"Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way”. I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove illusory....The important thing is to not walk alone, but to rely on each other as brothers and sisters, and especially under the leadership of the bishops, in a wise and realistic pastoral discernment."
-Pope Francis
THE NEED:
Catholic leaders who work in ministry want to be fruitful. You, as a pastor, DRE, Youth Minister, Campus Minister, Director of Evangelization, etc., want to be fruitful! However, the reality is most parishes and dioceses work within models that rely upon packaged programs or event-based ministry, which may or may not reach the folks in the pew, much less those in the wider community. How do we break out of "the way we have always done it" to bear more fruit? We at Catholic Missionary Disciples do not believe there is a puzzle to solve in order to be more fruitful. Rather, we need a shift in how we operate. We see Catholic dioceses and parishes who are faithful to the content of Jesus' teachings, but not operating in every way he taught his disciples. The shift we need isn't to something new or innovative, but rather one which reclaims the model of the master. We need to return to the standard of ministry lived by Jesus, which raises up missionary disciples / disciple-makers.
THE MODEL OF JESUS
Discipleship requires relationship with intentionality, purpose, and structure. This kind of discipleship relationship is very rare and few Catholic leaders have experienced having one, so they don't know how to walk with someone else in an intentional way, leading them closer to the Lord and forming them to go out and make other disciple-makers. Many pastoral leaders may have programs which help others come into an encounter with Jesus and offer a chance for conversion. We fully support such endeavors. But, we can't stop there! We must help these new disciples grow into missionary disciples / disciple-makers - those who can further evangelize and lead more to do the same. THIS is the missing piece of ministry in many corners of our Church!
Jesus spent most of 3 years (75% according to the Gospels) pouring his life and time into 12 men. When he wanted to show them something special, teach them something new, or form them for mission, he would take them apart from the crowds. He taught them how to pray, how to have intentional conversations with non-believers, how to heal, how to minister to others, how to sacrifice, and so much more. This is what discipleship looks like - it is primarily personal, not just programmatic, and relationships can't be boxed neatly and put on social media. Catholic Missionary Disciples is working to return Catholic leaders to this model of Jesus, by spending small group and one-on-one time with each person. This model of ministry may be considered inefficient, especially by today's standards, but it is infinitely fruitful! While programs and events certainly have a place in pastoral work, they can easily define what we do if we let them. Ministry should always be about persons, not just programs. The programs are there to serve the people, but not take the place of real relationships. You may be thinking "This sounds great, but I have so many to serve and not enough time already!" You are correct and have realized why our current way of operating will never work to reach the masses, because you don't have enough time in your day to reach them all. That is why we must learn from the Lord! Jesus teaches us how to reach the crowds - by intensely investing our lives in a few and teaching them to do the same, thus leading to spiritual multiplication (if you want further explanation of how this works - then click here).
HOW WE WORK IN THE MODEL OF JESUS:
We work in small groups (of 4-7 ministry partners + 1 CMD leader). These cohorts engage with their CMD staff leader for at least one hour per week in their small group and 30 minutes in one-on-one time. Each cohort will meet for 12 weeks at a time, then 9 months (monthly) to customize our coaching to each client. Each cohort will pray together, learn about pastoral ministry in the context of evangelization and discipleship, be challenged to complete short weekly assignments, hold one another accountable, have rich conversations about their own pastoral work, practice new skills, and learn how to form their ministry around these principles and practices in order to change the culture they work in.
We are not selling a particular program or series (though we might help you discern if one is right for your setting). Rather, we want to help those working in ministry grow in evangelization and discipleship, so they can transform their own ministry in the parish which they know better than anyone else outside of it. Each diocese/parish is different, and while a certain practice or principle of ministry might be universal, how to apply it in a particular circumstance is a matter of discernment, prudence, work, and prayer.
NOW WHAT
If you are ready to work with us, we ask every potential partner to contact us to start the process.
If you have further questions, then click here for our FAQs.