Word - teaching the Gospels, the Creed, history and tradition of Catholicism to parish members of all ages;
Worship – celebrating the sacraments, feasts and devotional life of the Church throughout the liturgical year;
Service – addressing societal issues and helping those in need as an expression of living faith; Community Building – growing the bonds among us and witnessing our unity in Christ.

One of the ongoing planning roles of the parish council is to track the success of parish committees in reaching their goals. Successful parishes have a three to five year plan that documents the year-to-year goals for committees and ministries of the parish. In these parishes councils ask for committee updates and reports based on the goals outlined in their long-range plans. But what about parishes without a long-range ministry plan? How do their committees get and/or set direction?

Step 1
Be clear about the task. Two good starting places are the parish council bylaws and the Parish Committee Resource Book (2001). Both documents describe the particular focus and responsibility of each committee, and provide guidelines to help parishioner committees work together effectively.

Step 2
Do a reality check. Once committee members are clear about their responsibilities and have determined how they will go about their tasks, their first job is to do a ministry area evaluation. They set out to discover what is in place and working well in the parish, what needs to be strengthened, added or let go of in their ministry area.

Step 3
Ask an expert. Often committees will call their parish consultant or one of the archdiocesan central offices for a consultation. They invite a diocesan staff member to attend a meeting and assist them with identifying priorities, setting goals and developing their ministry plan.

Step 4
Develop a proposal for the council. Give them your plan. Let them know what the budget impact might be on the parish. Invite their dialogue. Obtain their support.

Step 5
Just do it. Get started right away implementing your plan. Announce it. Let parishioners know what you want to accomplish and let them know you’ll need their help.

Step 6
Say, “thank you!” to the council for their support. Thank the budget committee for their help in developing a comprehensive budget. Thank parish members for stepping up to the challenge and responding to your invitations to get involved.

If you need assistance with your parish council, contact Noreen Welte, director of the Office for Parish Councils and Planning, 414-769-3352, 800-769-9373, ext. 352 or welten@archmil.org.