Trying to change the culture of an organization can be likened to the punishment of Sisyphus. If you remember Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a cruel and crafty king. Twice cheating death and getting the better of the gods, he was punished by Zeus to eternally roll a boulder up a mountain only to have it come rolling back down again every time. Trying to change the culture of a parish can feel similar to Sisyphus. Just when you think you have made some progress, the culture of the parish plows you under again. There is an unseen force working constantly on the boulder and Sisyphus - gravity. Culture works in a similar manner as gravity. It is subtle, unescapable, always pulling on us, and is very powerful. Every organization, every parish, every diocese, and every ministry has a particular culture, which constantly pulls on us. 

If we are not deliberately conscious about what culture is doing to us and our parish, then it has more power over us than we do over it. 

Culture is the strongest human force your parish (or any organization) must overcome in order to lead it toward renewal. Stronger than mission, vision, strategy, or values. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” is famously attributed to the late management guru Peter Drucker. Put another way, “parish culture is more powerful than any pastoral strategy”. It holds true in every circumstance. Now, this isn’t to say that by our cooperation with God’s grace we are incapable of renewing culture. But, as we will see, it is very long and very hard work. Before we go further, we must be clear as to what culture is.

Culture states emphatically - ‘“This is how we do things in this place and time” and “This is the way we expect things to be done”. Culture has its own momentum that needs no further energy or input to keep it going. It just exists naturally in every group of people. It is found in the habits of the people in the group, the language, the things that aren’t talked about (as much as what IS talked about), the expectations, the values, the rules, the attitudes, and more. Thus, culture defines the unwritten way that a group of people behave. It serves not merely as the undercurrent, but the prevailing force (for good or bad or both) that the group lives in and expects.

Every parish has a unique culture and is never just like any other parish, even though they may share some of the wider traits of the larger Catholic culture. As with any other organization, parishes start to form their culture from the moment they are formed, yet it will change through the years and never remain completely the same through time. A parish will continue to form culture by drifting into the rules that define it, rather than by intentionally forming it themselves, unless they are intentional about shaping it themselves. Parish culture becomes the by-product of the things we do, say, and believe - esp. those things that are considered “normal”.

Think of cultural norms that inform what a “good Catholic” does in most parishes in the USA:

• Go to Mass
• Receive your Sacraments
• Get involved in the parish (i.e. “be active”)
• Donate
• Pray
• Etc

All of these cultural norms are good, but there are some others that aren’t quite as explicit. They include:

• Don’t ask and don’t tell about Jesus or your personal faith
• Holiness is for the super-Catholics, not the normal ones
• Evangelization is for the overly-zealous Catholics and should be done at church, not in a normal lifestyle
• You can pick and choose which moral teachings and doctrines you want and still be ok
• Salvation comes primarily through being a good person and not doing really bad things
• Our parish hospitality only goes as far as handing out bulletins at the door
• You will have to seek out inclusion into our Catholic groups, they won’t invite you in

Of course neither of these lists is exhaustive. Nor are they universal to Catholicism. But, they are representative of the current state of Catholic culture in our place and time.

CULTURE CHANGE IS HARD

For the reasons stated above and many more, we must admit that culture change is very very difficult. It has a pull and power that is unlike anything else. Without good leadership that is intentional, strategic, long-term, and sustained - we will not revitalize our parishes. But even good leadership is not enough by itself, as we will see.

In an age of growing compartmentalization of personal faith, parishes are aging and declining rapidly. The numbers are staggering. We lose 6 people for every 1 new Catholic. But, that doesn’t tell the full story. During the last few generations, it seems the Church asks less and less of Catholics. Fasting is easier, fewer Holy Days of obligation, no need to share your faith with the lost, leaders who soften moral laws so as not to offend, etc. Simply put, the bar of being a “good Catholic” has been lowered considerably. So, is there any wonder why there are fewer Catholics who donate, volunteer, follow Church law, go to Mass, or even believe? Too many times our parishes are set up to reward mediocre Catholicism. Mediocre Catholics can only perpetuate the current state of affairs. This is the state of our current parish culture in the USA. Are there exceptions to the norm? Absolutely. But, they are still not the norm. Culture is found in the norm.

Then there are the other obstacles that a parish faces in the attempt to change the culture. The Pastor is reassigned. Staff are laid off and programs cut because money is down. Ineffective leadership doesn’t know how to turn things around, so they depend on what has worked a generation (or several) ago. Unresolved conflict is in the marrow of the parish and is never explicitly dealt with. The entrenched lay parishioners push back because they are not bought into the vision of renewal. Etc. Etc. Etc. 

From our current vantage point, things may look bleak. But, let us open up a window and let some light in.

We can positively change the culture of our parishes. It has happened before, is currently happening, and will happen in the future. The question is - will we help in the process of renewal or be an agent of maintaining mediocrity / managing decline?

WHERE ARE WE - CURRENT TYPES OF PARISH CULTURES?

We have to start somewhere and knowing the state of our current parish culture is paramount if we want to change it. What is implicit and unspoken needs to be brought out into the light, so that these norms become known and talked about, so we can change the things that need to be changed. Thus, we need to examine where we are.

Below are examples of the different kinds of Catholic parishes that currently exist. These are merely examples and generalizations. Most parishes will have a mix of these characteristics and not fit neatly into one or more examples. So, the examples are merely given so that parish leaders can start to make their own deductions from them. Furthermore, don’t think you completely understand the culture of your parish by examining it yourself. Others might see things you do not. Some things may be experienced in a different subgroup of your parish that you have not experienced. The point is, culture is a shared experience and no one person will grasp all the aspects of it in a group the size of the normal Catholic parish in the USA.

1 - Parish of Management
Oriented toward practicing the Sacraments and getting people involved in parish activities. 
The Bad - Generally on a course of decline, due to little understanding of mission or growth. While there may be dissatisfaction with the state of things, there is not enough knowledge or desire to do what it takes to change the culture. Things are good enough and too many changes could make things worse. We are already so busy that change is frightening or just overwhelming to think about. 
The Good - Also called a parish of maintenance, neither management or maintenance (in and of themselves) is bad, but in fact they are necessary for the proper functioning of a parish. In a sense, a lot of the common work of a parish is management / maintenance. But if that is what we are primarily about, then we have lost our ultimate purpose. Thus, every parish needs a healthy dose of such a mindset, but needs to be wary of allowing it to take over.

2 - Parish of Memory
Leans toward the belief that the Church’s best days are in the past. 
The Bad - Tends to huddle in safe bubbles, where outsiders and people who think and live differently are kept at arm's length. While evangelization may happen, it is in safe places within the walls of the parish. Some parishes with this tendency can become isolated islands of people that all look/act the same. Getting parishioners to join their holy huddle can sometimes be confused for fruitfulness and vibrancy.
The Good - At the beginning stages of discipleship, it is good to have like-minded folks build one another up in a place where faith, prayer, and growth are valued. 

3 - Parish of Motion
Nothing seems to be set in stone and there is constant movement. 
The Bad - This kind of parish jumps from one thing to another, sometimes from one priest/pastor to another. There may be growth in numbers, but it is usually due to people moving from other areas. Urban to suburb, one part of the country to another, one parish to another, etc. So there are two types of motion that we can tend toward. First, a consistent change of direction without notice and yet without clarity toward why we do the things we do, just that we are always doing something and it seems we are growing or at least not declining. Second, a movement of people in and out of the parish. We exist in order to be busy at things that may or may not be fruitful.
The Good - These parishes can become places where a lot of activity takes place and a sense that we are doing something can help people grow in faith, up to a certain point. It involves more people than many other parishes, due to the feeling that the energy in the room is what we are about. 

4 - Parish of Magnetism
Has a priest (generally the pastor, but not always) that folks are magnetically drawn to.
The Bad - Every organization that is run by someone with a charismatic personality is due to suffer a bit when that person is no longer in charge. Thus we see a parish that is on the downswing after a magnetic pastor is reassigned and the only way they know how to turn things around is to wait until they get another priest that can rally the troops again. In the meantime, things may go downhill rapidly. 
The Good - Like a rocket ship, these parishes can take huge strides with a magnetic leader at the helm. A pastor with vision, leadership, and talent can take a parish a long way in a relatively short time. The hard part is setting up the parish for success after he leaves, which will always happen eventually.

5 - Parish of the Margins
This parish primarily exists to serve those on the margins within the local community.
The Bad - There is sometimes an over-emphasis on service that neglects the other aspects of the Catholic faith in such parishes. The poor may be served, but they may not be evangelized. Thus, the service of the parish doesn’t always extend to the deepest needs of the community, which are spiritual. There is a danger of becoming a parish of good deeds alone, as if we are social workers with no purpose behind our actions.
The Good - The Church that can serve the physical, social, and other needs within a community is one that builds up credibility with their message. But, we must proclaim the message with our mouths as well as our deeds. Serving the margins is necessary, but we must not leave the message of the gospel behind when we do so.

6 - Parish of Merger
This parish was merged from two or more parishes and now exists as one larger parish.
The Bad - There can be a lot of unresolved issues from the merger of parishes. Feelings of being disenfranchised, abandoned pastorally, etc. Furthermore, many merged parishes do not take hold of the opportunity to start the process of renewal, but rather they fall right back into a culture of management. Thus the problems that got them into the merger in the first place (e.g., lack of growth, too few priests, lack of funds, etc) are perpetuated.
The Good - Every merged parish has an opportunity to make much needed changes when the merger happens or soon after. Things that are distractions can be left behind. New initiatives can be started. Priorities can be reevaluated and changed. Money can be redirected to things that are more important. But, the opportunity must be seized and not taken for granted.

7 - Parish of Mundane
This is a ho hum parish that just kind of goes along to get along.
The Bad - This parish does not excel at anything. While they also may not be awful at anything either, you really will struggle to discern the point of the parish at all. Most people go to Mass and then go home, because there is no real community, no mission, no purpose, no meaning. It is mostly just folks coming to fulfill their Catholic obligation and then want to get out as fast as possible.
The Good - Because there is no real discernable strength or weakness, change can sometimes happen faster in a mundane parish. This is because the longing for good pastoral ministry, growing community, deeper spiritual life, etc. never goes away. People may be more open to change, as long as the change may impact them were they desire to grow.

8- Parish of Mission
Believes that the best days are still in the future. 
The Bad - This parish may be full of frustrated people who are never satisfied with the current state of the Church. When change does start to happen, it can happen so rapidly that the leadership might send bodies flying to the side as the train runs down the track. Thus, there can be “spiritual casualties” from the rate of progress. Also, change for the sake of change sometimes happens, with little discernment. A lot of good ideas aren’t always God ideas.
The Good - These parishes generally have an idea of wanting to be on mission, reach their communities, and make needed changes. The trick is making sure the pace of change is done on God’s timetable and in a discerning way.

9 - Parish of Mystery
This parish loves the liturgy and focuses on it more than anything else.
The Bad - As with anything else, a constant focus on how we worship can mean we may neglect other aspects of the parish. Notice this isn't that worship of Jesus in the Eucharist is bad (because it is right and good to worship him, make him central, etc.). Rather it is the pious practices, liturgical rites, way we pray, and other liturgical sensibilities that can become a replacement for Jesus in the Eucharist. This parish may deemphasize community, evangelization, service to the wider community, etc.
The Good - This parish may have better than average Mass attendance and attract people from parishes that don't emphasize the liturgy. Many of these parishes have better music, more reverent liturgies, better preaching, etc.

10 - Parish of Message
exists to impart the message of Jesus and the Church’s doctrine.
The Bad - There can be an overemphasis on learning about the faith, to the detriment of non-intellectual aspects of a parish. In a parish of message, the community, prayer, service to others, etc may get little emphasis. To be thought of as a well-formed or catechized Catholic is the height of what it means to be a good Catholic in such a parish. Of course education and intellectual formation are integral parts of formation, but the error is in thinking it is the only really important part. Sometimes a parish of message exists to support a Catholic school and little else.
The Good - You can’t love what you don’t know and the intellectual life is a key aspect of the formation of any disciple. So this parish may indeed have a higher number of well-formed Catholics. In such a parish, you have to guard against thinking that just because someone knows about the faith that they have had a conversion and are already a disciple.

MOVING FORWARD
After thinking and praying about what kind of culture that your parish has been living out, now we can start to think about where God wants to take us. This is where things get hard.

I also want to point out a VERY IMPORTANT POINT. No one program, event, strategy, or organization can change every parish. You and your fellow parishioners are the experts in the local culture. No outsider, including the best experts the Church has to offer, knows more about your local community than you do. Thus, be wary of trying something merely because it worked at another parish.

With that being said, let us move forward.

We have a lot of years of an unhealthy Catholic culture (in many places) to overcome in our work of evangelization / discipleship / renewal - apathy, ignorance, hypocrisy, bad leadership, poor vision-casting, a failure to make intentional disciples, and much more.

As Tertullian once said, "Christians are made, not born." Our parish culture is either part of this process of making disciples or works against it. When we experience a culture that isn't about our discipleship of Jesus, then why would we expect more disciples to come out of it?

So what do we do to shape culture? Here are some principles that can inform our wor

MUST HAVE PRINCIPLES TO RENEW PARISH CULTURE

1 - Consistent and Good Pastoral Leaders
If a parish is going to go through the process of cultural renewal, then it needs visionary leadership by those who know how to properly lead a group of people. Healthy leaders are able to build healthy parishes. This means that our leaders need to be in a good place mentally, spiritually, and physically in order to lead well. It also means that leadership is primarily a learned skill, not a natural one. While each person is given skills and charisms to lead, it will look different for each of us and that is ok.

Vision is necessary to good leadership. Where are we going? How will we get there? What is the process of transformation we will go through? What strategy, resources, and tools will we use to help us accomplish our goals? Leaders help the community find the answers to these and many more important questions.

Without vision a leader doesn't know what they are aiming at. Without vision a leader can't point those they lead in the right direction. Here is some good news, Jesus already has given us a vision for the Church (to be of one mind, heart, soul, and body with the Father)! The job of a Catholic leader is to take the vision of Jesus and apply it in a particular context, not completely rework it. Here is the bad news, few Catholic leaders know how to cast a vision and then get others to buy into it. Still, this isn't an insurmountable problem, but a skill that can be learned, especially if you have someone who has done it before to coach you through the process.

2 - Faithful Perseverance
Parish renewal takes a LONG time. If you believe that the work of renewal will happen quickly, then you are fooling yourself. While a change in priorities and habits can happen relatively quickly in some individuals, cultural change of a large group rarely does. Be ready for the long haul.

Parish work is already hard, but changing a parish culture is even harder. Dedication, prudence, perseverance, and patience are all key. Since there are no magic bullets (please admit this to yourself), every Catholic leader who wants to be a change agent, needs to know that culture change is a long-term project, yet worth every headache you will ever run into. Think of how little fruit the average Catholic parish (in the USA) produces in comparison to what it could be doing. Are they without any fruit? Of course not. But, the mission of a parish is to be a source of God's love to the wider community, to make disciples of everyone in the local area. To offer salvation and mercy to the Catholics who come to Mass AND every other soul that is currently outside communion with Jesus and His Church. Are we achieving this? If not, then what will it take to get there? Are we committed to the long-term efforts it will take to make this a reality? Is salvation of others our priority or not? What are we willing to do to change the status quo? These questions and many more help us determine if we are really ready to change the culture or if we are just placeholders of a position in the Church.

3 - Prayer Must Be The Foundation of Culture Change
We aren’t going to renew our parish culture with human strength alone. Sustained and daily prayer, from both individuals and the community, is the key. This is the kind of prayer that first changes your own life and then spills out to change the lives of others. Furthermore, it can't just be your own personal prayer, but the prayer of the entire parish. If you want to grow, change, and renew your parish, then don't fall into the lie of thinking it will happen merely on your own efforts. Rather, God is the one who changes hearts. So, invite him in, as a community. This prayer needs to be sustained for the long haul.

I recommend starting with a smaller intercessory prayer team that can start to pray for the needs of the parish and individuals. The purpose of the team includes: building unity in the parish, sharing the vision of the parish with God and others, discerning God’s will and how we are to live it out as a community, breaking the strongholds of the enemy that exist in our parish, and inviting the Holy Spirit to lead our efforts and go before us.

4 - Growing as Leaders In Our Leadership Skills
There is a movement within parish renewal circles to focus on many practical leadership skills that our clergy (and in some ways the laity too) have missed in their formation. This is a good thing, because we need people to grow in their leadership skills. Yet, parish renewal and cultural transformation will not happen if all we focus on is how to run better meetings, organizational health, internal issues, better communication, etc. While the modern parish certainly needs these better operations, healthy organizational processes, and better communication - these things cannot (in and of themselves) transform a parish. 

Better leadership skills can help a leader build a sturdier foundation on which renewal can be built, but alone they merely make us more efficient at achieving the same strategies which have failed us previously. True change needs to come from renewed lives and conversion of hearts, which then leads to more missionary disciples who share Jesus with others. The Church is not just a business which is seeking profit margins. Yet if all we do is evangelize without a healthy internal culture, processes, etc - then we will be frustrated by the lack of momentum we are able to create. This is a both/and situation. We need pastoral renewal and healthy organizations.

5 - Explicit and Clear Processes Of Encounter, Evangelization, and Conversion
We can’t just give a canned presentation of the Gospel or show a video and think it will work on modern post-Christian people. They don’t understand sin, redemption, God, or even their own state of being. We can’t make the assumption they share our understanding of the simplest of Christian concepts. Thus, our presentation on the gospel must be contextualized for modern people, without diluting our doctrines or truths. This takes persistent storytelling and many different avenues for people to hear about what Jesus has done. Primarily we need Catholic disciples who evangelize naturally in their lives, not just in programs at church.

Only transformed people can transform a culture. Only transformed people can transform a parish. Until you are transformed yourself, then how can you expect to transform those around you? Until there are others who are also transformed, working on the same goals (evangelization, discipleship, etc), then how can you change the culture? You can’t. So, while you keep the larger vision in front of you, do the hard daily work of investing in others, building relationships, winning trust, preaching the kerygma, aiming for conversion, etc. Then watch the fruit start to roll in through the years. If you want to build these skills, then explore our other blog posts. If you want to be coached in how to implement them in your parish, I invite you to consider partnering with us and having us coach your leadership team through them.

5 - Process of Growing, Maturing, and Enmissioning Disciples
Once folks have an encounter with Jesus and they choose to become one of his disciples, then we have to help them grow. This involves systematic catechetical formation as a disciple. Accompaniment as a way of bringing folks into relationship with more mature disciples. Knowing how to assess where someone is spiritually and the discernment of the proper pastoral response, which is different for each person.

This is long and hard work. Some folks will thrive in small groups and others with one-on-one discipleship relationships. Some will need healing ministries. Some need to be put into service opportunities. Some will need to grow in virtue and the moral life. All will need formation in evangelization and mission, so they to can spread the faith. Having parish processes develop disciples will only strengthen and grow the culture you seek.

7 - Other Strategies Include:

• Clarify & communicate your values - use short, memorable phrases and use them in your marketing, preaching, and teaching again and again.
• Analyze where your Church is, what the culture is, and how things are going. Use a leadership cycle of:  Plan -> Delegate -> Execute -> Evaluate -> REPEAT
• Leaders should not be off the hook for doing what they expect others to do. If you start a small group ministry, then run one yourself. If you expect others to evangelize, model how it should happen. Etc.
• Take advantage of spiritual conversations through the natural encounters that happen in the parish and don’t just try to get through them as if they aren’t valuable (e.g., Sacramental formation meetings, wedding planning, funerals, hospital visits, etc)
• Identify and remove the toxins in the culture. Are their people in positions of authority who need to be reassigned, fired, or asked to step down? Do you have certain habits in the parish that are toxic (e.g., gossip at coffee after Mass, lack of hospitality, no way for new people to find community, etc). Identify these issues and make concrete action plans to change them.
• Learn to be obedient quickly. If you are convicted that God wants you to act, start to do what it takes to be obedient without delay.
• Celebrate successes and steps forward. Make sure you take the time to celebrate when fruit starts to be evident.

A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
A parish culture is more about the healthy and unhealthy aspects than it is the right or wrong aspects. As with gravity, it is a reality we have to deal with. The point isn’t to deny gravity exists, curse it, or just try to get around it. 

Think of Sisyphus again. The point isn’t just to roll a boulder. The point is to understand that gravity is pulling that boulder down. If we want to get the boulder to the top of the mountain, then doing the same thing again and again will only frustrate us and never accomplish our goal. If gravity exists and we can’t make it stop - how can we use it to benefit us, rather than just frustrate us.

Culture exists...how can we use it to renew our parishes?  
 

FREE PARISH CULTURE ASSESSMENT TOOL

Answer each statement according to a 4 point scale, by asking if the statement corresponds to reality within your parish:

1 = None       
2 = Just Starting       
3 = Needs Some Work  
4 = Very Effective

• Vision and mission
  • Our mission and vision are concrete, concise, compelling, and communicated.
  • The average parishioner knows WHY we exist, WHERE we are headed, and HOW we will get there.
  • We have a parish pathway and we follow it.
  • Our budget, staffing, calendar, etc reflect our mission/vision.
  • All of our programming, events, etc are at service to our mission. Those that are not have been discontinued or changed.
  • Our budget accurately reflects our values, mission, and vision. 
• Leadership
  • There is clarity about who makes decisions, how they make decisions, why each decision was made, and how we communicate decisions to others affected.
  • Decisions are made according to our mission/vision.
  • Our pastor knows, understands, and leads in the area of evangelization and discipleship
  • Parish leadership knows how to help someone become a disciple, grow as a disciple, and make other disciples.
  • We have lay leaders who can help free the Pastor to become a better leader and minister.
  • Leaders handle failure in a healthy way.
  • The majority of our time is spent doing valuable things.
  • Meetings have meaning, purpose, and clarity. They are effective and helpful.
  • We have a system of building up new leaders.
• Evangelization
  • Our staff and parish leaders (clergy, lay, paid, and volunteer) know how to present the kerygma and invite someone to choose to place Jesus at the center of their life.
  • Our staff and parish leaders can naturally share their testimonies and have been trained to do so effectively.
  • The need for a personal relationship with Jesus (and his Church) is something we talk about regularly and plan around.
  • Our parish is reaching out to the wider community and evangelizing non-Catholics and fallen-away Catholics.
  • We have implemented processes / programs that can evangelize others and make disciples. These are known, communicated, and widely used.
  • Our strategy includes outreach to those who feel disenfranchised by the Church.
  • Visitors to our parish feel welcomed and we practice radical hospitality as a norm, including those that visit or call the office.
• Discipleship
  • Our parish has built a system of small groups and other community-building opportunities for parishioners to be able to intentionally grow as missionary disciples.
  • Our small groups are casting a vision of spiritual multiplication.
  • The average parishioner is a disciple of Jesus and understands their identity is found in relationship to God.
  • We understand the role of catechesis in forming disciples and we prioritize adult catechesis.
  • Sacred Scripture is an integral part of our plan to make and form disciples.
• Sacraments and Mass
  • Our liturgy is reverent, welcoming, and inspiring.
  • The preaching is uplifting, applicable, faithful, evangelical, and challenging.
  • We are good at hospitality before & after Mass and for those coming to receive the sacraments.
  • We have an intentional plan to use sacramental formation as a gateway to evangelization.
• Spirituality and Prayer
  • Our parish and leadership pray daily for the success of the mission of our parish.
  • We have a dedicated intercessory prayer team.
  • It is a common part of our parish culture to talk about your prayer and spiritual life.
  • Our leaders are prayerful people who are dedicated to growing in holiness.
• Community
  • We are building a stronger community through small groups / organizations, intentional opportunities, and intentional accompaniment of others.
  • Leaders (lay and clergy alike) are accompanying others in an intentional way. Nobody gets to opt out and still be a leader.
  • We have a plan on how to onboard newcomers, welcome them, and have someone walk with them.
  • We are working on becoming a parish of radical hospitality.
  • We have broken through the “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality, so that it is normal for us to share important things with others, while we accompany one another.
  • Our overall morale is healthy, hopeful, and positive.
• Conversion and Growth
  • The average parishioner has a daily personal prayer life.
  • The average parishioner has made the decision to put Jesus at the center of their lives and become an intentional disciple of Jesus.
  • Most people actively and intentionally share their faith with others outside of church.
  • Most parishioners are intentional disciples.
  • The number of non-Catholics entering the Church in our parish through RCIA is growing annually. 
  • Our culture is one of servanthood over consumerism.

Based on this assessment, answer the following questions:

• What are we doing well? Name at least 3 or 4 areas.
• What do we need to work on most? 
• How ought we prioritize the areas we need to work on?
• Do we need help to learn how to better move the needle?
  (If you answer yes to #4 - we would love to talk to you about how Catholic Missionary Disciples might help your parish.)

The day when parishes grew without visionary leadership are over.
The day when parishes must intentionally renew their purpose in order to grow are here.

The day when parishes could rely on obligation and aim for involvement to thrive are over.
The day when parishes must understand true evangelization & discipleship are here.

The day when parishes could fill the pews by merely opening the doors is over.
The day when parishes must go out and proclaim the Gospel to a pagan world are here (again).

The day when parishes were the strongest influence in their local communities is over (for now).
The day when we have to change our internal culture before we can impact the world is here.