Prior to Deacon Ralph’s arrival, a parish self-evaluation will need to be completed by all households and returned to us for processing. This will enable him to focus in on areas of potential need while he is with you. Within a week after returning this evaluation to us, your pastor will receive a written report of his initial feedback based on the results.
Step Two: S.W.O.T. Analysis
This is a 3 to 4 day time period in which Deacon Ralph visits a parish over the course of a weekend, to perform an evaluation of the parish’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Observations, and Threats to their evangelization efforts.
This evaluation will consist of personal interviews with your pastor, associate priests, parish staff, key lay leaders, and other parishioners. In addition to the interviews, observations will be made of as many elements of parish life as possible.
Within the week after his departure, Deacon Ralph will return a second, more in-depth report to the pastor, with his observations from his weekend at the parish. After this report has been reviewed and discussed (via phone call), they will determine when Step Three will occur.
Deacon Ralph will gather with the entire pastoral team (the pastor and his staff) for a three-day retreat (Wednesday through Friday), allocating one day to group staff development, one day to the development of a Pastoral Evangelization Plan (P.E.P.), and one day to individualized prayer, planning, and direction with Deacon Ralph. These days will lead into further formation with the staff and their ministry heads over the weekend.
Step Four – Training Staff and their Ministry Heads
Saturday will be devoted to the formation of lay leaders and volunteers, followed by Saturday Vigil Mass. On Sunday, ministry leaders will be challenged to develop an action plan catered to the needs of your parish, from the strategies devised by the pastoral team (during their time together the previous Friday). In this part of the process involving the lay leaders, a primary focus will be nurturing their own relationship with Christ. Once they are committed to Him, they will begin to make their own the mission of evangelization, and to search for ways to carry this out in your parish community!
Once a parish begins a ministry partnership with NEM, we will provide ongoing support via phone and e-mail. Deacon Ralph and his staff are also available to speak at parish missions and other functions, and we would be happy to get you connected!
Ponderings of the Hobbit Deacon
A series of bulletin excerpts are also in the works, geared towards “Cradle Catholics” who may or may not have experienced the true conversion we’ve been talking about, up to this point in their life. Our goal is to present the reader with extremely practical ways to live out their Catholic faith and walk with Christ every day - not just on Sundays! Parishioners need to be constantly re-directed and reminded about the need for an intimate relationship with Christ.
Benefits of this material:
Increase parish-wide readership of your bulletin
Help parishioners, especially those who may not be participating in any church activities, to recognize that there may be more to their faith than they have yet experienced.
Practical advice for Catholic marriage and family life.
Help parishioners make the story of Salvation History their own, teaching them how to apply Scripture to their lives and helping them find purpose and fulfillment in communion with God and his Church!
