Without a doubt, every pastor would love to see more people actively involved in the life of the parish.  Involvement, however, may not be what is really needed!

In his book, Growing an Engaged Church, Al Winseman explains the important difference between being involved and being engaged.  According to Winseman, involvement is what we do in the parish, and engagement is how we feel about the parish.

Winseman urges us to “stop doing church and start being church.”  Involvement (doing) without engagement (being) leads to burnout.  Church becomes just another thing on our to-do list.  Church feels less like a privilege, and more like a chore.  We become unconcerned and indifferent to the real reason we attend church in the first place – to be a part of a faith community of dedicated and energized believers who are growing in their faith, and at the same time, are impacting their communities for the greater glory of God.

Behind this book, are years of experience investigating the spiritual health of local faith communities.  The Gallup identified two primary causes of spiritual health: member engagement and spiritual commitment.  Winseman states that his purpose for writing the book, it to help pastors and lay leaders focus on what is important to the spiritual life of the parish, and to help them understand (decode) the emotional bonds that tie members to each other and to their church.

As is the case with everything in the pastor’s toolbox, this tool must be adapted to the specific context, and unique needs of each parish.  The foundation, however, is scripturally based and congruent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

 

To get engaged please contact Brett Swearingen