Principles for Grouping Parishes

The Principles which seem to be emerging
when forming a ministry group of two or more parishes.
These are drawn from pastors and parishes with real experience.
We'd love to hear from you! Please tell us about your experience
so we can share it with others. Click here to write us.

Resources offered
on this site

Principle One
Whenever possible, retain the parish name and identity.
The heritage of faith which a local parish passes on to its members is sacred
and powerful. The small parishes which are often part of the grouping
process, often also have tight-knit bonds through which the faith is made
stronger. People in such parishes often know each other extremely well.
Being known is a key part of living faith.

Why disrupt the bonds of a community unless is it absolutely
necessary? The decision to cluster can be seen as a decision to "form
ministry groups" among parishes. This decision should not be driven only by
the sheer numbers of available ordained priests. It should also be driven
by mission. The truth is that by grouping together, parish ministries can
improve. Groups of small parishes are more able to afford and sustain an
active ministry program.

Principle Two
Let the newly enhanced mission be the reason and first step when forming groups.
Even though everyone knows parish clustering or grouping is a result of
diminishing numbers of clergy, what we've just said above gives us another,
more powerful reason to form groups. Therefore, an early step in
clustering or grouping should include pastoral planning, not merely
administrative merging. If a well written pastoral plan (which combines the
resources of two or more parishes) is in place for a year or two before
beginning to merge administrations, the entire experience will be more
positive for everyone, especially the new pastor. Here are some simple steps
you can follow to achieve this:

A. Make a decision to offer faith formation for the whole parish community. This
decision, easy as it sounds, is a complex choice. It means turning to the adults of the
parish and asking them to become re-involved in the religious education process which
most of them left immediately after Confirmation, or before. There are very strong
resources and strategies on this web site to help you do this, to help you offer adults
a faith formation experience which is enjoyable, active, informative, adult learning
focused, and includes food! (The food is actually very important!)
So begin by making a firm decision to do this.

B. Once a decision is made to provide lifelong formation within each parish of the new
cluster, name someone to coordinate such lifelong learning. This person will most
likely not the pastor. Pastors in multiple parish settings often spend a lot of time on the
road, moving from parish to parish. They often are torn between competing needs in
their various communities, or competing cultures. So having a lay or religious
coordinator (whether paid or volunteer) will help insure that your program is
implemented evenly in each parish in the cluster or group.
A job description for this coordinator is provided in Dreams and Visions, along with a list
of qualifications needed for this job, whether paid or volunteer.

C. Form a team, with your coordinator as the leader. This team should have members
on it from each of the various parishes. The role of the team is well spelled out in
Dreams and Visions, along with the agenda for the first six team meetings.
Among the first jobs of the team is to form a small Christian community, to renew their
own faith. Deeper communion with Christ is the overall goal of pastoral planning in
every parish. How would that be possible unless the leaders are themselves first in
such deep communion?
Insuring that your pastoral plan follows a course to deeper faith and communion with
Christ also insures that the process of forming ministry clusters or groups will be a rich,
peaceful parish experience. Only when faith is lacking is there strife and conflict during
the parish clustering or grouping process.

D. The team sets out to choose methods to implement a plan which accomplishes the
core work of the church. That core work is spelled out in detail in Dreams and Visions
and when it is adhered to, it will lead to success in parish ministry. Only when we
wander away from our core work do we slip away from our intended pastoral plan.
The planning process includes opportunities for parishioners from each of the affected
parishes to speak about their desires and hopes for the parish, and to express their
felt needs.

Principle Three
Don't wait for a final version of the pastoral plan to start implementing.
Pastoral planning is an organic activity. It has no real end and is the most
central task for parish leaders. Because it is on-going, implementing it must
begin "in the middle" of the process. But beyond that, the first steps in
most pastoral plans - the ones that offer parishioners deeper
communion with God - also affect the later planning process. The more
folks are renewed in faith, the more
a) money they contribute for parish work
b) they offer their time as volunteers for various ministries
c) they desire for adult catechesis
d) they make their way into full communion with the church
e) they become more fully engaged in parish life,
even if they have not been up to now.

Dreams and Visions suggests several first steps that should be launched
early in the planning process. In forming ministry groups, these first steps
are vital and will help bridge gaps between or among parishes.

Principle Four
Take into account the plant, personnel, and geography of the intended groups.
As the pastoral planning gets underway among the parishes intended for the
cluster or group, ask someone to take inventory of all the various spaces,
equipment, and personnel in the whole group. Lifelong faith formation uses
space and equipment intensively. As the schedules are written for the Faith
Gatherings, Retreats, and other elements of lifelong formation, this inventory
will be crucially important.
It's also necessary, of course, to take into account the various cultures in the
intended group. Parishes that, only ten years ago, were fixed in their cultural
identity are today changing rapidly. Life is mobile. Technology is widespread.
The culture is plural. Languages are more varied. The old fixed ways of doing
things are themselves going the way of the cassette tape player - no longer
in use and out of date. As hard as this is for some folks to deal with, it is
a reality in which we do our pastoral planning today.
In the end, the goal of the intended cluster or group should be the best
possible liturgy and best possible implementation of lifelong formation for the
whole community. Such a goal will help folks see that forming parish clusters
or groups is not "the end" of their parish but "the beginning" of something
truly great for themselves and their children!

Principle Five
Follow the planning process in Dreams and Visions, including the Planning Team
meetings.
This pastoral planning approach provides you with an avenue into the new
dimensions of parish ministry, even while forming parish clusters or groups.
(Or perhaps, especially while forming such groups!) The new dimensions
include:

1. Build into the new cluster or group, Retreats & Encounters through
which parish members can have either (1) an initial encounter with Christ, or
(2) on-going opportunities to grow into ever deeper communion with Him.
Such processes will help insure that the parishes grow together and remain
focused on the real goal and core work of the church, rather than slipping
into jealousies and anger over the clustering or grouping process. This web
site and Dreams and Visions are both loaded with suggestions for how to do
this well. This site has complete plans and outlines for such Retreats &
Encounters, including talk outlines, handouts, and prayer resources.

2. Build into the new cluster or group Faith Gatherings which will help
parish members (1) sustain the excitement of new faith, (2) find an avenue
back to fuller engagement if they are returning to the Church or entering into
full communion with us, and (3) create parish get-togethers which build
community within and among the parishes in the newly-formed cluster or
group. You will find complete plans and outlines for such Faith Gatherings on
this web site, linked to the topics being treated in your children's textbooks.

The process in Dreams and Visions spells out the steps to follow to reach
these goals.

Principle Six
Use a strong, formal parish-based process for forming lay ministers.
We cannot take for granted that lay ministers are automatically ready and
formed for their work today. But with the declining number of clergy and the
increasing number of clustered or grouped parishes, it grows ever more
important to use a parish-based training and formation process, such as
Into the Fields. Into the Fields includes
1. Spiritual exercises by Dan Schutte of the St. Louis Jesuits which help folks
grow into deeper communion with Christ while experiencing the depth of
Catholic spirituality.
2. The use of Growing Faith to deepen their understanding and integration of
what the church teaches about everything! Growing Faith is the entire
Catechism in plain English.
3. Growth in the skills needed for parish leadership and especially for passing
on the faith. These skills, while aimed at teachers, catechists, youth
ministers, and RCIA team folks, apply to everyone!

Forming lay ministers well, using something like Into the Fields and Growing
Faith (both of which have Imprimaturs) insures that the leaders of the newly
formed cluster or group will be busy with formation, working together in
one learning environment, and the new formation will create bonds that
last forever. This will also prevent them from slipping, through ignorance of
what we believe and teach, into in-fighting and disruptive obstructionism.

Pastoral Planning
A step-by-step guide:
Dreams & Visions:
Pastoral Planning
for Lifelong Faith Formation
A new book which includes a
chapter outlining those
all-important Planning Team
Meetings.

Training
How to teach your parish
about lifelong formation
including excellent PowerPoint
presentations to download and
use, complete with presentation
notes.

Implementation
How to state and sustain faith
sharing throughout the parish using
the
Question of the Week
With free prayer sheets.

Prayer Services
to accompany faith sharing.
You can download and use these
in 5 minutes!

Outlines for adult
or intergenerational
Faith Gatherings
linked to your children's textbook
series.

Outlines for adult
B ible Studies
which are in plain English!
Download each session and get all
you need in one item.

Complete plans for
Parish Based Retreats
in several practical scheduling
formats.

Background Material
All the current books
you need to better understand
lifelong formation, plus free articles
you can download, copy, and use.

Vatican II
Lots of strong resources
to help you teach about the
Council.
We are approaching the 50th
Anniversary of the date on which
John XXIII called Vatican II: Jan
25, 1959.

Take me:
to the
H ome P age

to the
Resource
Center

to
"Getting
Started"