Not long ago, Father Bill, a friend who is a pastor, shared that the more he and his parishioners grow together as a community, the more they experience things they cannot explain. People experience healing — physical, emotional, and spiritual; others speak of the way their lives have changed, almost imperceptibly, until someone points out that their lifelong worries and destructive behavior seem to have given way to happier and more peace-filled days. Still others recognize the importance of the parish in their lives when they face a transfer to a different city and realize they cannot make the move. He said, “You know, it is as though we are being drawn to union with God through one another. I know we speak of being members of the Body of Christ, but I don’t think we really grasp what we’re talking about most of the time. This is a deeper union than any of us might have believed possible.”

Forming the community

Even with this glimpse of what is possible when people truly become community, we are challenged to stay committed to the value of the parish as an expression of the Body of Christ, worthy of our attentive and careful ministry. We easily excuse away our misgivings, citing the apparent individualistic nature of our surrounding culture. We can, and sometimes do, figure that people will come to church when they are ready and nothing we do can change that. There is some truth to that line of thought. However, if we learn from the research on engaging and vibrant communities, we must take into account the real potential of strengthening our existing parish so that members who know its value will draw others in (or more deeply in) to the life of the community.

The National Church Life Study/International Congregation Life Survey (www.uscongregations.org/aboutus) has identified nine core qualities for the development of vital church life. The core qualities are organized in three categories: internal, inspirational, and outward. The internal qualities include an alive and growing faith; vital and nurturing worship; strong and growing belonging. The inspirational qualities include a clear and owned vision; inspiring and empowering leadership; open and flexible innovation. The outward qualities are practical and diverse service; willing and effective faith sharing; intentional and welcoming inclusiveness.

Formed through life within the community

When my husband and I moved almost two years ago, the parish in which we registered made name tags for us. Every parishioner has one and is asked to wear it every time we are at the parish, for Mass or for a meeting. It seemed a little thing at first, and for me, I wondered if the benefits could outweigh the financial cost. Still, from the beginning, we were being told, “You’re one of us now. We want to get to know you, and we want you to get to know us.” It took a while. My husband went to the new parishioner orientation. He told me later (I was out of town at the time, not purposefully staying away!) that there was a lot of emphasis on getting involved and serving. He decided to find something within the parish that he could do, something of service to the poor that he could get involved in. And he decided to join a small faith community, feeling that it was time to put down new roots and form community in a deeper way with a few others.

The particular things that drew us to the parish were that the liturgy is prepared and celebrated well; one feels a sense of community when entering, even on the first visit; there are opportunities to learn and grow in faith; there is a desire that every member be involved and serve others; and there is a hope that all feel welcome here. Now, nearly two years later, I realize that the things that drew us to this parish and that have kept us here are the elements of what the congregation survey calls “core qualities,” and I realize something deeper: what we really hope for is to recognize the presence of Christ in the celebration of the Eucharist, in all of the ways we experience Christ’s presence there, and that what we truly long for is to be united with God now and into eternity. We want what Father Bill describes as more possible than we might imagine. To be united with God through the Body of Christ, the community.

Forming pastoral practice

No one pastoral practice will insure that all members of your parish are drawn deeply into unity and to divinity. Perhaps a beginning point is to consider what you are doing right now to strengthen those who are already deeply engaged in the parish, so that they may invite others to join you and help you develop those nine internal, inspirational, and outward core qualities that will shape your parish as a community who has, and will continue to have, hope forever. ML
 

Leisa Anslinger is pastoral associate for faith formation at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati. Author of  Here Comes Everybody! Whole Community Catechesis in the Parish, she is a national speaker on topics including whole-community catechesis and pastoral leadership.

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