5 Paradigm Shifts Leaders Must Make Embracing Pastoral Conversion for Cultural Change

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1 5 Paradigm Shifts Leaders Must Make Embracing Pastoral Conversion for Cultural Change Unless otherwise noted, all written material 2016 Deacon Keith Strohm

2 Before We Begin A Warning

3 The Purpose of the Church To offer people salvation in Jesus Christ

4 The Purpose of the Church Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them all I have commanded you to. --Matthew 28:19-20

5 Revelation (The Church s Teaching) The Lived Experience of Catholics There is a chasm between the Church s theology... And the lived, spiritual experience of the majority of our people Sherry Weddell

6 Crisis Response Our pastoral response to this crisis has not borne sustainable fruit because we have largely been reacting to problematic symptoms rather than the core issue. Our diagnosis has not gone deep enough! Copyright 2016 Keith Strohm

7 Copyright 2016 Keith Strohm Passivity

8 The Heart of the Problem Many Catholics are still without any explicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ; they only have the capacity to believe placed within them by Baptism and the presence of the Holy Spirit. --St. John Paul II, Catechesis in Our Times, 19

9 The Heart of the Problem For a variety of cultural and historical reasons, parish life in the United States generally lacks: An experience of discipleship (and personal relationship with Christ) as normative A sense of personal and corporate responsibility for the Church s mission of evangelization Evangelization is seen as the responsibility of the professional ministerial segment of the Church, or worse, as something protestant and not belonging to the Catholic Church An orientation that is fundamentally outward-focused, toward the world Copyright 2016 Keith Strohm

10 The Heart of the Problem An appreciation for the central role that spiritual gifts play in the discernment of personal vocation and the fulfillment of the Church s mission (AA, 3) Copyright 2016 Keith Strohm

11 Intentional Discipleship Definition: An intentional disciple is one who has made a PERSONAL ACT of faith and is actively in pursuit of wanting to know better the Jesus to whom he has entrusted himself. The "switch" from passive to active has occurred, the moral life proposed by the church is no longer burdensome, and is supported by a conscious sacramental life. --Carole Browne, PhD

12 Intentional Discipleship My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples John 15:8

13 17 Embracing the Discipleship Roadmap Equipping the Church for The Great Commission DISCIPLES Beginning Disciples Growing Disciples Commissioned Disciples Disciple Maker Spiritual Multiplier Phone: +1(253) e mail: keith@m3catholic.com

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16 A Culture of Institutional Faith Leaves little space for personal relationship with God The primary mode of relating to God is doing Institutional things with little concern for personal response Tends toward the transactional Parishioners act more like consumers

17 A Culture of Intentional Faith Personal relationship with Christ is at the center of communal life Rules and obligations are seen as means of growing in intimacy with God Leadership understands personal relationship with Christ in the midst of His Church as an invitation to all, a normal expectation of parish life, and the focus of their efforts Leadership teams seek the Will of the Lord together in regular times of prayer.

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19 A Culture of Engagement Primarily focuses on getting people involved in the life of the community--present at events, supporting activities, and doing things. Has a tendency to skip over discernment processes Throws bodies at gaps in organizational structure, rather than prayerfully determining whether someone s talents, experience, and spiritual gifts make a good fit Often converts people to the community Can confuse doing with discipleship and activity with personal relationship

20 A Culture of Encounter Primarily focuses on helping others encounter the love of the Father in Jesus Christ, sustaining that encounter, and preparing others to facilitate that encounter Evaluates all of the activity of parish life through the lens of encounter with Christ. Every activity is created or modified in such a way that it provides the possibility of (or supports) a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that will lead to a lifetime of discipleship. Has a stable group of disciples willing to invest themselves in others in order to make Christ present

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22 A Culture of Maintenance Possesses a vision that is primarily inward focused, toward the community. The majority of the time, energy, and resources of the pastoral staff and leadership are geared toward keeping the trains running on time (finding volunteers, maintaining processes and programs, keeping structures alive).

23 A Culture of Mission Focus of parish staff and leadership is on sharing the message and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world outside of the parish. Leadership discernment and formation, as well as programs and processes, are all influenced by this orientation outward. Leaders understand that every parishioner is called to be a missionary disciple and create pathways to equip ordinary men and women to impact the world with the power of the Gospel.

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25 A Culture of Programs Sees the right program as the primary solver of problems, or the primary driver of engagement Often creates a programmatic cycle or meandering path that moves people from program to program without specifically understanding how these programs and processes could be used to make, mature, and mission disciples of Jesus Christ Often executes programs with little personal followup

26 A People-Oriented Culture A people-focused parish recognizes that authentic transformation and a life of discipleship emerge from accompanying people on their journey to Christ. Programs don t make disciples, people do. Therefore, personto-person discipling is critical. Disciples are not mass produced...they are the products of artisanal and hand made work. Raises up men and women who are willing to walk alongside other people on the path toward Christ and equips them to do so Tries to combine the right programs with the right people so that this accompaniment bears the greatest fruits.

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28 A Culture of Avoidance Avoids difficult conversations about performance, focus, and fruitfulness because we want to be "nice" and don't want to hurt other people's feelings. Leads to a lack of accountability, sustained dysfunction, bitterness, woundedness and poor morale Often won t press forward on a strategic direction or execute a solid vision because of the perceived difficulties of change or the fact that it might mean having difficult conversations or unpleasant consequences for particular people

29 A Culture of Accountability Sees the role of leadership as discerning and pastoral, concerned with fruit and effectiveness. In this kind of culture, leaders have difficult conversations and confront reality as an act of charity and service to the parish as a whole. Leadership teams move toward high-functioning by building trust and then embracing constructive disagreement Does not tolerate passive-aggressiveness, 800- pound gorillas, or resistance to strategic direction But commits to dealing with these things professionally and pastorally