Strengthening the education and formation of priests, religious and lay ministers, increasing the invitation to

young people to discern their vocation in life, and strengthening formation programs;

Working with local clergy to implement the USCCB statement on preaching through training and education so

that preaching is inspiring, motivating and catechetical;

Educating Catholics so they are adequately formed in their faith as relates to Catholic teaching on the life and

dignity of the human person, including issues of migration and pastoral care for refugees, respect for all life,

concern for the poor and marginalized;

Continuing diocesan efforts to educate and advocate for the religious liberty of all people both nationally and

internationally;

Continuing diocesan and parish efforts to develop special outreach to married couples and families and

advocate for the institution of marriage;

Strengthening the understanding of forgiveness and reconciliation as foundational to the new evangelization

leading to greater participation in the sacrament of penance.

2014-2015: Focus on Worship and Parish Life

During the years 2014 through 2015 in particular diocesan and parish planning can focus on:

Strengthening parish life and worship and creating evangelizing and welcoming parishes;

Strengthening participation in sacramental practice, especially inviting people to rediscover the sacrament of

penance and strengthening participation in and understanding of the sacrament of the Eucharist;

Creating parishes as welcoming communities including specific outreach to youth and young adults, parents,

and people on the move;

Continuing the formation of clergy to effectively respond to the challenges of the New Evangelization. [PPF

and National Directory revisions; establish annual themes for the ongoing formation of priests and deacons];

Strengthening marriage and family life, and increasing the number of people participating in the Sacrament of

Marriage;

Increasing understanding of the Mass and attendance at Mass.

2015-2016: Focus on Witness

Diocesan and parish efforts during 2015 and 2016 can have a special focus on initiatives that seek to increase

Christian witness and the support the bishop’s priority on the Life and Dignity of the Human Person:

Communicating and engaging diocesan and parish leaders on effective communication messages to actively

engage Catholics in the Church's promotion of the life and dignity of the human person;

Participating in the national convening in 2016 to engage and motivate a broad cross section of Catholics to

become active in promoting and supporting the Life and dignity of the Human Person;

Strengthening and encouraging Catholic laity in their role as witnesses in the public square.

Forming and training laity to understand and become engaged as evangelizers and witnesses to Christian

faith;

Strengthening the local relationship and communion between religious and the local ordinary through by

increasing the number of bishops who meet annually with religious;

Increasing the encouragement youth and young adults receive from youth, campus and young adult ministers

to consider a vocation to priesthood or religious life.

Suggested Best Practices to Implement the New Evangelization

1. To assist the church to engage culturally diverse communities the Committee on Cultural Diversity has

developed Intercultural Competency Guidelines that reflect best practices for the multicultural Church today.

2. To guide committees and staff to be more effective communicators the Committee on Communications is

focusing on developing best practices for effective communications and creating training opportunities to

communicate more effectively.

3. For the strategy which focuses on calling and forming leaders, especially priests and those in

consecrated life, there are major projects from various USCCB committees to assist diocesan and parish

leaders, including resources from Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, Child and Youth Protection,

Evangelization & Catechesis, Divine Worship, and Catholic Education.

4. The final best practice reflects the value of continuing to strengthen strategies of developing collaborative

relationships.