I've been thinking about this upcoming year at the parish, and we're doing faith formation planning, and I've come to this resolution that I think we should make, as a staff.
I think we should agree to assume the best about our parishioners. I think we should remove from our conversations that sound anything like this: "oh, they'll never come for that." "They will be confused by that." "The people don't want to work that hard." "That is too much to ask." "They will resent us for pushing too hard (or asking too much)."
I think the truth is closer to this: people in our parishes are seeking for something. They want to learn more about their faith. They want to grow closer to God. They want to help, and they appreciate being needed.
I believe that thinking this way about our people can make a huge difference in how we treat them, and that will make a difference in their response.
But hey, it's just a theory... we'll have to try it to know if it works...
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About Me
- margmor
- I'm a career Youth Ministry Coordinator, now serving as a Pastoral Ministry Managers in the largest Collaborative in the Boston area...married to the Best YM in the Archdiocese. On my office bulletin board, an illustration from St. Joseph's Baltimore Catechism shows two boys wearing baseball mitts looking out a window. One says "Too bad it's raining." The other replies, "When we accept things like this from God without complaining, it helps to clean the selfishness out of our souls." That just cracks me up.
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3 comments:
do unto others - If I (any parishoner) thought that my Priest/DRE/YM/Deacon had a good opinion of me & my efforts, I would certainly respond in a way to try to live up to their expectations (and would likely have a better opinion of their efforts as well). You might be on to something.
Set the bar high - if they don't fully achieve that level, they will still achieve higher than if you set the bar too low.
I like your thinking Missy!
I think you're spot on! Let individuals decide what is and is not too much for them! I think you'll find that a lot of people are seeking places/roles/ideas and will find just what's right for them. :-)
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