|
Friday, 05 January 2007 08:41 |
|
Written by Keith Strohm
I do a lot* of work with pastoral leadership, helping them transform parishes into communities where intentional formation for mission is a priority. Oftentimes, as we have noted here on Intentional Disciples, this requires:
- Working on the fundamental evangelization of much of the community
- Building a culture where the discipleship of individuals is nurtured through prayer, study of scripture and Church teaching, faith sharing, opportunities for spiritual growth
- Beginning the process of spiritual gifts discernment and vocational discernment
- Forming a generation of formators, those who will continue the work of formation at all levels of the parish
- Aligning the strategy (multiple-year plan) and structures of the community to support these priorities
among many other things.
Given the work that needs to be done in these areas, what are the top 3 things that could (or should) occur in your parish to move it toward becoming a community where disciples are intentionally formed and the mission of the parish to the local community is prioritized? I'm looking for practical, hands-on suggestions on the things that would need to happen within the parish of your most recent experience.
*By "a lot" I mean that the work is distributed among only a small number of parishes, but the depth and time-intensity is quite heavy.
|
