Parish Evangelization

Suddenly the Church has been thrust into a sink-or-swim crisis, in which innovation is no longer a novel idea, but a necessary requirement.

Fear of failure often prevents us from trying new things in our parishes to evangelize our communities. But there's something way worse than failing.

There are a lot of ways we can measure success in our parishes, but what's the most important factor we need to pay attention to?

Jesus had a tendency to shatter preconceived notions in His day, and He does the same for us today. We can't be afraid to bring the Gospel to all sorts of places, to be creative, to think outside-the-box.

When it comes to evangelization, sometimes the simplest methods are the most effective. This Lent, let's all make an extra effort to simply invite.

Culture continues to change at a drastic pace, but are the parish evangelization strategies we implement keeping up? Don't be afraid of the radical change that the Holy Spirit often invites us to embrace.

Just because your parish is busy doesn't mean it's thriving. In fact, your parish might not even be fulfilling its mission, despite all the programs and events.

Your committees don't come up with the mission of your parish. God already set that in stone long ago. Every parish's mission is and ever will be to bring souls back to Himself.

Your parish has great events, but it can be really discouraging when so few people show up. Here are a few things to keep in mind next time you plan a parish event.

The driving force behind all our parish evangelization efforts should be a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. The Light of the World Retreat provides an encounter "engine" that powers the rest of a parish evangelization process.

Before we attempt to plant the Gospel, we need to prepare the soil. That's where pre-evangelization comes in. Our parishes need to seek out opportunities for pre-evangelization if we hope to invite each of the people in our community into a relationship with the Lord.

Your parish might not be including everyone in its events and programming. Without a strategic evangelization process, your parish can become unbalanced.