Evangelization Teams

Here at Paulist Evangelization Ministries, we are committed to a vision of every parish having an evangelization team. We believe that parishes simply cannot pay due attention to the people who are not present unless a team is thinking, all the time, about who our mission is missing. 

 

Even the most successful parishes are missing almost 60% of Catholics (not to mention people hungering for faith). There is no greater resource for evangelization ministry than an Evangelization Team, E-Team for short. If we are going to think "evangelization" then we need to think "e-team" as well!

Starting an Evangelization Team

The E-team uniquely helps the parish implement outreach...and coordinate with other parish committees to implement evangelizing activity.

 

How Big Should the E-team Be?

 

There should be about 6-8 people present at the meetings; often, where experience shows that people are not faithful in attending meetings, the team should be big enough to insure that 6-8 are present.

 

Who Should Be on the E-team?

  • Committed Catholics
  • Open to new ways of doing things
  • Having experience with the unchurched or inactive
  • Able to work with people who have doubts
  • Non-judgmental and flexible
  • Not overly committed already

The Parish Context

  • E-teams should not be isolated but should work in tandem with the pastoral staff and pastoral council
  • E-teams need a liaison person to report to the pastoral staff
  • E-teams should also report to the pastor and pastoral council

Pastoral Process

  • Use the plan to assess the parish's strengths and weaknesses
  • Use the plan to begin to sketch a pastoral outreach
  • Begin the outreach with limited, doable activities
  • Do the activities in a context of hope and prayer
  • Review and fine-tune activities

Care and Support

  • Give the E-team the resources it needs in terms of personnel, time and finances
  • Give the E-team a way to report to the staff and have access to parish communication systems
  • Show support and appreciation for the E-team

Jump Start: A Basic Evangelization Kit
Jump Start Kit This starter kit includes ten booklets, a DVD with six sessions and several resources to help your parish get started. Also included is The Evangelizing Catholic, Go and Make Disciples, On Evangelization in the Modern World (full text and summary), and Mission of the Redeemer. These resources will help you form and organize a parish evangelization team.