Proměna farnosti: z udržovacího režimu k misijnímu zápalu

by James Mallon, Jiří Gračka (Translator)

„My nepotřebujeme slyšet o Ježíšovi. Chceme hrát karty!“ Udeřila pěstí do stolu a všichni lidé v sále zmlkli… Tváře farníků vyjadřovaly spravedlivé uznání, že dotyčná řekla nahlas to, co chtěli říct i všichni ostatní. Když se rozkřiklo, že hodlám zabrat na pondělní večery farní sál, aby se tu mohl konat evangelizační program zvaný kurzy Alfa, vyvolalo to takový poprask, že jsem musel svolat mimořádné zasedání farní rady. A místo abych od záměru ustoupil, stál jsem si jako novokněz umíněně za svým. Neměl jsem ani jinou možnost. Bůh naší maličké farnosti během oněch prvních pokusů oslovit i ty, kdo do kostela nechodí, nesmírně žehnal. Do roka k nám o pondělních večerech přicházelo víc než sto lidí, aby se seznámili s nabídkou evangelia. Lidské životy se začaly proměňovat. Konflikt vzniklý kvůli hře v karty za to stál. (zkráceně z úvodu „Dům z karet“)

Církev dostala jako hlavní úkol získávat učedníky, potažmo misionáře, a vycházet s radostnou zvěstí ke všem lidem. A to by mělo být někde vidět: v programech farností, ve finančních rozpočtech, v personální politice. Kanadský kněz James Mallon nabízí řadu podnětů, jak dospět k tomu, aby se farnosti začaly probouzet. Kniha Proměna farnosti se stala záhy po vyjití bestsellerem, je překládána do mnoha jazyků a autor je zván na semináře doma i v zahraničí.

Genres: Faith, Religion, Catholic, Nonfiction, Theology, Ecclesiology, Christian

290 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2014

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fr. Mallon argues for the need for bold renewal in Catholic parishes. He lays out a plan based on his efforts as a pastor. I found some of his comments to be challenging, some of his recommendations to be inspiring, some of his suggestions to be ill advised and the entire book to be thought provoking. It would be worthwhile to have an entire parish leadership team read and discuss this book together.

[Zack Weiss]

burn down all current sacramental prep structures and stop acting like they create disciples. this was good. didn't agree with 100% of what he said but he also gave me permission to do that and said that everybody should disagree with something because all parishes are different. I like how he said he loves conflict, I do too Fr. james. people who work for the church should read this but shouldn't do everything he says he did at his parish because we are not the same

[Daphne L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book spoke to me on the current state of the Catholic Church.

[Fr Adam Zettel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! For a pastor of a parish I think this book should be life-changing and revolutionary. I fear that many will write it off as too hard to implement, but I don't think we should be afraid.

I wanted to absorb as much as I could of this book, and I can't copy all of my notes here, but here is at least a summary of my highlights.

1. The Church IS mission, called to MAKE disciples, who are committed to lifelong following of Jesus, not just believing, not letting themselves think they are good enough by fulfilling the bottom line of religion.

2. We have to proclaim Jesus anew, and all are called to this evangelization, WITH words (not without them!) which also means living it, driven by genuine contact with Christ. It's the duty of all and it leads to a real and personal encounter with Christ. Pope Francis wants a mess! To overcome the crippling and self-referential tendency. We need meaningful community life where people feel valued and seen. Conversion leads to missionary commitment.

3. Facing our painful history, do we quit and stay (give up all passion and zeal)? We should stay and fight, claim back what is our own. God's grace is at work mysteriously where there is pain. Suffering is pain grappled with.

4. Clear out the junk. Overcome the self-absorbed promethean neopalagiansim - supposed soundness of doctrine leading to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism. Our salvation is not based on our virtue or strength, it's all the result of his grace. To be merciful we need to experience the sheer naked mercy of God. Making ourselves right with him makes us self-righteous, and never truly experience the good news, thinking we buy our way into heaven, or that as long as we're not Hitler, we're saved. Salvation is getting your card punched. These people have nothing to sing about. They just pray, pay and obey. Staying in your like-minded group is safer than going out to spread the good news.

5. Minimalism and convenience have no place in the minds of missionary disciples. The Church must exist mainly for the sake of those who do not yet belong. "If Jesus is in your heart, please notify your face." If no one in our Church drops the occasional F-bomb, we're playing it too safe. The "Let's all pretend everyone is a practicing Catholic" attitude is an obstacle.

Praise and worship: Songs should move the heart and not just the mind - and he preaches on using song to praise, how to sing to God.

Homilies: are not an add-on! They must preach the essentials - Christ's death and resurrection, not showing their smarts, keeping theology hidden. Know exactly what you want them to take away. He has to preach to himself first (the sword that cuts both ways.) and be real. He strongly encourages interconnected homilies.

Meaningful community. People leave for lack of it. A bunch of disconnected people under one roof is not meaningful community. Belong - believe - behave is the correct order, not the reverse. Offer Alpha - eventually you reach the tipping point where the majority have had that life-changing experience. Offer Name tag Sunday so everyone gets to know each others' names, and prayer partners at Mass.

6. Sacraments: we have to stop faking them. People publicly tell lies in the liturgy, and we know it, and they know that we know it. Catechesis should be life long. He offers family based catechesis for sacraments that happens during the Mass and involves them in parish life, and no expected age for sacraments - you receive when you're ready. They have to take Alpha and join youth group.

7. The Leader. Formulate and repeat the vision to the team. The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing. We need to be strategic about being strategic. You need: Vision and purpose statements, Values analysis, Five systems analysis, SWOT, Five-year plan. If our vision is not so big that it scares the living daylights out of us, it may be insulting to God.

[Becca O'Hara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets five stars, but not because I agree perfectly with every tactic Fr James utilizes at St Benedict’s, though I see the genius in much of what he has done there. Divine Renovation is making me (and all my fellow readers, apparently) think long and hard about every single structure that’s in place in most Catholic parishes, that means this book is worth its weight in gold.

This book is best summarized by Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium:
“I dream of a ‘missionary option,’ that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.” (EG 27)

[Kinga Smutek · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a ministry leader and staff member at a Catholic Church, this book had some great insights on how we can change the culture and environment of the church from one that is outdated to one that brings people closer and fosters more of a community. I am looking forward to working with my Evangelization committee and exploring some of the ideas that are brought up in this book.

[Dorise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirerende en goede insteek, maar ontbreekt op diverse punten aan een missiologische onderbouwing van het model wat mogelijke repercussies kan hebben indien niet zorgvuldig toegepast Met name voor de participatie van gemarginaliseerde en/of vrouwelijke leken.

[Moriah Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and Inspiring while being specific and practical.

[Wout · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this for school

[Gab Nug]

Didn't finish it because I don't consider it worth reading

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid analysis of parish challenges and pastoral priorities. Practical tips and resources. Still looking for someone to speak to specific dynamics of growing intentional disciples in a parish with a school.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than REBUILT but has the same thrust. The New Evangelization is taking form.

[Peter]

Great overall message about not settling for mediocre autopilot in parish ministry with a fair amount of practical tips and advice. Fr. Mallon effectively uses magisterial documents to bolster his argument in favor of evangelistic efforts and going to the peripheries. There are some very helpful things in this book for current and future pastors. Overall, this book is useful.

However, there were some weak points I found unhelpful and distracting.

The magisterial references really drop off when he reaches the topic of the Liturgy. This is not surprising, as various recommended and described liturgical practices are not in accordance with good ars celebrandi.
I don't recall any reference to the purpose of the Liturgy (the worship of God and sanctification of man), but he does give the common interpretation of "liturgy" as "work of the people," which is deficient at best and probably flat-out wrong (see CCC 1069). He describes going to Mass as "showing up to work" (pg 121). There are a few mentions of active participation.

Fr. Mallon justifies 15-20 minute homilies by claiming that Pope Francis' definition of a long homily is one that lasts an hour (using EG, no.138), but it's easy to find news reports of the Pope saying homilies should not be more than 8-10 minutes long.

There's also an out of place and pointless section criticizing the practice of infant baptism.

This book was written by someone who clearly loves the Church and wants her to evangelize and sanctify the world as much as possible. I am glad to have read it.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very challenging book that offers pastors, ministers, church workers and any Christian disciple to rethink what it means to follow Jesus in today's world, and take heed of the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. There is, in most churches right now, a predominance of a culture of maintenance that's self-referential and self-enclosed, contributing to Christianity's gradual impression of irrelevance. What Fr. James Mallon offers is to go back to the roots of the Christian kerygma and find joy again in a personal encounter with Christ, and root one's faith in a transformative religious experience that rocks the boat of ecclesial complacency and set sail towards an adventure of faith dynamism of the early church. The book offers important insights to regain the missionary identity of the Church and suggestions to restructure pastoral life in the parish, taking much insights from the Alpha Course of HTB that creates a renewed culture of invitation, dialogue and communal life within the Church.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been a useful little book, although its applicability is not general, for the parish that is referred to most often has a situation and resources that are not easily found. But the basic principles and recommendations are welcome and Father Mallon has a clarity of writing and an attention to detail that have been very pleasant. Historically, the book goes only as far as the second Vatican council, and the documentation both of that council and the popes that came after it; that makes things a little shallow, even if we are considering practicality for a modern experience of the Church. I think that's a bit of a handicap. The Church was missionary from the very beginning and I find the assertion strange that we progressively forgot about our missionary essence until the second Vatican council; that alone brings the star-rating down to three. I also find the idea of making Mass into an 'uplifting experience' through the efforts of the priest or anybody else or both to be cringe-worthy. But let's stop here and keep it at three stars.

[Michael Jolls · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit, I had LOW expectations for this book (based off the left-of-left Archdiocese that was pushing it), but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a tad long, however Fr. Mallon's book is packed with ideas (i.e. suggestions) and stories that articulate his point. Truthfully, I even "lol"-ed a handful of times. What I really appreciated about "Divine Renovation" was that if Fr. Mallon said something I disagreed with - or rather, pushes an idea that I've personally seen attempted and failed - he doesn't make it the hill he's going to die on. Fr. Mallon really does a solid job of cross-examining himself and his ideas which make the book a worthwhile read. A tad long and occasionally drifts into theological jargon (which bores me, but some people are into), but he's constantly hitting the reader with easy-to-understand concepts. Some of his points are spectacular and one doesn't need to be a Catholic to understand his suggestions in how to make a "church congregation" grow.

[Luke Daghir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in a wonderful book club.

Some books I have read on helping parishes to flourish are very practical (which is good) and very strategic (which is very helpful). This book is different in the genre of helping parishes. Here is why:

This book exceptionally teaches the Catholic faith by pulling information from synods and other conferences of Bishops that the common person (such as myself) would otherwise not know about. This author has a grasp of Catholic Church history, present scholarly work, and parish experience that are three ingredients for a great read.

I recommend this book to a parish- even to parishes that are smaller in size compared to the parish size of the Priest who is the author of this book.

[Anthony Rewak · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful read, especially for Pastors, Parish Staff, Parish Council Members, Ministry Leaders, and anyone who wants to begin to further engage in renewing the experience of Christian community in their local Parish / Parishes. Also a great read for Diocesan Staff. I read Growing an Engaged Church last year - while it had useful data, it didn't really impress me as much as I would have liked it to have done - this book did. There's some great chapters that I personally found to be very formative in my own developing understanding of Roman Catholicism, and while the kind of Parish described by Fr James is not one I have had personal experience of, many of the ideas / suggestions remain applicable.

[Emily Ignatius]

Had to read for work. As an introvert and contemplative, I didn’t appreciate this approach to parish life being so focussed on socializing and involvement. Some of us just want to pray in a quiet corner, thanks. Having a welcome committee hounding everyone could also be intimidating for some who are shy or neurodivergent.
I also found it a bit agist. It’s great to get younger people involved but not at the expense of the elderly who have been there for decades who the author seems to want to push aside.
I’m afraid implementing some of the ideas in this book would alienate some of our most holy, quiet, elderly parishioners. The church is there first and foremost to feed the spiritual life of the people, it’s not a show or a social club.

[Bradleya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main reason I give “Divine Renovation” five stars is because of how Fr. Mallon acknowledges and works to resolve the forgotten missionary identity in many Catholic parishes and in the greater culture of the Church in the US and Canada. I find many of his ideas refreshing and needed in order to refocus our attention on making disciples of Jesus Christ, especially with regard to the celebration of the Sacraments. I look forward to trying some aspects of Fr. Mallon’s evangelistic and missionary approach in my role in my parish.

[Juan Guillermo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings with the Book, some parts remind me of ready a startup 101 Book and some other parts are just so awesome that I have the page almost all highlighted.

Yes I do see many churches at a maintaining and decreasing stage. Yes I do believe applying some of his suggestions might help.

But the obsession with the surveys and numbers and leadership programs sometimes makes me feel as if we are not letting God also shape his church with the help of the Holy Spirit and we are trying to rationalize and define by numbers what a healthy church might be.

Still a pretty good book.

[Alex Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Lenten Book

I was looking for something different this lent. It was easy to give up things for lent. It is not so easy to tackle a new challenge along with my parish. This was the challenge I needed.

I will read this again in a few months to refresh all that I have read.

I would recommend this to any Catholic out there who feel they need something extra in their spirituality.

[Susan Heim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one for church book club two months ago but just finished the last bit. Fr. Mallon did a great job of presenting practical ideas. The last bit included a personal story of his journey to priesthood and a pivotal moment of understanding how imperfect we all are. That was a "just right" read for me starting Holy Week.

[Steve Guns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devine Renovation is an exceptional vision for how to transform church communities to execute the “Great Commission” - to go out, make disciples, baptize and teach. It challenges, especially Catholic Churches, to move from a maintenance approach to their communities to adopt and vigorously execute the Great Commission and offers many approaches for how to get there.

[Pamela Chavarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is very active in my parish as a youth & young adult minister as well as several other ministries I thought this was a very good book on how to help parishes thrive and encourage evangelize in today's society. The author introduces a new way of thinking for us "craddle catholics" on how we can help the Church. I definitely recommend this read for anyone involved in their parish.

[Linda Pfenning · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a practicing Catholic, and a true believer, this book spoke to me in so many ways. The intro made me weep-yes, weep. The content made me laugh and made me hopeful. But in the end, unless our individual parishes and their leaders can see the wisdom of Fr. Mallon’s words and works, the Church as a whole will continue to decline in membership, focus and effectiveness in the world.

[Cecilia Cicone · Rating 3 out of 5]

For most of the book I figured it would get 5 stars, but as with most parish revitalization books I’m left wondering how it’s possible to do things like change religious ed programs completely when the diocese sets forth standards.

[Nathan M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong on practical advice, with nuance that these may not be all the right or optimal answers, but trying something is better than trying nothing. Hospitality, ministry schedule, and use of space are great areas of emphasis.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book...Should be ready by everyone in church leadership!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of really good nuggets to think about in redefining the work we do as church and why we do it. I am excited to brainstorm with others at my parish!