Parish Planning Pros And Cons

Jim Lundholm-Eades, the author of chapter three, again offers more insightful information in chapter twelve by looking at the subject of “Parish Planning.” In this section of the book, Lundholm-Eades explores how good parish planning is structured around communio (i.e. communion) and missio (i.e. mission). When communio and missio come together in a parish, the pastor and the parishioners are better enabled to read “the signs of the times, deciding what is important at this time, when to do what for how long, and how to know when progress is being made.” A parish that is in sync both in its mission and communally should have a parish plan. A good plan has four key elements: mission, vision, priorities, and strategies. The mission of a parish …show more content…
Priorities are the things that the parish has agreed to do as a community. Strategies refer to how the parish is going to accomplish its priorities. According to Lundholm-Eades, the parish plan should not only be “simple and straightforward,” but it should also be adaptive and not just predictive. Predictive plans merely try to envisage future events, whereas adaptive plans recognize that there are both internal and external factors that will inevitably affect the parish. Adaptive planning prescribes a strategy of being both ready and able to compensate for any additional factors that might occur. Another important element to parish planning is consensus, which is when everyone in the parish knows what the viable options are that potentially represent God’s will—rather than just the pastor’s will. Consensus according to this process then becomes a means of discerning God’s will for the …show more content…
Father Manning highlights that it is important for new priests to accept the fact that they are going to be somewhat neurotic, but instead of focusing on that, they should rather strive for integration and holiness in their lives. Another important need that priests have is to take regular periods of rest. By caring for their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, priests will be better prepared to care for the needs of their parishioners. Father Manning, however, also warns new priests not to become too overly preoccupied with their health, because this kind of preoccupation can become an end in itself rather than an end to a means. A healthy priesthood, according to Father Manning, should be deeply rooted in “the lex orandi [(i.e. law of prayer)] of the church.” A prayer centred priesthood will help new priests to trust and rely more deeply on God, especially when they encounter periods of trial and difficulty in ministry. Another crucial part of a pastor’s life is his relationships with others. A new priest needs to develop and maintain healthy relationships in which there is trust and transparency because relationships that become exclusive can create unhealthy attachments for a priest. Priests also need to be