We call today, this annual Friday, “Good” because it remembers the day that Jesus–God’s Beloved Son and Chosen One–voluntarily submitted to torture and execution. In this act of self-sacrifice and love, Jesus dies for our sins.
“For our sins” is a personal thing. Even though Jesus’ death happened at one moment in history, it is for each of us, today. “By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part” (CCC, para. 604).
What we remember today shows that it is “by grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God” (JDDJ, para. 15). Jesus the Messiah’s saving work is offered to each of us as a gift–we can receive it, but never earn or merit it. Nothing we do prior to saying “yes” to the gift of Christ’s Saving Work, nor after we receive that gift earns it for us or makes us worthy of such a Divine Gift. To live with the gift of eternal life, knowing we did not earn it through our own merits, nor will we earn it through our own merits in the future–this is counter-cultural. It can feel awkward and out of step in a modern society that wants us to “achieve,” “earn things,” and “deserve what we get.”
And yet, I re-echo what we enter into on this day, “By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part” (CCC, para. 604). Despite our own weaknesses, we can trust in the strength of the Jesus the Messiah, who entered fully into death for our sins, and then conquered death–we can be sure of this saving grace.
This day of remembering Jesus’ saving work of death for our sins is the one and only day when the Mass is not celebrated. There is empty space. Be still and dwell in the reality that God offers you a gift of salvation, of justification, of being accepted, of eternal life. God offers the gift not because of your past merits or future merits. It is true gift–not a loan, nor mortgage, nor lease, nor 401k, nor insurance. It is completely and 100% God’s grace.
Dwell with the gift today. Tell Jesus “yes.” Imagine accepting the gift into your arms from Jesus on the Cross. Notice how you feel.
Feelings can vary for each of us. The profoundness of this gift can make us feel elated, free from burdens, profoundly loved, unworthy, tearfully grateful, embarrassed to need such a gift, on fire with God’s love in us, and more. What is common to all of us, is that today we can set aside space to reflect on our “yes” to that saving gift of Jesus that is decidedly *not* what we ever did/could/will deserve.
CCC = Catechism of the Catholic Church JDDJ = Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
First off, doing Alpha isn’t foolproof. Alpha can be done poorly. And, Alpha done poorly, doesn’t work very long. The fruit won’t be sustainable and won’t transform a parish’s culture. Because Alpha’s a small piece of a bigger puzzle, if the “soil” of the parish is truly lacking or toxic, both the culture [soil] and program/Alpha [seed] need to be addressed simultaneously.
Other common Alpha pitfalls?
Negative initial experience at Alpha.
When a parish runs Alpha in a “rolling” or continuous style [which is ideal], the Alpha guests are in-training to be the next Alpha team. But, if being a guest provides the wrong experience, i.e. if your first impression is a bunch of church-going Catholics complaining about the church, then that becomes the “training”–and transfers/replicates in future sessions.
Spinning off Team members too quickly.
It usually takes intentional encouragement to keep people in the Alpha pipeline/team, in contrast to immediately allowing Hosts and others to start leading new/other parish ministries for those who “want more.” Human nature often drives a desire to new/other/novel, but retaining Team members for multiple seasons is important for getting the momentum for church renewal and transformation. Once momentum is sustainably generating, then it’s time to help people move on to new ministries. As the Divine Renovation team emphasizes, “Keep your best leader on Alpha, until they can raise up another best leader.” With Connect Groups as the next step after Alpha, it usually takes about 2.5 years from the start of the first Alpha in a parish to the launch of a first Connect Group.
Alpha in isolation.
As Unlocking makes clear, Alpha is a tool that transforms parish culture and is enriched by being rooted in a missional parish culture. This means the pastor and staff are completely on board, i.e. the pastor preaching into the principles of Alpha and how/are these the principles you want in your church. Alpha thrives in the context of relevant homilies/messages, powerful community, non-judgmental interactions, high hospitality, and a belong-believe-behave paradigm. Otherwise, when those who experience Alpha experience the rest of the parish, they’ll be in for an unpleasant surprise! The “Alpha in isolation” pitfall can also look like a small group of parishioners deeply engaged in Alpha while the others merely look on. As Ron Huntley and Fr. James Mallon remind in the podcast, “you’re not doing Alpha until 30-40% of parish has been through it”–it takes a critical mass of a parish community to experience, adopt, and embrace Alpha for a culture to be truly transformed and renewed.
Unlocking Your Parish: Making Disciples, Raising Up Leaders with Alpha is one of the newer additions to the list of book resources coming from the Divine Renovation ministry. In short, it’s a concrete, practically focused look at Alpha in the context of parish life.
Huntley and Mallon start with a focus on culture. Using the images of soil, seed, and fruit for the culture of a parish. Programs in parish life (or any ministry) are like seeds. Even the best seeds won’t bear fruit when planted in malnourished, weed-infested, barren, or toxic soil. But, on the flip side:
“If we evangelize and develop leaders well, we will impact the rest of our parish culture–in everything from outreach and social justice to developing new and life giving ministries to fostering an ever deepening love for the sacraments.”
Alpha is a tool that can enrich the soil of a parish and the book highlights “what Alpha can offer the Catholic parish interested in becoming a mission-focused community.”
Alpha matters because many Catholics (including leaders):
“have not encountered the love of the Father in Jesus Christ. They do not see themselves as beloved son and daughters of God, and they may not have made an intentional choice to follow Jesus. In fact, many Catholics today see faith not in terms of their relationship with God and others but primarily as something that places moral demands on them. They adopt an almost servile mentality, focusing on the things they must do for God rather than responding in gratitude for the things that God has done in and for and through them. This can make it difficult for parish to live out their mission, since the overwhelming focus becomes how do I get to heaven.”
This is a key point. Who would want to share “Good News” that they haven’t personally experienced as good?!? This is a serious problem for many baptized Catholics, as I explore here.
The other key introductory point is that Alpha flips some of our “priorities” upside down. In many parishes, belief is expected, even taken for granted. This can be suffocating for anyone who is doubting, questioning, or just-plain-not-ready-to-believe because they need to experience authentic trust and relationships, love first. An Alpha culture firmly places belonging ahead of believing or behaving in parish life. This is true transformation of the soil!
If you’re interested in reading more about some of the concrete details of how and why to run Alpha in a Catholic parish, I encourage you to check out Unlocking Your Parish.
Alpha isn’t a program. At its best, it’s a culture. An attitude or outlook made concrete through the alignment of our words, deeds, setting. Every concrete aspect of human experience is viewed anew when Alpha becomes a culture. There’s a unity and alignment that spreads to every action of a local body of Christian believers. That’s what it means to #LiveAlpha.
To get a feel for what this culture might be like, I picked out some videos that I think point us toward key elements of Alpha culture and offered questions for reflection.
Video #1 Reflection: What fruits in your church community would be a sign of Alpha culture taking root and growing?
Video #2 Reflection: What would people in your area say about your church community? Is the perception “rules and regulations”–or something else?
Video #3 Reflection: Joy, unity, raising up new lay leaders, and/or missionary spirit–which of these are most apart of the culture of your church/parish? Which are you most longing for?
Video #4 Reflection: Pippa mentions as a highlight a woman who came as an atheist, and left as an atheist–and the highlight was that this woman didn’t feel pushed into a corner, that she could be who she was. How do you feel about this “highlight”? What does viewing this as a “highlight” reveal about who God is and how God works?
Video #5 Reflection: Is this the normal style of discussion among those within your local church/parish or at church events? Why or why not? What does this style of discussion reveal about who God is and how God works?
Four Foundational Values — Video #6 Reflection: How are the four values (real, relational, reliant, and reproducible) present in other areas of your parish right now?
None of us want our parishes to be a place that’s not welcoming, that’s not hospitable to the outsider, visitor, guest, or occasional-attender. The question is how? What to do? What can I as just one individual do to welcome someone at Mass?
Tips for Welcoming
When you see someone that you think might be a visitor, don’t say “are you new?” (some people don’t want to stand out as different/new), instead make it about your own perspective, “I don’t think we’ve met before, my name is…”
Do have conversation with those who might be guests, visitors, or less-frequent attenders…just about every church has programs, music, and things to do. It’s personal connection that leads to belonging.
When conversing, don’t ask or presume specific family relationships (i.e. spouse, marital status, children) through your language. Making the wrong guess or assumption can cause a person to feel like they don’t fit in. Instead, let them share and then you know it’s a comfortable topic for them.
Don’t interrogate–i.e. asking what religion they are, what church they came from, etc. Focus on open-ended conversation that allows them to share their unique experiences and personality, rather than information. (Some examples of conversation “ripening” phrases).
At the end of a conversation, offer the person a pathway for a next step. This could mean showing them a welcome card, or a safer option a person is more likely to say “yes” to, simply offer your own contact information (i.e. email, phone #, whatever you prefer). This puts the ball clearly in their court and shows that you respect and trust their choice to follow up and get to know you more, versus giving their contact information to a total stranger at a new church. You’ve taken the first step in friendship, without being pushy.
Affirm parents. Parents are naturally self-conscious about having children at church events or worship. Simply affirm. Don’t offer praise that could be taken as an insult, i.e. “those kids were rough during Mass, but you did a great job.” A “thanks for being here, I love seeing children at Mass” cannot be misinterpreted.
In summary, keep your eyes open! Ask the Holy Spirit to point you to a conversation. People will remember, “that was the church where a stranger took an interest in me, for who I am…not who they hoped I’d be or how I could get involved in their church…simply because we connected as people.”
If our idea of salvation isn’t God’s idea, then (spoiler alert!) by extension the Good News that we proclaim and announce isn’t going to be truly Good.
Earlier this year, the Congregation for the Doctrine [aka Teaching] of the Faith, published a letter, Placuit Deo, “on certain aspects of Christian salvation.”
What do people today think about salvation?
Across the world, we see two “drifts,” two different directions that start with something good, but then drift and become disconnected from the greater whole. The first is…
I can achieve it! Just watch me!
An individual-centric worldview “tends to see the human person as a being whose sole fulfillment depends only on his or her own strength” (Placuit Deo, para. 2). If you’re keeping score historically 😉 one could call this a “neo-pelagianism.” Now, there’s something intrinsically good about wanting to grow in strength, and we even find in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus, in his youth, advanced in wisdom (Luke 2:52). However, the problem is when we think we can do it ourselves, that the self-help and self-growth is going to come all from my “self” or maybe just by looking to Jesus as a great moral teacher or inspiring example for me to follow.
The second drift is in the opposite direction, and says…
I’ve got inner peace! I can’t hear you!
In this drift, we see “a merely interior vision of salvation,” “a vision which, marked by a strong personal conviction or feeling of being united to God,” but “does not take into account the need to accept, heal and renew our relationships with others and with the created world” (para 2). For the history buffs out there, this isakin to a neo-gnosticism. While a Christian most certainly should have a personal experience of God’s love, the problem comes if this is the end state–or if a person turns inward to “protect” themselves from the messiness of the world, separating themselves from the “healing dimension of salvation” and the meaning of Jesus Christ truly being “made a member of the human family” (para. 9, 2).
Proclaiming Today
People aren’t blank slates waiting for us Christians to fill their heads with information. We connect with others more fruitfully, when we recognize and understand what assumptions and drifts they might be living out. Knowing these two major “drifts” reminds us that our announcement of truly Good News must include:
the transformative power of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit
without this, it’d be depressing news about how bad we are and need to get with the game, buck up, and fix ourselves by being “good”] (para. 2; cf. 2 Cor 5:19; Eph 2:18)
the healing, elevating, and participatory dimension of Jesus Christ’s mission (para. 9)
without this, why wouldn’t we run for the hills to escape from the rest of humanity? I mean, we human beings can be a unruly bunch!
Placuit Deo sums it up concisely:
“Salvation consists in being incorporated into a communion of persons that participates in the communion of the Trinity.” (para. 12)
Jesus Christ “is at the same time Savior and Salvation.” (para. 11)
“The salvation of men and women will be complete only when, after having conquered the last enemy, death (cf. 1 Cor 15:26), we will participate fully in the glory of the risen Jesus, who will bring to fullness our relationship with God, with our brothers and sisters, and with all of creation.” (para. 15)
That’s the road we’re on, and inviting others to join us in.
Not an Alpha Table. But it could be. #RunAlpha inspiration.
Most good Alpha training for future Table Hosts (think “facilitators”) covers how to adapt to challenging situations, i.e. a guest who dominates conversation, or guests who give off-topic responses to questions. But for many running Alpha in a Catholic Context, full of Catholic parishioners, there can be a challenge when a local culture one might describe as “intellectual,” “doctrinal,” or “didactic” exists.
When that’s the local parish culture, coaching Alpha Hosts to say, “thanks for sharing, but this isn’t the place for theological discourse,” can seem tempting. But, if that’s the culture one is operating in, and trying to transform through the Alpha experience, then “closing down” that conversation doesn’t create space for that transformation to happen.
The keys to a great Alpha discussion are love, listen, and laugh. Catholics seeped in an overly intellectual/doctrinal/didactic culture are just as much in need of loving, listening, and laughter as everyone else (um, if not more!).
How to respond at an Alpha Table?
Here’s a helpful sample of reply ideas for when someone raises a theological/doctrinal/catechetical objection or intellectual comment to a point in the episode…
1) Hmm…what do you all think? [this gives the Table as a whole a free opportunity to serve as the “peer corrective”]
2) [If no responses, try and draw it out more.] Do you agree that “xyz” is not true? Or, do you believe it is true?
The emphasis on “true” here is deliberate; we don’t want the conversation to be on what’s “Catholic” or “not Catholic,” because what matters is if “xyz” is true. All things true are going to be part of the fullness of the faith anyway 😉 There’s nothing in Alpha we don’t want Catholics to believe, and so if some Catholics don’t find messages or key points in Alpha true based on their experience and formation, then that kind of shows us where we’re at and why we’re doing this
3) Does anyone have a sense of why “xyz” matters for you personally?
This gives the opportunity for those formed in an overly-intellectual/didactic Catholic culture to reflect personally, to see doctrine not as the “end” but as lights that guide us in our relationship with Jesus.
4) How do you feel about the idea that “xyz”?
This creates the space for those at the table to “disagree” or express discomfort without having to say it so bluntly–something that would be culturally foreign in an overly-intellectual/didactic culture.
The hope would be that through these questions the “xyz” doctrine in question would be fleshed out by the guests, and they’d have the opportunity to reflect on if they believe it and what it means to them. While Alpha is normatively designed and run among seekers and non-believers, when it’s used in a Catholic culture, we want Catholics to have that same experience of reflecting on beliefs and what those beliefs mean to them.
How Can We Train People To Have Fruitful Conversations?
Do we simply hand them a paper form and say, “help someone fill this out?” Absolutely not!
Remember, It’s Pre-Evangelization
The conversation is an exercise in what the Church calls pre-evangelization, not predominantly focused on proclaiming the Gospel and offering a chance for life transforming response, but instead connecting with or awakening the desires and values of those we meet with what we embody as Christians (General Directory for Catechesis, §47-48). Sherry Weddell’s maxim, “never accept a label in place of a story” certainly implies. Simply because the person identifies as Catholic is no guarantee that pre-evangelization isn’t important or necessary.
Pre-evangeliztion matters because it creates the conditions for a relationship of trust, it inspires interest–and without trust and interest–the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a lot less likely to be responded to. While it’s incredibly tempting for us to want to enthusiastically proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ to a person as soon as we get a chance to 😀 we may be creating stumbling blocks to a response by offering something so profound before we’ve even built the smallest amount of trust with a person. Think of Sherry Weddell‘s “5 thresholds of conversion” (pictured below). Making the pitch for an intentional life as a disciple of Jesus Christ before having a firm establishment of trust, curiosity, openness, and active seeking or interest is trying to work around our human nature!
If a conversation that starts as pre-evangelization turns into a place where a person can make a life changing decision to follow Jesus Christ and pray for forgiveness and a new life in the Spirit, then praise the Lord! God can do marvelous things, inspite of all our human weaknesses. However, I’d strongly caution against fostering the idea that this is the immediate goal/purpose of a registration conversation, because it may tempt those trained to think of that rather than building trust and curiosity as their specific ministry.
Conversations that Build Trust and Curiosity
The best way to train staff and volunteers for this “joining” ministry is role-playing. Many of us loathe it–but the reason we secretly dislike it 😉 is because it’s hard. We have to think on our feet, rather than passively listen to a “how to” talk. It’s the most valuable training for precisely that reason–it helps us become comfortable and confident in this ministry role.
There’s no silver bullet list of questions or order of discussion a conversation with a person joining a parish must follow, what I offer below are a series of conversation starters with a say and a listen for component.
Say: Each conversation starter includes a “say,” often in the form of a question to ask. Within these, various linguistic options are suggested in [brackets].
Listen For: Some tips on what to be listening for to guide the conversation further or complete a form to join the parish.
Basic Introductions
Say: Welcome! My name’s ____________, I’m so glad you’re interested in learning more about joining All Saints Catholic Parish.
Listen For: Tone. Do they seem comfortable already? Nervous talking to someone at a church? Ready to get this over with? Critical about “why can’t I just fill out a form and be done with this?”….
Say: Thanks for taking the time to come and register, what brings you to All Saints? [How’d you find us, get interested in our parish, etc.?]
Listen For: Their answer to this is key data collection (on your part) for whoever leads Engagement, Marketing, or Outreach at your parish.
Moving Deeper
Through your basic introductions, hopefully you’ve come to know something about each other–where you live, occupations, interests, etc. These are some follow-ups that help take “basic information” to the level of “interesting conversation I don’t normally get to have” (aka, I’m enjoying this!)
Say:
Wow, with those moves and different jobs, what’s the greatest lesson you feel you’ve learned so far in your life’s journey?
Oh interesting, I do [or don’t] meet many [insert occupation]. What do you like most about what you do? or What motivated you to pursue that path?
With those different [hobbies, spiritual journeys, homes, etc.] what experiences have shaped your worldview the most?
It’s definitely a busy stage of life [raising kids, getting ready for retirement, navigating care for aging parents, starting off new, etc.]…what are you passionate about in this season of life?
What makes you [and/or your family, spouse, etc.] happy?
With those [work/hobbies], what kind of people do you look up to? What attributes in people are most important for you?
[For someone who is giving verbal or non-verbal signals that they don’t like this “registration conversation” concept, maybe some humor…] so, I figure sitting down to have to talk to someone about registering at a church might be the most boring part of your week…but, what’s been the best part of this past week for you?
Listen For / Do:
Ways to “push their ideas a step further. Ask why and how more than what and when” (from Science of People)
Opportunities to make them feel important, to feel that their opinions/interests, matter
Getting the Mundane Details
Say: We’re so happy to have new folks like your family joining All Saints, would you mind if I jotted down some info from you so that we can make sure you start getting parish newsletters, emails about events, and things?
Listen For: Answers to basic info you might need: full mailing address, phone number, email address, children’s grades/ages. Through your conversation you should already know what town/city they live in, occupation, religion (likely to come out in the “what brings you to All Saints…” question). If not, feel free to ask at this point, as you’ve built a human relationship first, and are only now collecting that “important to write down” type of detailed information.
Background Prep: Before training your team, think through what information you truly need at this step. Make it as short as possible. In a world of information “over-collection,” you can show trust by not turning registration into an interrogation of all personal information a family might possibly have! 😉 For example, you need the information to stay in communication with the person/family, and to know other people in the household who might not be at this conversation. A parish likely doesn’t truly need to know dates of children’s baptisms, emergency medical info, etc. This can all come later, through growing relationships with youth catechetical leaders, etc.
The Turn to the Spiritual Life
Say: There’s such a wide range of people here at All Saints Parish and so many opportunities. We really learn from each other as we seek God. [Insert cultural statements appropriate to your parish of course!] Would you be willing to…
describe/share [or: tell me the story of] your lived relationship with God [or: connection with God, connection with Jesus] up to this point in your life?
share a little of yourself, do you pray? do you find it a struggle? how do you like to pray?
share some of the ways your faith causes you to change how to live your life? or things in your faith that seem like a struggle?
Listen For:
What the person believes about God and the possibility of a relationship with God (i.e. God is impersonal force, a person they do connect with)
Additional religious affiliation (not already stated etc.)
What bridges of trust or curiosity they have to Catholicism/Christianity
if they’re comfortable using the name, “Jesus”
Follow Up Ideas to Go Deeper:
Choosing depends on the listening throughout the conversation, remember not to make a huge or uncomfortable “jump” into the deep end of a pool a person hasn’t even mentioned swimming in 🙂 Just take a little step down the ramp in the shallow end…
For you what’s the most important thing about Jesus?
Have you had any kind of moment when you felt particularly close to Jesus? If so, can you tell me about it? If not, have you ever wanted to?
What do you mean by describing yourself as ______________?
How do you describe God to others [or your kids]?
What does it mean to be Catholic in your experience?
Remember, during this conversation you’re not correcting, catechizing, or judging–you’re helping spur the person to talk and share as much as possible so that you can listen. This takes a tremendous trust in the Holy Spirit, that by experiencing genuine love and listening, this person will open up and continue to come back.
Affirmation and Closing
Say: Pour on the praise and affirmation for what the person shared with you, taking the time to have this conversation. Share how you’ve been enriched by hearing their perspective, how they have real spiritual insights, how you found their life story interesting.
–> If the person showed genuine interest, i.e. “what do you mean personal relationship with Jesus, isn’t that for Protestants?” that’s an opportunity to take it another step further and share the Gospel with them and offer a concrete way to respond in prayer.
In Closing Offer: Is there any way I can pray for you, or even with you right now? Or anything I can help you with? Would you want to get together again, we could…or I just look forward to seeing you around the parish in the future! [If you parish has cards with social media outlets, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, or any other “reminders” for new members, this is a great time to give it.]
Silver Bullet? No
This is certainly not the best training outline, nor suited for every parish. However, I offer it as a starting point–it’s a great draft to begin role-playing, to begin training staff/volunteers to have “registration conversations” with people, rather than hand out or email a form that gets returned without personal contact. I recommend staff/volunteers also familiarize themselves with “threshold conversations” (Weddell) and giving their own personal testimony, as those would be likely follow-ups for a person who shows great interest and openness to hearing about what God is ready to offer them, right in this moment.
Let’s face it–joining or registering at a Catholic parish can be one of the most non-relational experiences a person can have. What does it typically entail? A form to collect information. Reading or being told of “policies.” Being asked personal information, i.e. the dates of a child’s first Eucharist, something that might feel a bit like “judging” if one is unfamiliar with the terms of didn’t do it at the “right time.”
The “Problems” of Registration for Catholics
Many Americans who self-identify as Catholic carry baggage related to parish registration. That relative they remember who couldn’t get married at a certain parish because they weren’t registered. Not being able to join a youth sports team because of being registered in a different parish. Calling to request Anointing of the Sick for an aging relative and being told they cannot receive it because they are not registered or in “good standing.” The litany of ways people have taken offense during the process of “registration” is long, complex, and an exercise in empathy to hear! Now, as many familiar with the Code of Canon Law or liturgical books know, many of the situations I mentioned are filled with error/miscommunication. Yet, that factual reality does not change the actually experience of offense taken by that person who (without the benefit of an understanding of Canon Law or liturgical rites) felt excluded or unhelped in a time of need.
The “Problems” of Joining a Parish for Non-Catholics
For non-Catholics, whether they be seekers, “nones,” or our separated brothers and sisters, the experience of registering in a parish can be even more confusing. As an “outsider” to some of our unique language, what does “registering” even mean?
Is it like a mini-application? Will I get in?!? What if I’m a single parent? Will my kids get in if they’re not baptized yet? If I check a box that they have special needs?
What do you mean I’m not “registered”? I’ve been coming here for years and get email newsletters from the parish all the time?
I’ve been told only Catholics can register. So, I basically don’t really belong at this parish.
The Root Problem is That It’s Non-Relational
In any situation, the real problem is when parish registration is a non-relational experience, which I’ll define as an experience that does not form a personal connection between the person registering and a person in the parish. A kind secretary who “helps” someone fill out a form can be slightly more relational 🙂 [shout out to all of the amazing administrative personnel in parishes who are gifted enough to show love amidst ringing phones, fixing copy machines, and helping a young parent with a crying infant fill out a registration form!] however, these situations aren’t ideal for a conversation that allows a person to experience being known in a way our society doesn’t typically make space for. A conversation where a person experiences being welcomed unconditionally and listened to for the unique story and beauty they bring to the world!
From Here to There: Introducing Conversation to Your Parish Registration Process
Identify people (clergy or lay, staff or volunteer, etc.) to be part of this conversation ministry. Organizationally, this might fall under the guidance of a parish Director of Evangelization, Director of Engagement, or a Welcome/Hospitality Committee.
Train the leaders.
Have the trained leaders then start to slowly expand the pool. Emphasis on slowly because you’ll need to tailor conversation guides/ideas for your unique local setting! By doing this first, your leaders will improve the concept as they do it, and then pass that on to others. This needs to be done well before it’s done “big” because of what a critical moment this conversation is for welcome, hospitality, and evangelization for those checking out your parish. [For those keeping track, 😉 you’d be doing what’s called “lean experimentation” with this style of growth/learning.]
Decide the when/where. Be expansive. Remember, people work all sorts of hours, may not live close to your parish, etc. The advantage of having both staff and volunteers trained, is that staff can cover meeting with people for whom typical “office” hours and the parish office are convenient, and volunteers can cover evenings, weekends, off-campus meeting spots like libraries or cafes near their homes.
Publicize to your parish! Parishioners are on the “front lines” of helping people move from “maybe I want to join St. Mary’s…” to making it happen. Parishioners are always hoping a friend or family member decides to give their beloved parish a try! When that person says to them, “our family wants to join St. Mary’s,” you want to empower your parishioners to have a ready and joyful answer (i.e. who to call or email) rather than a nervous “um, I think there’s a form” or worse, “no, just keep coming, no need to register” [because they want to shield others from their own negative experience registering!]
Once you know it’s functional [enough!] remove the printed registration forms from your welcome brochure racks, front office, website, anywhere they exist.
As you’ve raised the level of engagement necessary to register, make sure there’s a low-risk/low-engagement way interested people can be in the communications loop at your parish. This might mean an online sign up for an electronic newsletter, a way anyone can join a parish smartphone app, etc. As Carey Nieuwhof writes, “the online world is the biggest front door the church has ever seen, suddenly we’re all connected.” Translate this for your local setting, even if online communications aren’t the “biggest front door” for your church, what is? The sign out front? Your bulletin? etc. Whatever it is, make sure that door to communications stays wide open for those who want to get in touch for months, years, or even decades, before they take the step to engage more and join/register.
Continue to assess and improve this essential pre-evangelistic and evangelistic ministry, and how it flows into follow-up moments for connection.
Optional: Caveat on Canon Law and Parish “Registration”
Parish registration is such a commonly used term in the United States, it’s easy to think that it’s part of Church teaching–something that makes Catholics, Catholic. But it’s not.
The Church teaches that a parish includes all Catholics living within a certain defined geographic area [note: in some cases, non-geographic parishes exist] (Code of CanonLaw, Can. 518). By living in that defined geographic area, a Catholic officially belongs to the respective parish–no form, online registration, live here six months and start tithing, etc. as necessary to canonically be a part of that parish. [For more background, see the “Canon Law Made Easy” blog.]
I would love for someone to do a historical study on the rise and history of “registration” in parishes in the United States, as it’s a cultural custom that has become widespread and oft-appealed to here, in contrast to other parts of the world. My layperson’s hypotheses is that it has something to do with our culture of registration and membership in societies/organizations in the U.S. in general and general cultural tendencies toward “order” (i.e. compare a communion “line” in the U.S. to places where it’s a free-for-all mass movement to the front of a church to receive the Eucharist).
Depending on your local setting, it might make more sense to avoid using the word “registration” and talk about joining, connecting to, becoming a part of, or being a member at such-and-such parish–especially if you have a large number of non-Catholics who (when it comes to Canon Law) are simply “outside” of a canonical definition of “parish.” In order to have an accurate understanding of people in your parish who are under Canon Law and those who are not, you may need to add this in your parish database, or simply understand this difference by noting a person’s religion (i.e. Catholics would be Canonical members of the parish, non-Catholics are not). But 🙂 this isn’t a big deal, because of course you’d want to know those who’ve reached out and connected to you who are not Catholic! A wonderful blessing of those who already have trust and curiosity in knowing and worshiping the Lord with us!
Everything I’ve suggested above with regards to making the process of joining/registering in a parish more relational, does not in anyway suggest or intend to change our Canonical definition of a “parish.” Being more relational is about taking an American custom of “registering” via forms and allowing it to be filled with a spirit of pre-evangelization and evangelization, so that people experience authentic love and human connection when they reach out to us.
Registration is like a front door. How warm and welcoming is yours?
A few years ago the Alex Williams of The New York Times shared a story mixing anecdote and research called “Friends of a Certain Age.” The basic question is why is it so hard for American to make [good] friends after age 30? What did he find?
Sociologists consider these three conditions crucial to making close friends:
proximity
repeated, unplanned interactions
a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in one another
By one’s 30s and beyond,
“you have been through your share of wearying or failed relationships. You have come to grips with the responsibilities of juggling work, families, and existing friends, so you may become more wary about making yourself emotionally available to new people. ‘You’re more keenly aware of the downside…You’re also more keenly aware of your own capacity to disappoint.” (Williams)
Friendship and Church?
John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Church (and movement), observed: “People come to church for a variety of reasons, but they stay for only one—friendship.” This principle drives the ambiance and culture of Alpha, but it can mean so much more for churches.
I’m in my 30s right now and it’s an interesting* decade of life. Many Americans are starting families, highly engaged with the bustle of school-aged children, or entering a new realm of parenting teenagers. Many of us have relocated, are relocating, or will relocate for jobs or family. Many consider changes in life style or career in their 30s, or struggle with questions of purpose, ambition, and vision (Miller, “The Ambition Collision”). Some go through a divorce/separation, or end a long-term dating relationship. For those who identify as no particular religion, it can be a time of completing a process of “adulthood” by forming some personal conclusions about the meaning of life, human nature, and more. For all these reasons and more, it’s a time when deepening or developing friendships can be a practical challenge, yet when the fruit of friendship is profoundly needed.
Proximity, Repeated Interactions, and Openness
When churches can offer settings where adults can let their guard down, and engage in many, repeat, unplanned interactions, then friendships are born. Unfortunately, a lot of what many of our churches do well is exactly the opposite of this–classes, lectures, coffee/donuts, structured small group discussion, prayer, worship, etc. These things are good without doubt, but they are not the most fertile ground for forming new friendships.
Settings for being, not doing or accomplishing a certain task/learning are key. But they must be inviting. For decades, Youth Ministries have grasped the importance of informal socialization among teens. This human desire doesn’t disappear when teens become adults. It takes more creativity though to envision what this might look like for your specific setting–maybe it’s centered around certain career interests, maybe it involves hobbies or maker-spaces (note: many public libraries have evolved into offering these types of public gatherings–check out yours for ideas!), maybe it’s an appealing environment for families to gather and play, maybe it’s appealing food/drink. Many studies have shown Americans becoming less and less social. This is a challenge (because we work against this tide by cultivating opportunities for this through churches), but also an opportunity to help adults experience connection to each other, to develop friendships that will keep them coming back, maybe coming to something more overtly “spiritual.”
God is a communion of divine persons, the closest, most perfect friendship imaginable–something we can never completely experience on this earth. This longing for communion is written into us as human beings, created in His image and likeness. Our intentionality in helping adults cultivate friendship helps them experience God, even if in a very small way–something especially valuable for adults in their 30s, and more broadly, for all of us!
* = note, I’m only half-way through…so maybe the rest will be boring 😉 just saying…it’s always a possibility 🙂
Practical. Catholic. Evangelization. 