The Apostolic Parish Library
Browse our article bank for free wisdom on creating thriving, apostolic parishes.
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Evangelization
Welcome Those Living with Disabilities to Church…With More than a Parking Space
19% of people in the USA live with disabilities, and the vast majority of people living with disabilities in the United States are unchurched.* Does that shock you? It once shocked me. A story made it clear: for many years,…
20 Ways for your Parish to Pre-Evangelize this Summer
A few hours before it is officially summer! While this is a time when parishes tend to “slow down” on programs because people are often vacationing, and can’t commit to a 5-8 week commitment outside of Mass. (Except for youth…
How is Your Parish Inviting People to Consider Becoming Catholic (OCIA)?
Recently I was able to offer a breakout session at a diocesan gathering on creating an invitation culture to OCIA–that is, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, the process of becoming Catholic. As far as the Great Commission goes,…
Mercy, Unity, and “the Frontier”: Pope Leo XIV on Evangelization in His First Days
Since his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025, Pope Leo XIV has been speaking to many–dicasteries, homilies, audiences–and is quickly emerging as a compelling voice for the Church’s mission. An Augustinian friar with deep pastoral experience in Latin…
Faith Formation
“3 Keys to Deeper Faith”: Brain Development and Models of Catechesis
We welcome our fourth article in a series on mission-forward faith formation from our friend in the field and fellow parish consultant, Heidi Indahl. Enjoy!–Susan Windley-Daoust Over the last several months, we have discussed many factors that go into a…
Do You Have a Recipe for Parish Faith Formation Success?
(Photo by www.freepik.com.) Hello, friends–I yield this space to my collaboration colleague Heidi Indahl, who works through a process called Designed for Discipleship (TM). She consults on how to combine missionary discipleship and education and formation, and has written for…
Children Need Jesus Before Catechesis
Friends, once again I am yielding this article space to Heidi Indahl, who connects with The Mark 5:19 Project through her Designed for Discipleship consulting with parishes and dioceses. You can read her previous two articles here. As for the…
Is the Vision of Your Faith Formation Process Actually Visible?
My friend and consulting partner Heidi Indahl is back this month with a key question that most of us ignore–what is a faith formation program for, anyway? It’s far too easy to get into the “we’ve always had kids in…
Apost0lic Parish
The Definitive Resource for Creating a Evangelizing, Mission-Forward Parish is Coming
…If you donate now–and we have a matching grant that doubles your support! But what are you supporting? Glad you asked! Why Your Parish Needs More Than Just a Hammer There’s an old saying: “To a man with a hammer,…
Welcome Those Living with Disabilities to Church…With More than a Parking Space
19% of people in the USA live with disabilities, and the vast majority of people living with disabilities in the United States are unchurched.* Does that shock you? It once shocked me. A story made it clear: for many years,…
Mapping the Mission: Understanding Your Parish’s Given Mission Field
In today’s rapidly evolving religious landscape, our Catholic parishes face unique challenges in fulfilling their evangelical mission. Together, we can discover how to effectively serve both parishioners and the broader community by understanding the true nature of our mission fields….
20 Ways for your Parish to Pre-Evangelize this Summer
A few hours before it is officially summer! While this is a time when parishes tend to “slow down” on programs because people are often vacationing, and can’t commit to a 5-8 week commitment outside of Mass. (Except for youth…
Apostolic Leadership
Introducing Our First Immersion Tool: the “Starting Conversations” packet
Have you ever tried to learn a new language? (Any Duolingo fans in the house?) Unless you were born in a two language household–it’s hard work! In my academic career, I had to learn four other languages. I’m no great…
Begin with Discerning God’s Vision for Your Parish
Welcome to another Starting Conversations article! These articles are designed to be shared and discussed together, with staff, councils, committees, and teams. Enjoy and click the tag “starting conversations” for more of these quick reads that open up good questions….
Are We “Passively Despising” Our Young Adults?
Welcome back to our “Starting Conversations” series, a set of shareable articles for parish staffs, councils, and small groups. Share this prompt with your community and have a good conversation that leads to understanding, assessment, and thoughtful action for evangelizing…
The Need for Apostolic Leadership (and Why It Changes Everything)
I have to admit that back when I was a college professor, I got heartily tired of all the academic effusion about teaching leadership, offering leadership studies, and more. Even though I had a lot of genuine admiration for the…
Prayer
A Daily Examen for Missionary Disciples
A Missionary Discipleship Daily Examen A daily general examen is a beloved prayer from Ignatian spirituality. It is meant to be 15-20 minutes of your day, usually at the end, where you place your day before God and look for…
The Sacrament of the Present Moment (without Sacraments)
How do Catholics engage Holy Week in a Covid-19 pandemic without the lifeblood of grace, the sacraments? Perhaps it’s not in more online everything. A spiritual master from 400 years ago taught us how to not let this pandemic spiritually…
Missions
Why Can’t We Recruit Volunteers?
Why can’t we recruit volunteers? I don’t know a parish–or non-profit of any sort–that isn’t short on volunteers. Some have more of a volunteer deficit than others, but it seems to be universal…or at least the norm in the United…
Why Are Parishes Stuck Regarding Evangelization?
I’m pleased to announce I have an article on parish evangelization, “Stuck in Neutral: When Parish Evangelization (Still) Fails,” published in May 2023’s Homiletic and Pastoral Review. A taste below, and you can read the rest on HPR’s website: It…
Social Mission
The Top 10 Misconceptions About Parish-Based Evangelization
(No flashing sign or soapbox required!) “Evangelization means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. At its essence are the proclamation of…
Welcome Those Living with Disabilities to Church…With More than a Parking Space
19% of people in the USA live with disabilities, and the vast majority of people living with disabilities in the United States are unchurched.* Does that shock you? It once shocked me. A story made it clear: for many years,…
Mapping the Mission: Understanding Your Parish’s Given Mission Field
In today’s rapidly evolving religious landscape, our Catholic parishes face unique challenges in fulfilling their evangelical mission. Together, we can discover how to effectively serve both parishioners and the broader community by understanding the true nature of our mission fields….
20 Ways for your Parish to Pre-Evangelize this Summer
A few hours before it is officially summer! While this is a time when parishes tend to “slow down” on programs because people are often vacationing, and can’t commit to a 5-8 week commitment outside of Mass. (Except for youth…