The title of this post is one I’ve been struggling with for some time: What does an evangelizing parish look like? In my opinion, this is a vital question that every person in the Catholic Church, whether clergy, religious or lay, needs to be asking. This question is not asked over concern for the future of the Catholic Church, but for the future salvation of those in our communities and neighborhoods.
Much has been made over the past 20-30 years about parishes establishing “mission statements”, but very few that I’ve seen explicitly mention evangelization. Yet, that is a primary mission which Our Lord gave to the Apostles: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) It’s my contention that we do not evangelize as Catholics because have not made evangelization a primary mission of our parishes.
This post is the first in what should be a lengthy series of intermittent posts discussing various things a “model” evangelizing parish does. My hope is to get a vision that I and other pastors can use to reform our priestly ministry and guide our parishes in becoming evangelizing forces within our communities.
