Parish Transformation Tool Box

There is not a one size fits all process for becoming an evangelizing parish. This “tool box” has been created as a way to assist our parishes with the work of Evangelization + Discipleship + Stewardship. We would be happy to assist you in developing a plan for your parish.

These tools should be used as a foundation for a strategy that includes the 4 pillars of stewardship; leadership development, faith formation; clarity, conviction and dedication to the mission to make Jesus known and loved. With the understanding that transformation happens one soul at a time.

Tools

Recommended Reading

Directory for Catechesis – Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization

Divine Renovation – Bringing your Parish from Maintenance to Mission, Fr. James Mallon

Forming Intentional Disciples – The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Sherry Weddell

From Christendom to Apostolic Mission – Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age, University of Mary

Fruitful Discipleship – Living the Mission of Jesus in the Church and the World, Sherry Weddell

Making Missionary Disciples – How to live the Method Modeled by the Master, Curtis Martin

The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis

The Way of the Disciple, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis

Unbound – A Practical Guide to Deliverance, Neal Lozano

Parish Transformation Organizations

ACTS XXIX
• We unleash the power of the gospel and equip ordained and lay leaders to rebuild the Church
• You Were Born for this Podcast

The Rescue Project
• The goal of the Rescue Project is to create an opportunity for people to be overwhelmed and be brought to a decision to surrender their lives to Jesus and to be mobilized for mission.
• The purpose of a Rescue Project small group is to create a safe space for authentic conversations with the hope that meaningful friendships with one another and with God will be established.

The Amazing Parish
• Amazing Parish exists to revitalize the Church by equipping her pastors and leaders with the training, resources and support they need to create vibrant and thriving parishes.
• Three Building Blocks: A passion for evangelization & discipleship, commitment to a healthy organization and reliance on prayer and the sacraments

Catholic Leadership Institute
• Equipping leaders. Igniting hope. Accompanying Catholic leaders in strengthening parishes and fostering disciples for every generation.
Disciple Maker Index (DMI) survey tool.

Divine Renovation
• To inspire and equip parishes to be missional and through them bring people to Jesus
A 5 part interview with Fr. James Mallon

Revive Parishes
• We believe in the people God chose to serve in parishes: pastors, staff, and volunteers. We wanted to invest in the people who work day and night to advance the mission of Christ.

Evangelization Tools & Ministries:

ACTS Retreat
• A parish-based event which offers parishioners an opportunity to experience the love of Jesus Christ.

Alpha
• Equipping your parish in its mission to help people encounter Jesus. Alpha is an 11-week course that creates a space, online or in person, where people are excited to bring their friends for a conversation about Jesus.

ChristLife: (English & Spanish)
• The ChristLife Evangelization Process, which is a relational way to make missionary disciples by helping people discover, follow, and share Jesus Christ.

The Search: available on FORMED.org (English & Spanish)
• A series that tackles the key questions of every human heart. Who am I? What am I searching for? What’s our shared story? Who is Jesus? Why do we need a Church? Is there a God? We all need to get back to the basics to make sure the foundation is strong.

The Wild Goose: Fr. Dave Pivonka
• The mission of The Ministry of the Wild Goose is to invite men and women to an encounter, or a renewed encounter with Christ who perfectly reveals the love of the Father by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
• Metanoia – In the Gospel of Mark, the first words of Jesus are an invitation to metanoia, to repent, to change, to be converted. A 10-part series about journeying with Christ into deeper conversion.

Welcome. There is MORE to Life (Christ Renews His Parish)
• Most of the people you see every day feel like something is missing in their lives. Welcome is an incredible experience that helps them discover what that something is—and what to do about it. It’s run by parishioners for parishioners, and it’s re-energizing parishes across the country.

Word on Fire Institute
• Word on Fire Catholic Ministries exists to draw people into the body of Christ, which is the Church, and thereby give them access to all the gifts that Jesus wants his people to enjoy. The Institute is provides an opportunity to participate in a community of evangelists who share the mission and desire to proclaim Christ to the culture using beauty, goodness, and truth.

Small Groups and Communities:

Being part of a small group (6-10 people) that meets regularly is key to the process of growing in discipleship. A Small Group leader facilitates and guides the group to support, challenge and inspire each other to grow in relationship with each other and our Lord.

It is recommended that small groups consist of either all males or all females. Here are two types of small groups:

• Content based: meaning that groups come together to discuss particulars of our Catholic Faith. Often these groups lead to a Spirit based group. See examples below
– Bible study
Walking with Purpose
Kapaun’s Men
Christ Life
FORMED.ORG
Dynamic Catholic

• Spirit based: In this type of small group people share about their journey with the Lord on a more personal level and lean on one another for encouragement and prayer support. This type of group usually results from beginning as a content based small group.