In the face of declining church attendance and a growing secularization, the Catholic Church is called to reimagine the role of the parish as a missionary outpost that expresses God’s boundless love for all people (Evangelii Gaudium, 28). The statistics are sobering with regular mass attendance plummeting, yet, this moment of crisis also presents an opportunity for the Church to return to its evangelistic roots and become a vibrant community that draws all people to the transformative love of Jesus Christ.
At the heart of this renewal must be the recognition that the parish is not merely a place for serving the needs of a dwindling number of regular churchgoers, but a community called to be a beacon of hope and a conduit of God’s love for the entire surrounding neighbourhood. As Pope Francis has emphasized, parishes must shift from a maintenance mentality to a missionary one, casting aside the “we’ve always done it this way” approach in favor of actively reaching out to those who do not yet know the joy of the Gospel.
At the foundation of this missionary effort must be a dynamic life of prayer. The parish cannot hope to be effective in its evangelistic efforts without being steeped in constant, fervent prayer – both personal and communal. From Eucharistic adoration to prayer groups to intercessory prayer for the needs of the community, the parish must cultivate an atmosphere of dependence on the Holy Spirit, trusting that it is God who ultimately draws people to himself through the witness of his people.
Empowered by prayer, the parish should then become a place where relationships are vehicles of evangelization. The focus shifts to individual parishioners embracing a posture of openness, hospitality, and relational intentionality. Parishioners are challenged to become missionary disciples, fostering authentic bonds with neighbours, colleagues, and acquaintances. Through these meaningful connections, they can both exemplify God’s love and gently guide others toward a relationship with Jesus Christ.
This relational approach to evangelization also necessitates a rethinking of the parish’s Sunday experience. Rather than catering primarily to the needs of the faithful few, the parish must strive to make the Sunday liturgy and community life accessible, inviting, and engaging for those who are unfamiliar with or distant from the church. This may involve everything from a welcoming greeter ministry towards visitors and newcomers, to easy-to-understand kerygmatic homilies, to music and hymns that elevates the mind and heart, drawing individuals into a deep spiritual experience. The aim is to create an environment where the unchurched feel welcomed, valued, and called into encountering the loving, transformative presence of Christ.
Hand-in-hand with this renewed Sunday experience must be a process for gradually integrating new believers into the life of the parish community. Small groups – whether for prayer, Bible study, support, or service – become crucial incubators of faith, places where relationships deepen, spiritual formation occurs, and future leaders are identified and equipped. These small communities can then serve as springboards, sending members out to invite others and draw them into the larger parish family.
Caring for the less fortunate, both within the church community and beyond its walls, is also a vital expression of God’s love for the world. A truly missionary parish must prioritize outreach to those who are marginalized, suffering, or in need, embodying Christ’s call to serve “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). By establishing ministries of mercy and justice, the parish becomes a living sign of hope, fostering relationships that transcend socioeconomic boundaries. Whether through organized initiatives like food banks or informal acts of kindness by individual parishioners, caring for the less fortunate demonstrates the transformative power of the Gospel in action.
Undergirding this entire vision for a missionary parish is the crucial role of the pastor. As the chief shepherd, the priest must cast and regularly communicate the parish’s evangelistic purpose, modeling a spirit of prayer and leading the community in its outreach efforts. He must also empower and equip the laity, identifying and developing leaders who will share in the work of making disciples. Rather than clinging to a maintenance-oriented model of pastoral ministry, the priest must willingly let go of control, distributing responsibility and celebrating the ministry of all the baptized.
Ultimately, the revitalized parish becomes a manifestation of God’s extravagant love – a community that mirrors the Father’s relentless pursuit of the lost, the compassionate embrace of the prodigal, and the life-transforming power of the risen Christ. In such a parish, the barriers that often keep people distant from the church – whether intellectual, emotional, or cultural – are gradually broken down as the love of God is made tangible through the witness of his people.
This vision for the parish as an expression of God’s love is not an easy one, nor can it be quickly or painlessly realized. It requires a willingness to abandon our practices of “doing church as usual” and to embrace the sacrificial, Spirit-empowered work of evangelization. It necessitates a renewed commitment to prayer, a relentless focus on relationships, and a leadership model rooted in empowerment and collaboration. For those parishes who take up this challenge, the rewards will not only be in terms of numerical growth, but more importantly in the deeper, abiding fruit of lives transformed by the Gospel and a community that radiates the beauty of holiness to a world in desperate need of encountering the love of God.
Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work
Email: pierre.alain.giffard@gmail.com
Articles on evangelization and parish revitalization:
- If no one speaks, no one will know
- Evangelizing Through Healing: Manifesting God’s Loving Presence
- The Parable of the Wise Landowner
- Extraordinary Signs in Extraordinary Times
- The Evangelizing Message of Medjugorje
- The distinction between proselytism and authentic evangelization
- What God Needs from Us Is Love, Reconciliation, and a Spirit of Forgiveness
- Evangelization: A Collaborative Mission of Love
- Prayer and Service that Finds Favor With God
- The Transformative Power of Love
- The Evangelization Power of Prayer and Love for God
- Everyday Evangelization
- Every Act of Love is Evangelization
- Loving Jesus and Making Him Loved
- Embracing a Lifestyle of Worship and Praise
- A Prayer for Divine Healing and Restoration
- Factors That Have Proven to Attract People to Christ
- Evangelization: Finding Life and Giving Life
- The Eucharist: Source And Summit of All Evangelization
- Practical Steps for Reaching the Unchurched
- Bible Sharing Guide for Small Groups: A Synodal Approach
- Bringing People to Christ by Inspiring Love and Praise for God
- Proclaiming God’s Word: A Sacred Call
- From Decline to Renewal: The Transformation of New Life Church–Farmington
- The Church’s Social Doctrine and Evangelization
- Kindness: A Christian Perspective
- How to Bring Someone to Christ
- The Ultimate Purpose of Human Life – Glorifying God
- From Near-Death to New Life: A Rural Church’s Revitalization Journey
- Evangelization simply: “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Psalm 34:8)
- Revitalization of Rural Churches
- Attracting Converts to the Catholic Faith
- Addressing Low Attendance in Churches
- Fostering a Sacred Atmosphere during the Sunday Mass
- Prayer to be baptized in the Holy Spirit
- Jesus is Thirsty for Souls
- Praying And Sharing The Good News With God’s Redemptive Names
- Embracing the Call to Evangelize
- What is Most Pleasing to God? Bringing Souls to Christ
- The Growth of the Church of the Nativity (Fr. Michael White)
- 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
