What is a Parish?
A life-giving parish will have a strong sense of itself as a community of faith, called by God, united in Christ, led by the Spirit. Members will identify themselves with the community and be relatively welI satisfied with it.
Members of a life-giving parish will see themselves as ministers and will participate actively in the leadership of the parish and in staffing its various ministries. Pastor/parish staff, both ordained and non-ordained, will be adequate in number for the work of the parish. They will be properly trained for their ministries, have a sense of purpose of the parish and cooperate effectively with the pastor and the people in achieving parish goals.
What a Parish Does:
Members of a life-giving parish community will participate in its life and activity. They will take part in all aspects of the parish. The essential mission of the faith community is evangelization. A life-giving parish experiences the call of Christ to spread the gospel and responds with an active program of evangelization. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is seen as a vital part of parish life, and people are active in the ministries of sharing the faith (outreach to the unchurched, etc.).
The three major ministries of a parish are: 1) Worship, 2) Religious Education and Formation, 3) Christian Service.
Worship: A life-giving parish will see the liturgy as the point to which all else leads and the font from which all else flows. Clergy and laity alike will take active roles in making the liturgy alive, resources will be devoted to it as necessary, and people will have a sense of pride and ownership of the parish liturgy.
Religious Education and Spiritual Formation: A life-giving parish is strongly committed to the religious and spiritual development of its adults, youth, and children. People participate in these ministries to contribute to their own formation and that of others.
Christian Service: A life-giving parish will, in response to the church’s call for the “preferential option” (Pope Paul VI) for the poor, direct its resources to all those in need. As part of its mission, a life-giving parish is involved in the life of its surrounding neighborhood. People will be concerned and active in ministries, which promote equality, freedom, justice, and peace.
What a Parish Needs:
A life-giving parish has sufficient membership to fulfill all ministerial needs and to perform the other work necessary to keep the parish functional. The involvement of all parishioners indicates a healthy inclusion of the whole people of God and an ability to keep the parish healthy in the future.
A life-giving parish has the financial resources to carry out its work without becoming preoccupied with financial matters at the expense of the ministry. It is important that undue financial strain not be placed on the people of the parish.
A life-giving parish has facilities necessary for its life and work, which are maintained in acceptable condition.