St. Monica: Encountering Christ (Complete Version)

Discernment Team Recommendations 8.25.2017 1Vision for Saint Monica Parish, Berwyn, PA

“Spiritual Journeys & Vocations”

Threshold Conversations and the “Nicodemus Effect”


Whose in the Pews?

• 30%

• 38%

• 32%

• -----------

• 100%

• Americans raised Catholic & are “practicing” • (attend Mass once/month)

• ½ of these are at mass any given weekend

• Hold on to their Catholic Identity but seldom/never attend Mass

• No longer consider themselves Catholic


And Whose not …

• “32% No longer consider themselves Catholic “

• 3% - Part of a non-Christian faith

• 14% - Unaffiliated

• 15% - Part of some Protestant faith tradition

• =600 St. Monica Parishioners

• Compare: 800 at Mass/weekend


Issues:

Protestant / Evangelicals:

• Highly attuned to spiritual mobility of Postmodern Americans

• Constantly consider how to reach out to them.

• Conviction: every person has a personal decision to make!

• Personal relationship with Christ

• i.e. “Getting Saved”

Catholics:

• Assume religious identity is largely inherited.

• Faith can be passed down through Catholic Schools, PREP, youth programs, etc…

• Assume religious practice remains stable throughout one’s life.


Issues:

• Since Renaissance, Catholic Church highly Influenced by power of education

• Strategy:

• Childhood Catechesis

• Sacramental Initiation

• Problem: CCD, Youth Groups, Catholic Grade- High School make little / no

difference whether or not American teen stays Catholic.

• “Eucharist” will not bring them back.

• Sacraments for “their children” will not bring them back.

• Implications for current practice at St. Monica?


It’s About “THE” Relationship …

• Mass attendance depends on possible and personal relationship with God.

• 48% of Catholics: “I don’t have personal relationship with God I believe in”

• More pronounced with younger vs. older Catholics

• Millions of Americans:

• Do not know that explicit, personal relationship with Christ – personal discipleship – is normative.

• Need to be evangelized first – then sacramentalized - then catechized

• We’ve done it in reverse!

• Are seeking a religious identity

• Are Catholic - yet not sure about a personal relationship with God.

• Are potentially open to Catholic faith

• Self-Identify as “Catholic” attending Mass, though not baptized / confirmed.


…And It’s About The “Call”

Journeys:

1. Interior Journey

2. Ecclesial Journey (Sacraments)

3. Active Journey (Personal Practice)

Vocations:

• Church Vocation (“Call to Holiness”)

• “State of Life” Vocation

• Personal Vocation (“Called & Gifted” Charisms)


Topics We Considered

1. “God Has No Grandchildren.”

1. What Is Normal (and Abnormal) About the Church In America Today?

2. What the landscape really looks like

3. Data Driven Decisions

2. “I Am the vine, You Are The Branches.” (you’re not a trellis!)

1. Supporting structures instead of growing disciples (Lack of fruit)

2. Types and elements of “Vocations”

3. Priorities of people who are growing in the faith

3. Spiritual Stages And Movement Through The Thresholds

1. Stages of Intentional discipleship

2. The Parish: House of lay formation


Topics We Considered

4. What Could St. Monica Look Like If We Took “Priest – Disciple – Charisms” Seriously?

1. Kerygma: Telling “The Great Story”

2. “Encounters” and Threshold Conversations

5. „Do Tell” – Breaking the Silence / Sharing the great story

1. Establishing a “culture” of discipleship (… or not) and the “Nicodemus effect”

6. ”This Is All Curious-er and Curious-er.” (Alice In Wonderland)

1. The “Evangelical gap”

2. critical stage: Curious

3. critical stage: seeking


Saint Monica ParishEncountering Jesus

Helping You Get to Heaven


Spiritual Thresholds:Parishes & People

Pre-Trust

Trust Curious

OpenSeeking

DiscipleApostle

+ - 70% of Parish

+-70% of Church-Go-ers

3% - 7%of Church Go-ers ??

Catechesis Only Effective Here

Actively Seeking God

Passive

No Connection,

Semi-Hostile,Hostile

Actively Seeking Others

As outlined in


Spiritual Thresholds

Pre-Trust

Trust Curious

OpenSeeking

DiscipleApostle

+ - 70% of Parish



Catechesis Only Effective HereImplications for

St. Monica Parish?


Spiritual Thresholds

Pre-Trust

Trust Curious

OpenSeeking

DiscipleApostle

+ - 70% of Parish



Catechesis Only Effective Here

“Small Groups” Effective Here

What about “On-Boarding,” “Off-Boarding and

Transitions?


Background and Context

• In June 2016, Fr. Zlock commissioned a group of 20 parishioners to help prayerfully discern the future of the parish.

• After 14 months of prayer, research, debate, and discussion, the team reached consensus on recommendations for the parish purpose, priorities, and key initiatives for the next three years.

• The team proposes sharing these with the parish staff, key leaders, and parishioners so they can be refined and implemented


Our Purpose as a Parish…

…is simply to get more people to heaven, with a special emphasis on people who live in Berwyn and Devon.

We will evaluate how we spend our time, energy, and resources in light of our purpose:

• If it will help more people get to heaven, we’ll do it.

• If we cannot see how it will help more people get to heaven, we will let other organizations do it.


Jesus is the Way

As a Catholic community, we believe that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

The life-changing encounter with Jesus is critical and as a parish we will help people encounter Jesus in scripture, the liturgy, and in service to others.


Encountering Jesus in… Scripture Based Small Groups

Current research and our own parish experience validates the power of scripture based small groups to help people encounter Jesus and grow as disciples.

We will do this for women, men, and youth through:


Encountering Jesus in...Liturgy & Worship

As a Eucharistic community, we will strengthen the 3 H’s and 3 M’s to help people encounter Jesus in our worship.

Hymns / Music

• Continue excellence in musical quality

• Increase diversity of liturgical music styles

Homilies / Message

• Ensure preaching is relevant to everyday life

• Provide timely feedback to presiders

Hospitality / Ministry

• Actively connect newcomers to ministry

• Develop welcome culture in all parishioners

5 Components to an Excellent Homily:A - udibleP - assionateO - rganizedU - nderstandableR – elevant to Life


Encountering Jesus in… Service to Others

As a Christian community, we are called to see the face of Christ in others and be the face of Christ to others and so we will help people encounter Jesus in service to others:

In the parish

HOPE, Merry Widows

On CampusAll Abilities,

Helping Hands

Beyond the parish

Kensington Bristol

See Jesus in others. Be Jesus for others.


Encountering Jesus Helping You Get to Heaven

Staff Lead: Jason CarterIN SCRIPTURE-BASED

SMALL GROUPS

• Volunteer Leads:

• WWP – Melissa Gerding Maureen Kozak

• TMIY – Matt Manion, Tom McGurk

• Youth – Core Team Volunteers

Staff Leads: Fr. Zlock, Frank OrmanIN LITURGY

AND WORSHIP


• Recruit New Liturgy Committee

• Hospitality - Martha McGurk

• Contemporary Music Initiative

Staff Lead: ?IN SERVICE TO OTHERS


• Bridget Cowell, Michelle Manning

• Establish New Service & Outreach Commission


Six Steps Towards Implementation

ACTIVITY LEAD DUE DATE

1. Recruitment for scripture-based small groups MG, MK, MM, TM, JC

9/21/17

2. Confirm leadership for Service & Outreach Commission

Fr. Zlock 9/31/17

3. Share vision and priorities with ministry leaders Fr. Z and Discernment Team

11/15/17

4. Share vision and priorities with all parishioners Fr. Z and Discernment Team

12/17/17

5. Recruit members of Liturgy Committee Fr. Z and Frank 1/19/18

6. Share the love and mercy of Jesus Christ with others – in scripture, liturgy, and service

ALL Forever


SUMMARY: What The Lord Wants

EVERY DAYENCOUNTER THROUGH SCRIPTURE

• Just Read the Bible

• Formal Study Group

• Scripture-Based Prayer Aids

EVERY WEEKENCOUNTER THROUGH LITURGY AND WORSHIP

• Mass

• Adoration

• Abby Fest

EVERY YEARENCOUNTER THROUGH SERVING OTHERS

• Walking With Purpose - Kensington

• Helping Hands - Berwyn

• Holy Name – Bristol


Saint Monica Parish…

• An intergenerational parish community of children, teens, young adults, middle-age, seniors

• A community of growing disciples who share their faith, support one another in small groups, and lead others to Jesus

• A full and active Church at every Sunday Mass

• Catholics who go out and serve others in the name of Christ

• A legacy of faith for generations to come in Berwyn and Devon

St. Monica: Encountering Christ (Complete Version)

Spiritual

Transcript of St. Monica: Encountering Christ (Complete Version)