The Apostolic Parish Library
Browse our article bank for free wisdom on creating thriving, apostolic parishes.
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Evangelization
How Do You Stop Being Afraid to Evangelize?
Afraid to evangelize? Discover how focusing on God’s perfect love—not your fear—can free you to share the Gospel in everyday life.
The Gift Women Bring to Evangelization
What does the fascination with Alysa Liu’s gold medal winning free skate in the Olympics tell us about women and evangelization? Read on regarding the power of wholeness and witness–especially in dialogue with John Paul II on women.
Should Your Parish Hire a Staff Person Dedicated to Evangelization?
Is it time to hire a parish evangelization leader? Learn the pros, cons, and leadership considerations Catholic pastors and parish staff should weigh when deciding whether to create a dedicated evangelization ministry position.
Affiliation Questions: When Data Doesn’t Match Your Experience
…How do you know when evangelization is working? Many of you may be aware of the work of Ryan Burge, who dissects statistics and religion at Graphs about Religion, a Substack newsletter. He is Professor of the Practice at the…
Faith Formation
A Realistic Look at the Child, the Family, and the Church
I welcome back my friend and parallel consultant, Heidi Indahl, to continue sharing her insights on the challenges and blessings of parish faith formation. Welcome back, Heidi! You can see more of her articles on parish faith formation here. “Whose…
Putting It All Together: Faith Formation That Works
Hello friends–I welcome back Heidi Indahl, who has been writing out faith formation articles. This is the fifth installment of a series, and you are encouraged to explore all the others here! Heidi, thank you for your ongoing work and…
“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…
Apost0lic Parish
“We stopped looking up”: Help Parishioners Break Free from Social Media Overload
Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these?He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name;because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. (Isa 40:26, NRSV) How often do “we lift…
“Make Your House Fair As You Are Able”: Christmas Welcome, and Welcoming Back
“Make your house fair as you are able”: you know where the line comes from, right? People, look east! The time is nearOf the crowning of the year.Make your house fair as you are able,Trim the hearth and set the…
The Crisis of Community: Why Parish Friendship Can No Longer Be Accidental
I recently read a Leadership Roundtable survey on the spiritual lives of young adults, and one line has stayed with me: more than anything else, young people are looking for community. They want friends. Honestly, don’t we all? Very few…
Starting a Parish Hospitality Revolution: The Tiny Habits of Holy Kindness
This article is part 2 of 2 on parish hospitality as a necessary moment of evangelization. See the first article, The Gospel of Welcome, here. Every true renewal of the Church begins not with power, but with love—not with innovation,…
Apostolic Leadership
Affiliation Questions: When Data Doesn’t Match Your Experience
…How do you know when evangelization is working? Many of you may be aware of the work of Ryan Burge, who dissects statistics and religion at Graphs about Religion, a Substack newsletter. He is Professor of the Practice at the…
“Be Angry, But Do Not Sin.” (Eph 4:26) How Do You Do That?
This article is second on the theme of helping Catholic handle anger in their life of discipleship. Read the first article here. A few days ago I received permission to reprint a 2007 article I published with the now shuttered…
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….
Take Time Away to Measure by the Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Free Mini-Retreat)
We are a Church of the resurrection, and we get the joy to remember that every day this holy season. Happy Easter, friends! But I have long thought we don’t pay enough attention to the joy of the coming of…
Prayer
A Daily Examen for Missionary Disciples
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 where he was especially close,…
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
How Do You Stop Being Afraid to Evangelize?
Afraid to evangelize? Discover how focusing on God’s perfect love—not your fear—can free you to share the Gospel in everyday life.
The Gift Women Bring to Evangelization
What does the fascination with Alysa Liu’s gold medal winning free skate in the Olympics tell us about women and evangelization? Read on regarding the power of wholeness and witness–especially in dialogue with John Paul II on women.
Should Your Parish Hire a Staff Person Dedicated to Evangelization?
Is it time to hire a parish evangelization leader? Learn the pros, cons, and leadership considerations Catholic pastors and parish staff should weigh when deciding whether to create a dedicated evangelization ministry position.
Affiliation Questions: When Data Doesn’t Match Your Experience
…How do you know when evangelization is working? Many of you may be aware of the work of Ryan Burge, who dissects statistics and religion at Graphs about Religion, a Substack newsletter. He is Professor of the Practice at the…
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