Reflection Sessions on Parish Goals
After parishioners have signed-up for a goal they want to address and parish leaders have been contacted for support, it is time to bring people together to brainstorm objectives to accomplish the goals.
These pages outline a small group brainstorming process that incorporates prayer and catechesis as part of the process. These sessions are meant to stir the imagination of the participants as they come together to learn and envision.
There are seven processes included here. They correspond to the essential areas of parish life. It is assumed that the goals, which have already been created at this point, flow from these essential elements. By using these processes, parishioners have an opportunity to reflect together and come to a consensus on action steps which will assist the Parish Pastoral Council in finalizing and implementing the parish pastoral plan.
Reflection Groups
Preparation
These sessions could be held at the same time and place or they could be held at different times and in different places. Each session should be made up of no more than 15 people. If more people sign up for individual goals, separate sessions may need to be added. The PPC may hold as many sessions as needed for each goal. The PPC members need to divide themselves accordingly. There should be at least two PPC members at each session, one to facilitate and one to record.
The following are groups which PPC members may consider to plan for these sessions:
Publicity Group
Primary responsibility is publicizing the event and the new mission statement/goals, and getting interest stirred up in the parish.
This can include:
- Publishing a draft of the mission statement and goals in the bulletin
- Pulpit talk on the drafts
- Display on a bulletin board in the gathering space
- Plan the Goal Sign-up Sunday
- Phone calls to insure involvement of parish leaders
Prayer and Process Group
Primary responsibility is to organize brainstorming groups and to designate facilitators and recorders.
- Determine which council members will facilitate and record each session
- Provide copies of prayer and process
- Ensure that information from each session is gathered and recorded
Hospitality Group
Primary responsibility is the physical details of the assembly.
- Provide space for each session
- Prepare space
- Provide refreshments
Each attached process seeks to create a prayerful reflection around each goal and each area of parish life. The result of the process will be a list of prioritized objectives to assist the Parish Pastoral Council in creating objectives for the future.
Each session should last about two hours.
Following these sessions, the council meets to review the responses and to finalize the objectives for each goal. The objectives include a very specific action step, a timeline for implementation, and leaders who will spearhead each objective.
Once completed, the final plan is printed and promulgated for all in the parish and the implementation begins.