Catholic Diocese of Biloxi

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- Missio Nostra

9. The Evangelization Process
In his book Made for Mission, Tim Glemkowski simplifies the evangelization process into four steps taken directly from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process:

1. Pre-evangelization
2. Evangelization
(Conversion)
3. Discipleship
4. Apostolate

While all our parishes use the RCIA process for those wishing to enter the Church and receive her sacraments, the first two steps that lead to the moment of conversion—Pre-evangelization and Evangelization—are often not addressed, or they are treated as an afterthought (MM 81-82). If the Mass is the first and only point of contact for people who are of no faith or who are inquiring about the Faith, then we are throwing people into the deep end before they can swim. The Mass is the pinnacle of our Christian life. However, there absolutely needs to be a way to invite people and accompany them in a way that is simpler and allows for personal contact. Pre-evangelization and Evangelization lead to Conversion and the conscious decision to be a disciple. Everything after Conversion—Discipleship and Apostolate—leads to expanding into full Christian maturity. We must walk intentionally with individuals through the whole process.

For Reflection:
1. What are the four steps of Evangelization?
2. Where does Conversion happen within these steps?
3. Does our parish, family, school, or ministry provide opportunities for pre-evangelization?
Parishes, Families, Schools, Ministries – Made for Mission
The shift from maintenance to mission in our parishes, families, schools, and ministries and creating a culture of active discipleship can be realized by doing fewer things, but doing them really, really well. Below are four strategic goals that can focus efforts into achievable steps – Are we doing these in our parishes, families, schools, and ministries?
1. Our vision is clear: We are introducing parishioners and non- parishioners to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. We have a clear path to discipleship: We are equipped and formed to help others grow into the fullness of mature Catholic Christians and missionary Discipleship.
3. Our leaders are well-formed, empowered, and sent to bear fruit: Our leaders are fruitful both inside our parishes, schools, ministries, and institutions, and to the larger community in their day-to-day lives. We are forming and empowering our leaders.
4. Nothing operates in maintenance mode: Everything we do is aligned to the mission to form disciples who can themselves make disciples. We are forming disciples (MM 27).
For Reflection:
1. Considering all of the cultural and communication changes that have taken place, are our parishes, families, schools, and ministries effective evangelizers?
2. Is your parish, school, ministry, or family making disciples? In what ways?
3. Does our parish, family, school, or ministry need to make a shift in order to form disciples and disciple makers?
A Clear Vision and Mission
Our first battle is how our people see and understand our purpose. We need to craft a clear picture in our people’s minds of our mission, which has been provided by our Founder in his Great Commission. It is not about dragging people. It is about casting a clear vision based on God’s own vision, communicating that vision, and letting the vision lead the way in decision- making. As leadership, we must first allow the Lord to shape our hearts in the Great Commission of Jesus. Invite the Holy Spirit through intercessory prayer to lead the renewal, allowing the Lord to increase the faith of your people and your own faith as well.

“Before we build an evangelizing parish, [family, school, or ministry] we have to lay our vision before God and make sure that it is a God-given one” (MM 131).

Once a clear vision is cast, it must be shared. It is natural for people to resist change. Start with the “why”—to follow the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and the fact that the Church exists to evangelize. Help others understand by spending time communicating a simple and clear vision. It requires time, intentionality, strategy, and a lot of prayer. For a parish, school, or ministry to move into “mission mode,” there needs to be a clear vision and mission that is understood and accepted by all members of our parishes, families, schools, and ministries. It is critical that the leadership of each be committed to the Great Commission of Jesus and that there be a commitment to making disciples as the primary mission of each parish, family, school, and ministry in our diocese.

Making disciples is hard; creating lasting culture change is hard. It is a lot easier to remain in maintenance mode than to align what we are doing with the Great Commission of Jesus. Yet, we belong to God. He established the Church to evangelize and to form disciples.
For Reflection:
1. Does our parish, school, or ministry have a clear vision and mission?
2. If not, what changes need to take place to foster a clear vision and mission?
3. How can our clear vision and mission be communicated?
A Clear Path to Discipleship
In discerning how our parish, families, schools, and ministries are being called to form disciples, we need to focus on key areas. A clear, simple path to discipleship should include a few things, done very well, that will intentionally accompany people through the entire process of growth into mature discipleship. We must begin with people and process, not programs. Everyone will not move through the process in the same way, but the parish, family, school, or ministry needs a purposeful and overall simplified approach to the full process of evangelization. Fostering inquiry, companionship, and initial conversion are important. The opportunity to invite and accompany non-disciples in a way that is simple and allows for personal contact that facilitates evangelization in a comfortable environment where the Gospel message can be shared is an absolute necessity.

It should be abundantly clear to each leader and each member of our parishes, families, schools, and ministries how we accomplish this mission of forming missionary disciples. Many of our ministries, organizations, and activities are particularly good and do a lot of good work. We need to look at these to see how they can begin making disciples of Jesus. Sometimes it will mean a shift in focus that, along with the good work, includes a serious commitment to making disciples and disciple-makers. Focusing on fewer ministries that are impactful may be more fruitful. Having too many programs and ministries can prevent us from determining whether these programs are reaching our objective and bearing fruit. Everything should have purpose; each ministry should fulfill a clear objective of forming disciples. That does not mean that the only goal of every ministry or program is to form disciples, but rather each should fulfill a strategic objective within the discipleship pathway.

In other words, each initiative should be part of a strategy to help people move to the next stage in their relationship with God, such as:
1. To build trust with those who are not religious
2. To provide occasions for people to encounter Jesus personally
3. To mature those who have had a conversion moment into full discipleship
4. To send disciples on a mission
Building a clear path to discipleship can mean saying, “No.” People may not understand why their ministry or program is not a priority. Be gentle when possible, listen, and then try to explain the “why” so that they can see the bigger picture. Not everyone will get it, but if you have too many programs that are not about the clear path to discipleship, you will have a difficult time getting people to commit to the programs that do serve the clear path. People only have so much time. If they are getting involved, they want it to matter. If they are faced with too many choices, many will choose to do nothing.

For Reflection:
1. Does our parish, family, school, or ministry have a clear path to discipleship?
2. If not, what needs to be done to make sure that it does have a clear path to discipleship?
3. How do we communicate our clear path to discipleship?
4. What does it mean when we say that building a clear path to discipleship can mean saying “no”?
Strong, Well-formed, Fruitful Leadership
And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well. (2 Timothy 2:2)

The pastor and principal have critical roles in leadership. As the spiritual Father of a parish and affiliated schools, a pastor is the chief shepherd that leads the flock to Christ. Parishes, families, schools, and ministries need to faithfully pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the clergy ( especially our pastors), principals, and lay ministers to hear and heed the Great Commission of Jesus to go make disciples. A senior leadership team of a few committed individuals, working with the pastor, helps to oversee the strategy for the parish and school renewal efforts and helps evaluate the fruitfulness of those efforts. Every leader attempting renewal needs a team to help form a clear vision. A senior leadership team is critical to affecting a cultural shift in a parish or school.

For cultural change to be sustained, there needs to be a core group of torchbearers. They will carry the light of renewal through the long and difficult process. This group of leaders can be a mix of key staff, dedicated parishioners, and disciples that can catch fire for the renewal effort. It is necessary for the pastor and the senior leadership team to identify couples, families, and singles who can be the torchbearers going forward, capable of leading small groups and ministries and articulating the vision to others in the parish. We need to spend a lot of time up front, bringing the core group together and teaching them to lead. The renewal process for making disciples generally involves a retreat where everyone is mentored one on one. Leaders who are well-formed, empowered, and equipped to be successful are essential. Jesus spent three years with the Twelve and other disciples teaching them to carry on his mission. We know from the Gospel accounts that Jesus sent a lot of them in small groups. He knew the long-term fruitfulness of depending on others to carry His vision and mission. The cultural change we are trying to affect needs to operate out of a similar paradigm.

We must continue to invest in and develop leaders. One of the best things we can do with the core group of torchbearers is to mobilize them to accompany others in the context of small groups and with one on one engagement. Generally, this can happen through prayer groups, bible study, and faith sharing in which a real effort is made to make friends and build community. From these efforts, disciples are formed. We cannot work as though we will always be there to continue in our roles. If this were true, the fruitfulness of our work ends when we do. If you engage disciples that are capable of evangelizing and forming new disciples, an unstoppable movement will be started that will radically transform parish and school culture over time. It begins by following the prompting of the Holy Spirit and reaching out to one or two people at a time. If we are faithful, the Lord will multiply and bless our efforts exponentially.

Jesus practiced the process of spiritual multiplication and guided others into a transformative relationship with God. We are called to walk with others in their journey to Jesus and especially in moments of conversion and encounters with the Holy Spirit.

For Reflection:
1. Why is it important for parishes, schools, and ministries to have a leadership team?
2. How will we form a leadership team? What is our plan?
3. How do we train and support a strong leadership team members empowered to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus?
Small Group Ministry: There is no “one size fits all” approach to the mission of forming disciples. Individuals and faith communities are not all the same. How we build and foster discipleship should be a call to holiness that includes human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral aspects. It is not possible for the clergy to do it all. Small group ministry led by well-formed disciples can provide a place for people to grow in discipleship and a place where community can be experienced. The group will come to rely on one another in their walk with Jesus and allow the members to grow as disciples. It is not so much about bible study, although that is especially important, but rather about the group of people who grow together in holiness and discipleship. Small groups foster accountability, prayer, study and motivation, and encouragement for growth.

For small group ministry to bear fruit, it must include an atmosphere where participants are secure enough to be vulnerable and expose their woundedness with one another. This kind of trust is critical for a ministry to be successful. Interior healing and the call to freedom are critical to the action and function of small groups. We, as parish, family, school, and ministry leaders, must first approach Christ to heal our own woundedness and bring others to Christ to heal their wounds. Our Lord instructed his disciples when he sent them out to evangelize in towns to “ cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you’” (Luke 10:9). Witness happens after healing. Our faith teaches us that areas of brokenness exist “ so that the works of God might be made visible through him” (John 9:3). As we let God heal us and those around us, we are set free to go and heal others as a result of the healing we have received (MM 114).

For Reflection:
1. What are the reasons we say there is no “one size fits all” approach to the mission of forming disciples?
2. How are small groups important to the mission of forming disciples?
3. What are some things that are important if we want small group ministry to bear fruit?
Alignment Activity
Crafting a Parish and School Pathway
Frequently, in parishes and schools our different ministries are segmented. Rather than creating another separate ministry of our parish or school, we instead should look at each ministry through the lens of discipleship and evangelization. As we form our vision, develop a clear path to discipleship, and mobilize leaders, we also need to ensure that everything we do aligns with this vision of discipleship and evangelization.

Follow the prompts below to start praying as a team about how you can build a discipleship pathway in your parish, school or ministry. These questions are based on the process through which L’Alto Catholic Institute takes individual parishes in Parish Partnership.
Reflect:
1. Are there pre-evangelization outreaches currently practiced that can be built up and used in our discipleship pathway?
2. Do we need to create a new pre-evangelization step?
Decide:
1. Our key pre-evangelization outreaches: (list)
2. Our preferred methods of moving non-disciples from pre-evangelization to provide an opportunity for them to encounter Jesus personally: (list)
3. The opportunity to hear the Gospel preached and an invitation to individuals to give their lives to Christ will be accomplished by doing the following: (list)
Reflect:
1. Are there any small groups in our parish, school or ministry that could be strengthened to help members grow in relationship with Christ and used in our pathway? What are those groups?
2. Do we need to create a new or different process for small groups?
Decide:
1. Our prioritized process: (name/describe)
Reflect:
1. Are there any opportunities within our parish, school, ministry, community or pathway that can be used in sending people on mission?
2. How will we prioritize the pathway as an opportunity for newly-formed missionary disciples to serve? What other outreaches will we promote?
Decide:
1. We will use the following formation to teach disciples to become missionary: (list)
2. We will prioritize the following apostolic opportunities: (list)
(MM 117-120)

Missio Nostra - Table of Contents
"Evangelization today must start by forming small communities"