Parish Social MinistryFrom Getting Started to Running

Smoothly

Goals

To provide the members St. Michael Parish – Waialua with the foundation for Parish Social Ministry and models of organizing social ministry in their parishes.

To provide helps in developing, expanding parish social ministry in their parishes.

To provide the opportunity for parish sharing

What is Parish Social Ministry?

Definition

Parish social ministry is an organized effort of the entire parish to serve those in need, to advocate for justice and to work at changing societal structures that perpetuate injustices.

Parish Social Ministry: Strategies for Success by Tom Ulrich

Provides a complete definition:

“In summary, the full mission of parish social ministry is to help parishioners understand and act on Catholic Social Teaching. It does that by organizing teams of leaders in (at least) four ministry areas of direct service, legislative advocacy, global solidarity/global justice and peace, and community organizing. Those leaders, in turn, invite and recruit the rest of the parish to participate. Finally, all the activity is reinforced through formation and education in Catholic Social Teaching.”

What is Catholic Social Teaching?

Simply put, the teachings of the Church known as Catholic Social Teaching, are a body of doctrine that the church has developed, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, to apply the gospel of Jesus to our life together as members of one human family. It has three aspects:

1. It gives us principles for reflection2. It provides criteria for judgment.3. It gives guidelines for action.

Pope Benedict XVI

First encyclical in 2005, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), Pope Benedict states that “social charity” is one of the three essential responsibilities of the Catholic Church

Deus Caritas Est.

“The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God, celebrating the sacraments, and exercising the ministry of charity.

Theses duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being…”

Deus Caritas Est (continued)

“The direct duty to work for a just ordering in society…is proper to the lay faithful. As citizens of the State, they are called to take part in public life in a personal capacity. So they cannot relinquish their participation “in the many different economic, social, legislative, administrative and cultural areas, which are intended to promote the … the common good.”

Communities of Salt and Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish

US Bishops’ 1994 Document emphasizes the critical need for parishes to be sources of Christ’s love in the world:

“At a time when the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, we insist on the moral test of our society is how we treat and care for the weakest among us. In these challenging days, we believe that the Catholic community needs to be more than ever a source of clear moral vision and effective action…The pursuit of justice and peace is an essential part of what makes a parish Catholic.”

A Responsibility for the ENTIRE Parish Community

Again, as the US Bishops stated:

“We need to build local communities of faith where our social teaching is central, not fringe; where social ministry is integral, not optional; where it is the work of every believer, not just the mission of a few committed people and committees.

One Model, Not the Only Model

There are many models that a parish can create to:

Ensure that “organizing” and “doing” social ministry happens

Ensure that our social mission is woven throughout parish life

Ensure that social ministry includes a variety of opportunities for parishioners to act through service and through advocacy or working for justice and peace

Experimentation is encouraged because the structure must meet the unique qualities and challenges of each parish

Most important point is to make sure that a core group of people are specifically responsible for helping the parish act on each of the elements of effective parish social ministry.

Social Ministry in a Parish

Can take on a variety of forms and organization (structure)

They are incredible signs of Christ alive in our world, working through the faithful to bring love to those who need it the most and to transform the world’s social structures to better reflect God’s Kingdom of peace and justice.

Our Catholic doctrine insists that these tasks are constitutive (essential) dimensions of living out the Gospel and are necessary responsibilities of our parishes.

The Two Feet of Christian Service

Charity JusticeDirect Service Social Change

It takes two feet to walk. Otherwise we lose balance.

If we use only the first foot (direct service), we can make matters worse by fostering dependency.

If we use only the second foot (social change) we run the risk of becoming too far removed from the reality of the problem

A true Christian faith requires both steps

Community Organizing

Legislative Advocacy

Direct Services or Outreach

Catholic Social

Teaching FORMATION

Global Solidarity and

Justice and Peace

EducationLegislative Advocacy

Community Organizing

Direct Services

Catholic Social

Teaching FORMATI

ON

Legislative Advocacy

Community Organizing

Direct Services

Catholic Social

Teaching Formation

Global Solidarity/Justice

and Peace Education

Legislative Advocacy

Community Organizing

Direct Services/Outreach

Catholic Social

Teaching FORMATIONFORMATION

One Model, Not the Only Model

The Coordination Team

Direct Service and Outreach

Global Solidarity

Community Organizing

Legislative Advocacy

Parish Social Ministry Coordination Team

Usually made up of leaders or representatives from each of the social ministry sub-areas

They meet regularly (monthly) to keep ach other informed about parish social ministry activities.

A chair person or co-chairpersons convenes and runs the meetings.

Setting the Stage*

Styles of Ministry

Advocacy The strategy of advocacy focuses on the powerful speaking for the powerless. Those who benefit from the existing system work very hard to reform, or fix the system, believing it should benefit everyone fairly.

Charity and Outreach The strategy of maintaining, enabling and supporting ministry with people who are hurting. Provides assistance to others to cope in times of social and economic crisis.

Organizing

The focus is on the powerless representing themselves through community organizing and development. This involves leadership development among the grassroots, building a base of power through one-on-one relationships and maximizing citizen participation in the decisions that affect people’s lives.

Solidarity

The idea that humans are radically interdependent and that the concerns of one person or nation are the concerns of all people or nations. Solidarity calls all people to overcome barriers of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender and economic position.

Decision Making Elite Grass Roots

Social Stability

Social Change

Pro

gra

m G

oa

ls

Communities of Salt and Light Basic Structure for Parish Teams

Parish Social Ministry

Coordination Team

Prayer and Worship Leader or

Team

Education and Formation

Leader or Team

Family, Work, Citizenship Leader or

TeamCharity and Outreach Leader or

Team

Advocacy Leader or

Team

Global Solidarity and Peace Leader

or Team

Community Organizing Leader or

Team

Issue-Specific Teams

How to organize a team of leaders?

Step 3: Organize and execute parish analysis .

Step 5: Recruit and train people on CST.

Step 6: Act from original plan and create evaluation process.

Step 4: Clarify committee structure and purpose.

Step 1: Find 3-5 allies who want to start a ministry.

Step 2: Meet and discuss what you want to do & why.

The PSM Coordination Team

Primary Oversight and Support Functions1. Coordinating social ministry activities to ensure a smooth, well functioning operation.2. Providing oversight of the integration of the parish social ministry effort into the overall life of the parish.3. Providing oversight (and coordination) of the planning for t he different social ministry activities.4. Developing an effective and comprehensive system of communication with special emphasis on communication with the pastor and pastoral council.5. Identifying emerging parish and community social ministry needs and potential leaders.6. Providing social ministry skills training opportunities for parishioners.7. Maintaining communication with diocesan offices (OSM) that can deliver professional skills training and support for social ministry leaders.8. Emphasizing the seven touchstones described in Communities of Salt

and Light.

Differences – Organizers and DoersWE NEED BOTH!

Organizers tend to do the following activities: Planning Being strategic Recruiting leaders and

participants Bringing people together Organizing training

sessions on Catholic Social Teaching and social ministry skills

Facilitating problem solving discussions and meetings

Visioning Listening and

communicating

Doers of social ministry are busy with: Putting the solutions into

action Being energetic and

dedicated to completing tasks

Learning ministry skills Deepening their baptismal

call to serve through participation in on-going formation

Providing input, ideas, data, that shapes the planning process

“Doers” versus “Organizers or Leaders”As distinguished from the leaders of social ministry who are the “organizers”

Make sure specific tasks get done

Are the people who make the home visits to the elderly, who collect/distribute the food, write the letters to the legislators, attend the rally sponsored by a community organization, make a trip to with fellow parishioners to a homeless shelter.

They do not organize the effort, they perform the service.

Of course, organizers can be doers and vice versa.

However, the critical thing is to know the difference and to make sure the parish has a structure or system that includes leaders or organizers, who make sure many parishioners have opportunities to become “doers.”

Important Purpose for Meetings

They provide a setting for creating and maintaining an effective system of communication about PSM activities, making sure that the various leaders and activities are not “bumping into each other” due to duplication, poor communication, unplanned recruitment, or other reasons.

They ensure that each social ministry leader or team produces some type of annual plan so that the efforts are well thought out and the tasks identified can be accomplished.

They provide opportunities to identify situations where two or more leaders or teams might work together. For example, the global solidarity leader and the legislative advocacy leader might work together to help the parish respond to a crisis somewhere in the world. Part of the response might involve a collection of money or goods. Another might involve lobbying on U.S. policy related to the crisis or related to poverty in the U.S. and abroad.

They allow the leaders or teams that relate to other ministries in the parish (e.g., prayer/worship and education)/formation) to keep abreast of what other social ministry leaders are planning so they can identify opportunities to make connections among parish ministries. For example, the education/formation leader might learn from the advocacy leader about plans for a pro-life rally on island and might work with the DRE to arrange for Confirmation candidates to participate.

They provide a forum for proposing and discussing major new social ministry initiatives in the parish. For example, they might provide a forum on faith-based organizing and what it means for the parish and community.

They provide for accountability. If a leader or team doesn’t have anything to report, they may not be doing their job!

A few more general concepts…

Decide on a model that will work best for your parish

Pull together a good team…no lone rangers…even Lone Ranger had Tonto

Create vision, mission, objectives/action plans and goals Official connection to pastoral council

Intentional communication with other appropriate parish ministries

Pastor and staff support – A Must!

CCHD, CRS, Catholic Charities, Respect Life are social justice connections that are important to recognize.

Key Elements for Success

Not “my” ministry. It is “our” parish’s ministry.

Focused, and addresses the full mission of social ministry.

Thought and planning goes into organizing and developing leadership teams.

PSM efforts are known, integrated into, and supported by the ENTIRE parish.

Explore the deeper social, political, and institutional causes of problems and issues being addressed by the parish.

Be an active part of the Diocesan social ministry network.

Dedicated and committed leaders…not wearing too many hats.

Have Fun!

No one wants a grim and grumpy do-gooder

OSM is only a phone call away – reinforcements on the way

Questions, comments…