I have become convinced that there is a class of people, at least in Catholic culture, who truly believe their spiritual gift is complaint, and that their contribution to the body of Christ is criticism. Self-proclaimed liturgists, theologians, and canon lawers who take it upon themselves to police the rest of us who are actually […]
Category: Communication
If you’re visiting for the first time in a while, you may have noticed that the blog has undergone a transformation. Over the past few weeks we’ve done a complete overhaul of the site – both visibly and behind the scenes. Here are a few lessons we learned while updating the blog: 1. Make it […]
Recently we had a very extended and animated discussion in our Strategic Leadership Team. And what sparked the debate? Our online campus, specifically: live streaming Sunday Masses “on demand” services and programming during the week Basically the debate came down to one that, I suspect, is happening in many settings these days. Is the online […]
As Carey Nieuwhof has pointed out in his excellent blog post, one often overlooked factor in the steady decline of church attendance has been the Church’s resistance to follow the culture into the technological era. We are living in a time when technology is an ever present mainstay in people’s lives, yet churchworld seems hesitant […]
The Church exists to reach the unchurched. But all too often the culture of our parishes belies or even betrays our mission. There are things you do, that you don’t even know you do, that tell outsiders that your church is for insiders, same for us at Nativity. It’s like dandelions in your lawn, however […]
Your parish relies on many forms of communication to get the word out about what you want your parishioners to know and what you want them to do. These include your bulletin, bulletin boards, signage, web site and, increasingly, social media. But, consider the oldest, old school communication you use: the announcements at Mass. We […]
Father in heaven, source of holiness and true purpose, it is always right that we praise and glorify your name. For today we stand before you, to dedicate to your lasting service this house of prayer. Here is reflected the mystery of the Church. The Church is One, the dwelling place of God on earth: a […]
OK, so the crowds aren’t exactly Easter size. But unless it was truly a horrendous experience, you can bet there will be more than a few people coming back to visit you again. It’s important to keep in mind that while, yes, there are those Catholics who “religiously” show up only on Easter and Christmas, […]
Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Jesus said: “Roll away the stone.” John 11.40 As odd as it sounds, recent statistics consistently show that many people who don’t go to church or describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated, nevertheless still profess a belief in God and […]
Churches that are focused on something other than growing disciples eventually stop growing. That’s where a lot of churches are today. But if a church is healthy, there’s no real reason why it should stop growing both wider and deeper. That’s the vision we believe God has for his Church. Here are 5 of the […]
