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
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…
“What on earth can we do about faith formation?”
Friends, I am letting my friend and colleague Heidi Indahl speak to that question for herself. I have heard the above question–referring to children’s faith formation–more times than I can count. In fact, it usually comes up in 80-90% of…
Apost0lic Parish
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…
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,…
The Last, Best Place to be Human: The Catholic Parish
I was talking to a friend about our new Mission Ignite Toolkit, and how every Catholic deserves to have access to healthy, flourishing parishes in their town. I expected nodding, but instead he asked, why? A little surprised, I blurted…
Apostolic Leadership
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
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Missions
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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…