In the book Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter, Michael White and Tom Corcoran describe their journey in revitalizing the Church of the Nativity in north Baltimore. They share the challenges they faced with declining attendance and engagement and the failures and mistakes they made in trying to turn things around.
The turning point was when they decided to stop trying to please everyone, and instead focused on making the church matter to both existing Catholics and the unchurched. They learned from successful mega-churches and business leaders while staying rooted in Catholic theology and the Eucharist. As a result, they tripled their attendance and giving, restored vitality and health to parish life, and created an authentic Catholic revival centered around making disciples and transforming lives.
Here are the key advice from Fr. Michael White on how to renew and grow a parish:
Cultivate Outreach
- Create a culture of invitation and hospitality
- Equip people to share their faith with others
- Reach out to the lost in the community
Focus on Relationships
- Foster small groups and spiritual friendships
- Show the love of Christ in practical ways
- Spend time with God in prayer and adoration
Focus on the Weekend Experience
- Make weekend services excellent – attractive music, engaging preaching, high quality production
- Design it to reach the unchurched and dechurched
- Create a welcoming, inviting, and festive environment
Emphasize Discipleship
- Help people grow in their faith through small groups, sacraments, service, giving, etc.
- Have a clear discipleship pathway with next steps
- Equip people to live out their faith and become missionaries
Cast Vision
- Craft clear mission, vision and strategy statements
- Communicate them consistently across channels
- Let them guide decisions and evaluate progress
Mobilize the Next Generation
- Prioritize ministry to children, youth and young adults
- Create programs tailored to their needs
- Develop leaders and parent partnerships
Preach Relevant Messages
- Teach Scripture in practical, applicable ways
- Use creativity, humor, stories to captivate audience
- Challenge people to grow and take action
Develop Leaders
- Identify, train and empower leaders at all levels
- Give them ownership, responsibility and accountability
- Provide support through coaching and team collaboration
Evaluate and Adapt
- Regularly assess the effectiveness of revitalization efforts and adjust strategies as needed.
- Remain flexible and open to feedback from parishioners and leaders.
- Stay committed to the overarching mission of making an impact for Christ in the community.
According to White, the key is to make the parish a place where people are loved, challenged, and equipped to become missionary disciples of Jesus. This often requires change at all levels – programs, culture, leadership – centered around the mission of making an impact for Christ.
Pierre-Alain Giffard
Articles on evangelization and parish revitalization:
- Deliverance Prayer, by Fr. Stephen J. Rossetti (AUDIO – mp3)
- The Growth of Saint Benedict Parish (Fr. James Mallon)
- Five Pillars of the Christian Life
- Encountering Christ: The Path to Transformation
- What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus?
- Unleashing The Evangelization Potential of Your Parish
- The Ultimate Goal of Evangelization
- God’s Longing for Love and our Mission to Make it Known
- A prayer for those whom we wish to encounter Christ
- Memorable Sundays
- Fr. Bedard’s Three-Step Blueprint for Evangelisation
- Guide for The Missionary Transformation of Parishes
- Divine Encounters: A Practical Guide for Small Evangelization Groups
- The Missionary Transformation of Sant’Eustorgio Parish
- Creating Vibrant Faith Communities: Insights from ‘Excellent Catholic Parishes’
- Sharing The Gospel According to People’s Needs And Receptivity
- A Prayer for Inviting Others to Evangelization Meetings and Services
- Welcoming Church Guests and Visitors: Dos and Don’ts
- Various Dimensions of Evangelization
- The True Measure of Success
- Pope Francis on Evangelization
- Revitalizing the Rural Parish for Mission
- Factors Leading to Christian Conversion
- Evangelizing Through Random Acts of Kindness
- Questions To Start Spiritual Conversations
- Three Feet From Gold
- Spreading the Gospel One Act at a Time
- Gather, Witness and Invite
- Prayer to Receive the Spiritual Gifts of The Holy Spirit
- The Language of Evangelization
- Key Factors for Parish Growth According to Rich Birch
- 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
