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Three rules for increasing participation
No matter what kind of parish you have, you too have the imperative to widen out from the usual volunteers to an effective and numerous wider we. Whatever path you take, you will never reach 100 percent participation. The point is, though, we ca… read more
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The “Consultative-Only” Parish Council
Since the new Code of Canon Law appeared in 1983, most parish pastoral councils have become aware that they "possess a consultative vote only" (Can. 536). We need to understand the church’s rationale for consultation. Only then can we see why it is … read more
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If the pastoral council only does planning, who does the work?
My belief is that the main work of the parish pastoral council is research and planning (as distinct from the coordination of committees). Whenever I propose that, however, people challenge me. Father John Iffert of Immaculate Conception Church … read more
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The parish council and parish volunteers
The main job of the pastoral council is not to direct, supervise, or hold volunteer ministers accountable. That is an executive function, not a consultative one. To be sure, the council may offer to coordinate, but it does so as a consultative body. … read more
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Success strategies for finding volunteers
What skills do you need to get volunteers? First, you need patience. Whatever you try will take time. It's a shame that we often expect immediate results whenever we try something. We have been conditioned to expect that our headaches will go away instantly—… read more
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Developing volunteers—a four-step process
Becoming an active parish is always a work in progress, a continuing effort to involve and commit more and more parishioners in faith initiatives. In short, we must work continually to diminish the “we versus they” divide to the point where … read more
