Divine Rennovation

There is a perception in some quarters of the Church that if we just carry on the way that we have been going then everything will be ok. That Vocations to the priesthood will just appear if we are faithful in prayer " God will provide" you hear many people say. To be totally honest with you. I felt like this at one point. Work hard and people will come to the faith and vocations will come.

Last week I went on a two day conference called divine Renovation which comes from a book of the same name. It re thinks the way that we do things in the parish rather than maintiance  of the structures that we have it is a chance to do something different. What I am sharing with you below is my un bridged notes from the two days that changed the way that I think about the Church and also our mission to the Church.

Notes on the Divine Renovation Conference October 2017

Pope Francis:  says that we must have a Missionary option to Evangelisation todays world. This means a new way of thinking of the parish. This takes vision for the parish.  It means that we need vision and a new kind of thinking and sharing the vision. We were encouraged to think Do we have vision of where ew are going and how do we communicate this vision. It needs to be a vision of the future that produces and inspires passion.  This means that " IF you are not feeling in you are never going to lead it" There must therefore be passion in your belly for the Mission of the Church. The Great question that was left with us after that first session was " What my Vision?" More on that later 

Hope

One of the things that happens in the Church today is that people/priests lose all sense of hope about the future. They can only see the end. So what does this lack of hope look like:

Being hurt

There are many priests/people who have been hurt by the Church or by individuals in the Church. They feel hurt and that there is no way back. They close in on themselves and live with that hurt which sometimes leads to anger and distractive energies. 

Tired fatigue exhausted No or little energy

I have a friend who fits this description so well. They are the people who complain about everything and actually are constantly tired with no energy. They spend half their life complaining at how busy they are. They tend also to focus what energy they have on hiding from what is really happening. In the end they run away. 

Disillusioned

I call this " Everything had been done before so this time it will absolutely not work" We have all met people like this

Cynical 

The Cynical person is the most dangerous of people. They are always looking at the black side of life. They are different from the Disillusioned as they are generally quite active or have been in the parish and undermine anything that is going on by being negative

Contentment (doing the same every year even though it may not work)

I remember being in a parish where the first thing they said " We did this last year so therefore...." 

Sometimes things change and we need a transforming spirit where we can be allowed to do things slightly differently or even dare  say not at all. 

Restored Hope looks like

Heals the Broken hearts

To be a Church of welcome and find the lost and the broken hearted. Recognising that people have been hurt we need to do more to reach out to the lost and broken. Listening to individuals and helping them to grow.

I will give you rest

Many people are very tired with the rigours of the world and often cannot find a place to stop and rest with the Lord we need to provide a place where we can rest with the Lord.

                                                              I am the light of the world

Jesus is the light of the world. he is the one who helps us on our journey of life. We need to tell others that Jesus is the light of the world. It is he who in the darkness that is with us 

                     

Come and See

Sometimes we need to tell others about Jesus and invite them to come and see. This does not imply that they will want to join us but the invitation is there. This is all that Jesus did was ask people to come and see. 

Did not our hearts burn

When we are told and experience the Love of God through the gifts of the Holy Spirit we are we can feel God working through us and for us. Our hearts burnt as we truly understood and understand God love for us from the heart to the heart. 

God can do it with us

So what happens if people do not want to get on the Bus?

In the Gospel of the Rich young man he was asked to follow Jesus but there was something within him that was unable to follow Jesus he was unable to follow because he was unable to leave the past behind and see that there was something new  

The Sunday Experience

The Sunday Mass is the most important thing that we do so we should make sure that it is a good experience. In a postmodern world people are looking at what makes them feel good about it rather than just going because it is something that just happens and so what is a good experience here is a list:

Describe an amazing Sunday experience

• Welcome
• Expectation of meeting Christ
• No Rush
• Good Music
• Great homily
• Powerful prayer
• Children liturgy
• Teenagers engagement
• Good Readers well prepared 
• Good Coffee
• Greater Reverence to the Eucharist
• Priests shares he is part of the people rather than apart from the people

Assumptions

• Not engaged
• Already know Jesus
• Comfortable there 
• Come to worship
• Good understanding
• Well read
• Catholic
• They come out of a sense of obligation
• Like us
• Praying
• Are bored
• Job of providing the sacraments (priests)

Maybe we say Everything is fine as it is and we just need a few minor tweaks 

The Mass is the Source and Summit NOT Solo and Sufficent

This means that sometimes we need to find the swallow water so that people can enter into the water so that we are forming intentional disciples

The Three H’s

Hospitality 

Hymns

Homily

Hospitality 

If you go into many Churches one can find that there is little or no hospitality. People just come in and there is no feeling about the place. As part of hospitality we need to get ready for company get ready to greet people. At many Churches a person who comes into the Church receives little or no hospitality Getting ready for Company espeally for those who don't come often. There needs to be a change of heart for those who only come at Christmas or Easter. There need to be a change of culture

Its:

Behave- Believe- Belong

Vs

Belong Believe behave 

Its not enough just to care about one another!!!

1. Train Hospitality Ministers
2. Prayer Partners
3. Name tag Sundays
4. Develop a culture of hospitality outside the Sunday experience
5. Developing a culture of invitation

John 13:35

This is how all will know that you are my disciples if you love one another

Experience of God= Decision to Surender 

Hymns: Good Truth and Beauty

• Priest: Model Singing at Mass
• Quality matters 
• Create the Atmosphere for a God experience 
• Develop a culture of worship outside the Sunday experience 

Homilies

Purpose of the Homily

• Break open the word
• Explain the scriptures
• Tell others they re loved by God
• Challenge 
• Inform
• Focus on Jesus
• Joy of the Gospel
• Proclaim the good news and call to conversion

1. Dont complain pray ( bad homily)
2. Expectation take notes
3. Offer to help with prep
4. Develop a culture of preaching outside the Sunday experience 

Leadership Themes

Priests: Govern Sanctify and Teach

Influence/Inspire and equip to form disciples who joyfully live out the mission of Jesus Christ. 

• Leading with a Vision give yourself permission to dream
• Leading that bear fruit: changing peoples lives
• Leading by leading (not by doing)
• Leading within a Team
• Leading a healthy Team

Culture eats strategy for Breakfast

The Unwritten Chapter 

The three phrases of renewal to have a culture of evangelisation

The three ables of ministry

• Sustainable everything we do is sustainable
• Capacity of others Scalable expect growth 
• Transferable people are about the Mission and so work harder f
• Senior Leadership team

1. Unanimity of vision
2. Balance and strengths
3. Healthy conflict and trust
4. Vulnerability
5. Progress not programs 
6. Less is more- killed of by good ideas

Clergy Seminar\the state of the Church

• Denial
• Numerical decline
• Impact on community
• Business and usual

Needs a Recalibration a sense that something is wrong 

Responses

Double upon Losing Strategy

Seek a magic bullet

Process of a dying Church Palliative Care 

Leads to Anger

Deflect blame on the Bishop fuller away Culture and isms

Exodus:

Gradual Loss

People are not that frequent

Church desolate

Desperation

Open to new ideas change by actually just continuing business as 

usual: “Its about what we want FOR people not what we want FROM people. Otherwise we become Spiritual Vampires” 

Death:

No hope of revival

But then we have Stewardship

Time- Spiritual

Talent- Ministry

Treasure- Giving Money

Its The Cross not the Cushion