by Fr. Kevin Wester
Shepherd of the Hills Parish in Armstrong, Wisconsin
We usually do extensive planning for the most important things in life. Events like a wedding, the birth of a new child, a major vacation or retirement all take an incredible amount of planning. Good planning, or the lack of planning, can make or break many of life’s most important experiences.
The same is true in regard to parish life and our mission as Church. Good planning, or the lack of planning, can either strengthen or weaken the ministry that our parishes are called to do. With the various challenges facing parish “viability” in the modern day, good planning or the lack of planning can also determine a parish’s future existence or its extinction.
In the past year, the importance of good parish planning was reaffirmed for me as a pastor. When I became a pastor in 1997, I was responsible for two small, rural parishes with about 400 families. Since then, I have become pastor of two more rural parishes, bringing the total number of families served to 900, with parish boundaries covering two counties. Archbishop Weakland, in his wisdom, asked our parishes to do strategic planning as part of the directives he set forth in 1997.
While his request at first seemed to be simply another thing to “get done,” the process turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences of my ministry. It also changed the present and future operation of our parishes, in leading us to request the archbishop’s approval for a merger that we ourselves initiated.
The planning process the archdiocese offered could be accomplished in six to nine months. The Office for Parish Planning and the parish consultant explained the process to our parish council, and a strategic planning committee was developed. We were advised to invite people distinct from the parish council on to the strategic planning committee so the parish council could be more critical and objective about the process.
Our planning process began with members of the parish council, pastoral staff, and planning committee asking: “What questions do we want answered by the planning process?” Two questions arose: “How can our parishes more effectively minister to our area?” and “How can we strengthen the Catholic presence in our area for the future?”
One of our goals was to get the input of as many parishioners as possible and encourage trust and ownership of the process. We began the “public phase” of the planning process with an input session with 50 parish leaders. This event was followed by a listening session open to all parish members. A brief overview of the process was given, and parishioners were invited to share thoughts or concerns about the current state of affairs in our parishes or about the future. Following this session, a survey was sent to seek input from all parish members. For those who did not feel comfortable standing up in public, the survey was a vehicle to share their input privately. Then a visioning event was held to focus on issues pertaining to the future of our parishes.
All the data gathered from these events and the survey were compiled. Common trends, ideas and concerns surfaced. In the end, the planning committee formed a vision statement reflecting the strongest themes that had surfaced. Our particular vision statement called for the merger of our parishes into a new parish with a new name. It also called for our parish to build a new complex with a church and education center at a new and central location. We have begun a feasibility study in regard to building a new parish complex. Furthermore, the vision statement called for refinement of certain ministries, the development of new ministries, the need for evangelization and for additional staff.
From this vision statement, “Shepherd of the Hills” parish came to birth. The vision statement has also challenged the parish council and parish committees to set clear, attainable goals. It has also offered a common understanding of mission that most parishioners from various communities can embrace.
As pastor, I see that the strategic planning process has done a number of things for our parish:
It gave everyone an opportunity for input.
It made all of us think in a more visionary way, rather than out
of the “vote” mentality.
It opened our minds to many new and creative possibilities.
It allowed people to vent anger or fear through either the
spoken or written word.
It allowed people to challenge one another in their thinking.
It made us more “proactive” versus “reactive” as we face the
future.
It gave a clearer sense of parish mission.
It reaffirmed the working of the Holy Spirit in the corporate
wisdom of the parishioners.
It allowed people to rethink and re-appreciate their Catholic
faith.
It made people more aware that everyone needs to take
responsibility for their parish.
As we concluded the strategic planning process, it seemed in some ways to be an ending, the culmination of months of working hard, listening and gathering input. Yet in reality, the end of the planning process was just the beginning! The challenge now is for the parish council, parishioners and me to continually go back to the vision statement and use it as a road map for the future. Although it may take years to fully implement our vision statement, the strategic planning process has strengthened our parish community and given us clear direction as we face a future filled with hope.
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