Editor’s note: This is the second in Dan Loughman’s five-part series on the key factors of developing a successful Parish Stewardship Council.
The selection and formation of parish stewardship council members, under the direction of the pastor, is the single most important element in ensuring the ongoing life-long education, formation, conversion and facilitation of stewardship within a parish.In the process of recruiting, inviting, and selecting parishioners to serve on the parish stewardship council, experience and research suggest that members of the council should:
- Be spiritually motivated individuals who are committed to their Catholic Faith seeking to respond, in committed action, to their Baptismal call to discipleship.
- Be actively involved in their parish
- Be knowledgeable of the mission, ministries, activities and demographics of the parish to be assured that the needs of parishioners are being met and that they view their parish as being a place of hospitality, prayer, formation and service.
- Exemplify and witness to the spiritual and practical characteristics of leadership, relationship, discipleship, and stewardship in their own lives as they seek to guide, direct and form others in what it means to be and live as Christian stewards serving the mission of their parish.
- Have the ability to envision where the broad practice of stewardship can take the parish
- Be well organized and actively committed to serving on the council.
- Seek, in concert with the members of the parish pastoral council and finance council, to keep the parish community broadly informed and apprised of the ministries, activities, etc., that are in place to serve the mission of the parish.
- Recognize, practice and be comfortable in communicating that God’s love (grace and giftedness) is encompassing of all we are, have and ever will be. All are therefore called to return and share in gratitude, generously, sacrificially and proportionately of their time, talent and treasure in service to the mission of the parish, diocese and the wider universal church.
In part 3 of this series on the Parish Stewardship Council which will be posted Monday, May 16, we will address the structure of the council.
