"Above all, you can be evangelizers, and no one can take your place, where уоu study, and in your work and your free time. So many of those of your own age do not know Christ, or do not know Him well enough. So you cannot remain silent and indifferent! You must have the courage to speak about Christ, to bear witness to your faith through a life-style inspired by the Gospel. St Paul wrote: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1Cor 9:16). The harvest is great indeed for evangelization and so many workers are needed. Christ trusts you and counts on your collaboration."
-Saint Pope John Paul II
"Those who have received the Good News and who have been gathered by it into the community of salvation can and must communicate and spread it."
"The Church knows this. She has a vivid awareness of the fact that the Savior's words, "I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God," apply in all truth to herself: She willingly adds with St. Paul: "Not that I boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty that has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it"....Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ's sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of His death and glorious resurrection."
-Pope Paul VI
-What do you do?
-Why is Catholic Missionary Disciples needed?
-How are you different from other Catholic organizations?
-Why should I support you financially?
-Who do you work with?
-Why do you make Catholic leaders apply in order to work with you?
-What is a "Missionary Disciple"?
-What is the process you use / how do you work with others?
-What do you cover in a 12-week session?
-Can I skip some sessions to get to what I want?
-What is required for me to participate, and how much does it cost?
-Do you have scholarships or financial assistance?
-How many people will you be working with?
-Will you be working online, in person, or both?
-Why do you work with such a small number? Won't the impact be small?
-What do you do?
-Catholic Missionary Disciples was started to help actualize the Great Commission in the lives of Catholic leaders (primarily clergy & staff in dioceses and parishes). In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said: "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; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." In many ways that dioceses and parishes currently operate, we are living out this commission only in part, because most Catholics stay right where they are comfortable and wait for others to come to our parishes. Furthermore, most Catholics don't know what it is like to "make disciples".
We aim to change that.
This is why we do what we do. We work with small groups of Catholic leaders to help them grow as followers of Jesus who are on mission. We want to help make others more fruitful, confident, skilled, and knowledgeable as they evangelize and disciple others. Catholic leaders have been taught the content of the faith and how to teach/catechize others. Yet, rarely have they had an opportunity to have someone accompany, challenge, and form them in evangelization and discipleship. We aim to fill this gap and then shift ministry work to be centered on what is most important - making disciples who make disciples and thus fulfilling the Great Commission.
-Why is Catholic Missionary Disciples needed?
There are too few organizations working with diocesan and parish leaders in a hands-on way, teaching the practical skills for what a pastoral leader needs to bring someone to conversion and then accompany them toward a deep spiritual, moral, intellectual, pastoral, and human formation. The missing gaps in our formation are the pastoral skills around evangelization and discipleship. This isn't another apologetics class or a leadership training. Rather, we form missionary disciples who are passionate about evangelization, discipleship, and fulfilling the mission of Jesus.
-How are you different from other Catholic organizations?
Some groups are helping with leadership skills, processes, administration, and organizational health. Others have a particular model of evangelization or discipleship they teach. We fully support these efforts and pray for their success, because "the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few" (Matt 9:37). One of the values of Catholic Missionary Disciples is collaboration with other Catholic organizations. Still, we see a gap in what the Church needs and what is currently being provided - the personalized touch. We want to work with leaders in a personal way, tailoring our coaching to each particular situation. This allows us to be flexible. We don't sell just a curriculum or product. Rather, we individualize our work to help make disciple-makers, who know what their local community needs more than we ever will.
-Why should I support you financially?
Jesus said that we are to "bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples" -John 15:8. The fruit we should aim for is a kind that will last forever. He tells us all, "you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit will last." -John 15:16. To seek out this fruit we have to "go" and evangelize others, so they might be saved. This is what we aim for - conversion that leads to salvation. If you want to support work that is obedient to the model of Jesus and is seeking to grow the number of souls in heaven, then we ask you to financially support us.
-Who do you work with?
We want Catholic diocesan and parish leaders who exhibit humility, faithfulness, passion for evangelization, and are open to change. We will not partner with those who are not able to put the effort and time into change and growth that is required in becoming a disciple-maker who forms disciple-makers. While we will primarily be working with parish and diocesan staff, though a volunteer is not out of the question. Still, any volunteer would have to be in a position of influence and have a good amount of experience in ministry, in order to benefit from what we offer.
-Why do you make Catholic leaders apply in order to work with you?
Discernment is a two-way street. We want all potential partners to prayerfully consider applying. Once you apply, we are able to prayerfully consider whether we are the right fit for you. There may be other organizations who can serve your needs even better than we can. We are happy to recommend them to you, if we are not the right fit. If you are ready to apply - then please contact us and let us know you are interested. We will give you all the details.
-What is a "Missionary Disciple"?
Pope Francis coined the term in "Evangelii Gaudium" (The Joy Of The Gospel). In one sense, we are all missionary disciples by our baptism. He says, "Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are 'disciples' and 'missionaries,' but rather that we are always 'missionary disciples.' " So, we have a universal call to live out our very identity as missionary disciples. To do this well, we need training and growth. Pope Francis says, "Our falling short of perfection should be no excuse; on the contrary, mission is a constant stimulus not to remain mired in mediocrity but to continue growing." As missionary disciples, we all need help in fulfilling the mission we are called to.
-What is the process you use / how do you work with others?
We work in small groups of people who are able to work together in a parish/diocese (we believe the optimum number is 4-7people + one of our staff, as the facilitator). Each cohort will gather in a weekly session (an online video call) to pray, learn, discuss, and collaborate with one another. This weekly meeting will last for 12 weeks. Each session will be an intense preparation for the weekly assignment of prayer and action. This builds an element of accountability in ministry, which we miss in too many ways. Unlike a conference, where most absorb content passively, the process of having a small cohort will demand interaction and growth. Furthermore, each individual will spend 30 minutes a week in a one-on-one coaching session with staff to personalize the process and apply it.
-What kind of content do you cover?
In each 12-week session we will quickly cover many topics, some of which may be familiar and many which may not be. We are not aiming merely to teach or instruct on the topics. Rather, we want to make sure there is clarity on how we "teach the teachers" or, more accurately, equiplling missionary disciples. We are not interested in just handing on information, but forming others for mission - so they can do the same with others. Therefore, we will cover many issues.
Some examples of sessions include:
-Can I skip some sessions to get to what I want?
The short answer is no. Our staff does not assume that anyone has formation on any particular issue. This is because we aren't just giving knowledge, but forming each person in the pastoral skills they need to be better disciple-makers. For example, someone may know the content of the Kerygma and how to deliver it effectively, but we cannot assume they also know how to help someone else do the same.
-What is required for me to participate and how much does it cost?
You must first contact us to start the process. Then everyone in the cohort must fill out an application. The pricing is about what it would cost to send your group to a weekend conference in another state. The price has been reduced greatly by the generosity of donors who support us. To put the cost into perspective, think of this - most are willing to spend thousands of dollars to attend one conference (conference fees, airfare, hotel, food, etc.) for 3 days. Yet, most conferences have little or no lasting impact on how we actually do ministry.
-Do you have scholarships or financial assistance?
Not at this time.
-How many people will you be working with?
At this time, we are limiting the number of cohorts to a maximum of 3 at one time, so sign up soon - first paid, first to be served.
-Will you be working online, in person, or both?
All the sessions are in online video meetings. This allows us to record the sessions, if necessary.
-Why do you work with such a small number? Won't the impact be small?
We work with a small number because we want our impact to be big! It might sound counterintuitive, but think of what Jesus did. The 12 men he called, formed, and sent out to minister to others changed the world within generations. Jesus had no other plan for the salvation of the masses! We shouldn't either! We do not believe we can improve what our Lord did, but we do believe that the Church is able to change the world again, if we follow in Jesus' example and align our planning with God's long-term vision for salvation.