The Way Forward: Divine Mercy Five-Year Strategic Plan

Introduction
 
This plan results from the hard work of the Parish Council which met, prayed, discussed, argued and arrived at a consensus regarding what we need to do over the course of the next five years to grow stronger and better.  As you read through the plan, you will notice it unfolds over five years with each year dedicated to a particular theme of parish life: evangelization, community, discipleship, ministry and worship. 
 
Each year, our parish will work together on four goals within one of the themes of parish life mentioned above.  All are aimed at making us the best parish we can be.  This entire plan rests on the vision we proclaim that tells us why we exist as a parish:  Divine Mercy is a welcoming community that inspires disciples to share God’s love and transform the world.
 
It's a bold vision.  It’s big. 
 
We have no desire to aspire to a small vision.  A small vision will not take us where we want to go.  And where we want to go is to be on mission with Jesus Christ.  He himself is Good News for us and for the entire world.
 
We want to share that news with others.  We want to be Good News for others.  This five-year plan outlines how we will become that Good News, that welcoming community that inspires disciples to share God’s love and transform the world.
 
As you read through the plan, there are some concepts you need to understand.  These things explain the thinking that went into the plan.  The concepts are -

  • Mission over Maintenance.  Early on, the Council adopted Father James Mallon’s book Divine Renovation as a critical resource.  The main point of his book is that the Catholic Church cannot continue to pursue business as usual.  The very real and present-day threats of extreme individualism and secularism are eroding traditional forms of faith practice.  That’s true for every mainstream Christian community, Protestant and Catholic alike.  It’s also true for our Jewish brothers and sisters.  Every house of worship continues to decline in membership because we have not adequately addressed the threats to us from the modern world.  If we continue as a Church to maintain what is, we will in the long run end up smaller, weaker and even more ineffectual.
  • Conversion coupled with Catechesis.  For too long we have relied on teaching the tenets of the faith, or catechesis, as the main endeavor of faith formation.  As far as it goes this endeavor is a fine one; catechesis is necessary.  Faith does have a content.  We can talk about it, explore it, explain it.  The problem is that when our work with children and adults begins, continues and ends with catechesis you get what we’ve got now:  young people, who after eight years of catechesis ending in Confirmation, part ways with the parish.  For the most part, we no longer see them on Sundays.  Catechesis only works for each of us when we first engage in conversion to Jesus Christ and then continue throughout our lives to deepen that conversion.  You don’t convert to Jesus through a textbook, a catechism or a course.  You convert to Jesus by having a relationship with him and pursuing that relationship over the course of a lifetime as an intentional disciple.  And how do you become a disciple?  Through interaction with other disciples. 
  • There Is No Silver Bullet.  It’s not one thing or single “magic” silver bullet that will make us stronger and better in the face of secularism and individualism.  It will require a whole bunch of initiatives, and those initiatives flow one into the other.  Evangelization won’t work without community; community doesn’t mean anything without discipleship; discipleship doesn’t have any effect without ministry; and ministry cannot achieve what it sets out to do without worship.
  • ​Step by Step.  While the plan is organized around five years and their corresponding themes, all five themes remain as elements of who we are as a parish in each year.  Another way to say it:  we’ll be working on and relying on all five themes every year but in year one evangelization predominates, in year two community is the dominant theme, and so on.  Just because we’re focusing on evangelization in year one doesn’t mean that worship stops.  In improving who we are as a parish, we simply can’t do everything at once.
  • Patience.  Change is not easy.  This plan calls for change and renewal.  It will take, at a minimum, the next five years to see some real growth.  We know this from talking with other parishes who have pursued similar plans for change and renewal.  We will need to be patient with each other and with the pace of change as we move forward.  We will need to keep prayer at the forefront.  We need to understand that over the next five years the Parish Council’s main job will be to monitor our progress and adjust the plan accordingly, all the while keeping our parish vision front and center.  Along with patience, we will need to cultivate the virtue of perseverance.
  • All Hands on Deck.  The plan will succeed as more and more parishioners commit to involvement.  It will take the time and energy of many.  It will take more than just staff involvement.  In fact, if only staff works on the plan, the plan will not be effective.  The expectation of the Parish Council is that many people will step forward and be involved.  That involvement starts with Alpha.  It is our chosen mechanism to jump start conversion and intentional discipleship.  It’s the first step in a journey of many more steps.  As you read this, already more than 160 individuals have gone through Alpha at Divine Mercy Parish.  If you are one of those who have done so, expect to be asked to get involved in one way or another to renew and revitalize our parish.  Don’t worry.  Your involvement won’t be as a “lone ranger.”  We’ll be working together to effect renewal and growth.  Many hands will lighten the tasks as we step forward together.
 
The Holy Spirit has been leading us to this moment.  We are in this time and place for a reason.  As the Popes over the past 50 years have expressed uniformly, we must go forth and proclaim the Gospel in new ways.  It is an imperative of our personal journey as Catholics.
 
God is calling us to renew the Church for our children and their children, to commit fresh energy to Christ’s call, the same call he gave to St. Francis of Assisi 800 years ago, “Go and rebuild my Church.”  In every age, Christ renews his Church and he will do so again through us.  It’s our turn.
 
To read the plan in it's entirety, click here.

Yearly Goals

Year One: Evangelization,
​Sharing the Good News
  • Increase Alpha completion among parishioners.
  • Help parishioners identify and share their own story of Jesus.
  • Promote why the “Good News” is good.
  • Engage post-Alpha participants in faith sharing and community experiences.
Year Two: Community
  • Grow and expand existing Welcome Ministry.
  • Establish Northshore Tri-parish youth ministry.
  • Develop forum for listening to real and relevant needs, via annual Listening sessions.
  • Build “soft entry” points into community for Catholics and guests.
Year Three: Discipleship,
Following Jesus
  • Create small groups to actively engage, witness to and share faith in Jesus.
  • Build a discipleship pathway.
  • Expand sacramental formation and preparation to address the whole person.
  • Encourage school/children’s ministry parents to attend Alpha. 
Year Four:  Ministry,
Service and Outreach
  • Publicize the value of service.
  • Create opportunities for ministry ownership and participation, incorporating families.
  • Provide opportunities for volunteers to reflect on and share impact of service experiences.
  • Establish mission trip opportunities among Northshore parishes.
Year Five: Worship
  • Evaluate the feasibility & potential benefit of including infant baptisms and First Eucharist celebrations in the regular Mass schedule.
  • Explore creative and diverse approaches to music at Mass.
  • Incorporate creative/innovative approach to homily prep and preaching.
  • Develop deeper understanding of parishioner role at Mass (annual explanatory Mass).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were these particular five themes chosen as opposed to others?
Why isn't the school or Children's Ministry specifically mentioned in the plan?
Can we not address goals earlier than the year to which they are assigned?