Building Belonging: Hosting a New Parishioner Welcome Event
A parish isn’t an institution, it’s a community! When new arrivals move from visitor to parishioner, there’s cause for celebration. Hosting a new parishioner welcome event is a great way to show them they belong in your community. Read on to discover tips to planning one.
Helping Parishioners Take the Next Step
Sundays have changed a lot in culture over the years. What once was a sacred day for faith and family, a day that nourished and refreshed for the days ahead, has become like every other day of the week. For those who do show up to Mass on Sundays, all too often it’s one and done. We are not a Sunday-only Church! We’ve compiled a few essential ways to help your parishioners re-integrate faith and life.
Engagement Strategies For Your Church In Summer
As a church, it’s our responsibility to remind our parishioners that summer shouldn’t just be about recharging our bodies, but it should also (and most importantly!) be about focusing on our spiritual life. Just as parish office hours may need to be adjusted during summer months, so, too, might the requirements of the faithful need some adjusting.
5 Ways to Avoid Ministry Burnout
In some ways, it’s an elephant in the room. We may wish that every parish job and every church culture was perfectly attuned for human flourishing — both our own and those of our fellow parishioners. Sometimes, however, creating environments for other people’s flourishing means we neglect our own.
4 Reasons Why Your Parish Needs a Welcome Packet
We all want answers as to why we are here and what we were made for. We need to know that we matter and that our talents can be put to good use. That is why it is so essential to set the tone when someone makes the leap into your parish community. And a great way to do this is with a welcome packet!
Keep Volunteering Fresh
Cultivating a community of generosity is essential to a vibrant parish. Sometimes it’s difficult to get volunteers in the door and to keep them committed. Finding yourself with a volunteer shortage? Here are top to bottom tips for refreshing your volunteer process.
Have Your Parishioners Had That Late-Night Conversation With Christ?
That soul-bearing, total understanding, “heart filled with joy because someone gets me” kind of conversation with someone who sees you as just a little bit remarkable and your journey as just a little bit special — it’s the way that Christ sees us.
Why You Should Write a Parish Tagline (& How to Do It)
Taglines are memorable phrases that represent who you are and what you stand for. At their heart, your parish “stands for” Christ and the Catholic Church. Yet each parish has its own character, shaped by the neighborhoods and demographics they serve.
It’s Ok To Ask Parishioners For Money – Here’s How
Yes, we get it. It can be hard to ask people for money, but it’s a vital part of ministry. Read on for ways you can encourage your parish members to give their fair share by appealing to their emotional side. Your members aren’t mind readers; they need a reminder — a gentle push.
Top 4 Lent Ideas For Your Parish
Sometimes, it feels like Advent has only just ended before Lent rolls around. This is another time in our liturgical calendar when parishioners begin to look to parish leaders for guidance, inspiration, and compassion to help them navigate. Is your parish ready to meet their needs?
How to Engage Millennials in the Life of Your Parish
The millennial generation is hungry for meaning, purpose, and authenticity — especially when it comes to their faith. They are used to seeking out opportunities to challenge their lives and, as such, look at the Sunday Mass experience through the same lens.
Four Ways to Turn Visitors into Members
People look for parishes that feed them spiritually — inspiring homilies with practical applications, music that speaks to the heart, and a strong connection to the sacraments, especially that of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. What impression will a visitor have of your parish?