Rich Birch is a church consultant, speaker, and author who specializes in church leadership, growth, and processes. He has worked with numerous churches and provides insights and practical advice to help churches drive growth and increase their impact.
In his book “Church Growth Flywheel: 5 Practical Systems to Drive Growth at Your Church” he identifies several factors that contribute to parish development. These factors include:
- A clear vision and mission: A clear and compelling vision and mission can help the parish focus its efforts and resources on what really matters.
- Strong leadership: Strong leadership is essential for driving growth at a parish. This includes both pastoral leadership and lay leadership.
- Effective communication: Effective communication is key to engaging parishioners, reaching out to seekers, and promoting events and programs.
- A welcoming environment: Creating a welcoming environment for guests can help them feel comfortable and connected to the parish community.
- Excellent programming: Providing excellent programming for children can help families feel valued and connected to the parish community.
- Assimilation processes: Having effective assimilation processes in place will help new attendees become fully engaged members of to the parish community.
- Outreach efforts: Reaching out to seekers and unbelievers in the community with the Gospel message is essential for driving growth at a parish.
- Leadership development: Identifying and developing lay leaders within the parish is important for sustaining development over the long term.
Pierre-Alain Giffard
Director of Pastoral Work
Other articles on evangelization and parish revitalization:
- How to defeat Satan?
- Bringing Love, Hope and Healing Through the Gospel
- Love: Our Fundamental Vocation
- Touched by the Master
- A Man, a Dog, and the Ultimate Love
- The essence of evangelization: Loving God and our neighbours
- Loving Our Enemies and Reconciling with Others
- A Powerful Prayer for Healing: You Are The LORD Who Heals Me
- Living a Life of Love: Mother Teresa’s Legacy
- Living a Life of Love: Lessons from the New Testament
- In The Shadows Of Darkness, A Powerful Force Is At Work
- 19 Pastoral Orientations for Parish Renewal and Growth
- The Missionary Renewal of Catechesis
- Characteristics of missionary parishes
- Powerful healing prayer attributed to St. Padre Pio
- We are called to share our faith with others
- Should we seek to grow the Church?
- Find a Need and Fill It – Revealing God’s Heart in the Community
- 15 Habits to Evangelize on a Daily Basis
- The Church’s Mission
- Three Barriers to Building An Invitational Culture In Your Parish
- The Relational Evangelizer
- Doing Church at Home
- The Blind Girl
- A Group of Frogs
- The Elephant Rope
- A Shared Faith is a Growing Faith
- In The Shoes Of The Unchurched
- Parish Evangelizing Cells
- Six Unique Features of Missional Parishes
- Steps Towards Becoming A Missional Parish
- What Is Evangelization, And How Should It Be Carried Out?
- Discussion And Self-Assessment Questions For Parish Evangelization
- A Missional Church Is A Church That Prays
- The Jesus Prayer: A Method To Pray At All Times
- What can help children raised Catholic continue practicing the faith as adults?
- An Example of a Missionary Parish: Phoenix First Assembly of God
- Satan’s Tactics
- Learning to Be a Missionary
- When we cry out to God, he answers
- Presence and Proclamation
- Saving those who are lost
- Saint-Nazaire Parish: The story of a missionary transformation
- Small Groups and Evangelization
- Evangelizing By Inviting People To Receive Jesus As Lord And Saviour
- You Will Receive Power…
- Have You Heard About the Law of Three Hearings and Seven Touches?
- Three Habits of a Fruitful Christian Life
