Last Saturday, I presented a leadership retreat to the Parish Council of Epiphany Catholic Church here in Louisville entitled "The Responsibilities and Disciplines of a Pastor and Those Who Share in His Pastoral Leadership." While the two posts this week are not complete copies of those presentations, beginning this Tuesday and Wednesday as well as this coming Thursday and Friday, I wanted to share some partial follow-up summaries with those who attended and with the readers of this blog.
PART I- THIS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
For many pastors, taking the word of God to “the world” presents a significant leadership challenge. Most pastors today, because of the priest shortage and other reasons, are challenged simply to meet the sacramental needs of their immediate congregations. There is little or no time to focus on inactive Catholics or the unchurched. As a result, there is a tendency to focus on “maintenance,” rather than “mission.” Did Jesus not advise in his famous parable, (Matthew 18:12) "will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?"
Typically, a pastor is called to be “in mission” to at least four distinct groups. He is indeed called to be a pastor to all of the following:
1.THE
CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL
These
families and or individuals rarely miss Mass, are present at most parish
functions, take advantage of opportunities for faith formation and spiritual
development, participate in the social ministries of the parish support the
parish financially, value a strong family life, take parenting seriously, and
seek out the opportunity to socialize with other Catholics. In their personal
lives, they are prayerful; they search for the presence of God in their daily
lives; they are respectful of the dignity and sacredness of others; and attempt
to imitate Christ in their conduct with others. When they fail to meet these
standards, they are not at peace until they make amends, or are reconciled with
others.
2. INACTIVE
CATHOLICS
There
are about 20,000,000 Catholics in this group. They may still be registered
members of the parish, but attend Mass infrequently, only on major holidays, or
not at all. They do not participate in parish activities, even though some of
them send their children to sacramental preparation or religious education.
They are not regular contributors. When asked, they may identify themselves as
“Catholics,” having been “raised Catholic” or as “former Catholics.” Among this
group, we find:
THE MAD –
those who describe themselves as having been hurt, abused, or neglected by the
Catholic Church, its clergy or other church workers. Typically these people
have some anger and resentment toward the Church.
THE SAD – those “separated” from the church because of marriage, divorce, sexual orientation or doctrinal issues. Typically, these people feel a sense of loss.
THE IGNORED - those who stay away because they do not feel accepted, feel that they fit in or not finding people like themselves. Typically, these people have a strong devotional/prayer life and are vulnerable to being picked up by the evangelical churches.
THE BORED – those who have no particular complaint with the Church who have steadily grown weaker in the practice of the faith or may not have been strong to begin with. Typically, these people feel “bored” by the Church. The prevailing culture and their life ambitions claim most of their energy. Many young adults find themselves here.
3. OTHER
BELIEVERS – Outreach to this group has taken a serious hit in the last few
years, but it nonetheless part of the pastor’s concern. They are believers who
identify with another faith tradition and practice it with varying degrees of
fidelity. Their attitudes toward Catholics vary from outright hostility and
suspicion to that of interest, respect and mutuality. The Church seeks
connection, dialogue and, where possible, common cause in the service of
humanity, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and recognition of legitimate
difference. The desired result of this strategy is twofold: that others have a
more accurate and appreciative perception of the Church and that Catholics may
have a greater understanding of the differences among traditions and be able to develop lasting and mutual
respectful relations while we continue to work, learn and pray together for
unity. Special attention and recognition should be given regularly to the spouses of parish members in interfaith marriages.
4. UNCHURCHED – These people do not identify with any organized or historical faith tradition. This group represents the largest segment of the population within the parish boundaries, sometimes up to 50% of the population. They present themselves as “not interested in religion,” “spiritual, but not religious,” philosophically opposed to religion or as skeptics or agnostics. The best approach to this group would be to upgrade the image of the Church and to build positive relationships with them as individuals through participation in neighborhood and civic organizations.
If the pastor is to pastor these people as well, each of these subgroups requires different approaches and strategies, though all will require strong outreach efforts to reconnect with them.
Rather than trying to work “longer and harder,” this requires that the pastor insert himself into his current activities with a different perspective on his leadership and his leadership activities. He must identify different facets of pastoral leadership and look for more ways to engage the people of the parish in “building the kingdom.” In truth, he must translate the words of Pope John Paul II into practice when he said, “Christ gives to priests, in the Spirit, a particular gift so that he can help the People of God to exercise faithfully and fully the common priesthood which it has received.” It is not merely a nice thing for a pastor to empower the laity to help him in this mission, especially within their civic communities, he is indeed obliged by canon law, need and necessity.
The
pastor’s call to teach, to preach to, and pastor all these groups is an awesome
responsibility. The challenge can be overwhelming for the pastor of the parish
unless he mobilizes the Catholic faithful to work with him. He must invite the
faithful to become co-responsible with him in “shepherding” this large and
diverse flock.
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