Some Do’s and Don’ts
of Parish Evangelization
A goal of every parish should be to help parishioners play their part in the task of evangelization. Because parishes differ in size, location, leadership, ethnic mix, parishioner mobility, needs and resources, no single evangelization model is possible. The organization of parish evangelization must necessarily vary from place to place. At the same time, suggestion such as these could be of help in developing effective evangelization programs.
A Few Positive Principles:
An evangelizer’s first responsibility is to know and understand Christ’s message.
Parish evangelization must emphasize Scripture as the word of God, since all aspects of Christian evangelization rest upon divine revelation. Once God’s word is appreciated, people become enthusiastic about sharing it with others.
Designate a parish evangelization coordinator.
This person should either be already interested and knowledgeable about matters of evangelization, or at least enthusiastic and capable of learning the techniques of evangelization and have a talent for coordinating small groups as they become involved.
Identify and select parishioners willing to investigate and discover ways to evangelize through their personal living and parish life.
The parishioners selected, usually from four to seven, might be called the “Evangelization Team” or something similar. Its purpose is not primarily the doing of one-on-one evangelization themselves, but the discernment of ways to lead the whole parish to evangelize more effectively. In other words, this team should never be viewed as solely responsible for the work of evangelization in the parish. In time it should fall into the role of overseeing what all are doing.
Decide on the most effective way for the team to begin.
The evangelization team needs to prepare for its ministry through prayer and discernment. The biggest temptation newly formed groups face is the idea that they must start producing immediate results. Evangelization teams must not succumb to this “heresy of action,” but take time to determine how the Holy Spirit is inviting their particular parish to approach evangelization.
Some Pitfalls To Avoid:
First and foremost, do not see or present evangelization as some kind of “new program.”
Evangelization is what Christian life is all about: witnessing to Christ, being concerned about others, and showing love. With this in mind, the following suggestions may help.
Avoid the impression of being clannish.
After Vatican II, many parish renewal efforts deteriorated into clannishness and elitism. People active in renewal programs sometimes gave the impression of feeling superior and of pressuring parishioners to their way as the “only way.” Evangelization teams can fall into a similar trap by seeing themselves as something very special. When this happens, they isolate themselves and lose cooperation from the rest of the parish. It is far better to be open and ongoing and always ready to adapt or change as needed.
Don’t put your faith in money.
Rather than a separate ministry, parish evangelization should be seen as the center of all ministry. Among other things, this means that a separate evangelization fund need not be set up. The first task of evangelization teams is not to budget money for Bibles, books, tapes, fliers, postage and posters. Already functioning parish organizations can do all that, while the evangelization team works to make evangelization the effective focal point of all their efforts. A parish leader recently said, incorrectly, “We can’t do much evangelization, because we’re a very poor parish.” What brings success is not some expensive program, speaker or media ad, but the Holy Spirit evangelizing through us as his limited but totally dependent creatures.
Do not over structure.
To accomplish its mission, the parish must establish structures that identify people’s needs and reach out to alienated Catholics and the unchurched. At the same time, room must be left for the spontaneous workings of the Holy Spirit.
When too much bureaucracy starts to dominate, the structures can start looking more important than evangelization.
Revolve the leadership.
Most parishes retain certain leaders who have been “in charge” of this and that for numberless years. This may work in the coordinating of certain church functions, in directing the choir or running the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and many of these people should be highly commended for their loyalty and dedication. But in the area of evangelization, someone’s effectiveness and motivation fall suspect if they block the emergency of new leaders or refuse to hand over responsibilities when the right times comes. When developing parish evangelization, it is a good idea to set up some type of revolving leadership, so that dynamic new leaders can be discovered and utilized. Such a process should take into consideration both the importance of continuity and need for fresh new leadership in the future.
The objective of all church structures and ministries is to nurture Christians who realize and are ready to respond to their obligation to share the faith. An evangelization team invites all parishioners to take a serious active concern for the salvation of friends and enemies alike, and to show love for all humanity as the central tenet of Christianity.
To order copies of this brochure or for more information contact:
Office of Evangelization
Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
1031 Superior Avenue, #751
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
(216) 696-6525, Ext. 4530
Taken from News That Is Good by Robert Hater. Copyright © 1990 by Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.