Equip
“Jesus Christ loves you; He gave His life for you;
and now He is living by your side every day
to enlighten, strengthen and free you.”
– Pope Francis, Evangelii gaudium
Equipping Missionary Disciples
Often, the best way to evangelise is simply to begin! To begin to speak, to invite, to serve, to pray for and talk about parish evangelisation. As was said above, envisioning is that vital first step, but it only exists for the purpose of living out one’s discipleship within the Church and being equipped for the task God has for us. One approach that can help you in this task is to consider starting an evangelisation team.
Evangelisation Teams
A team can help you to begin the process of gathering those with a heart for mission, to discern God’s directing, and to receive formation on what the Church says about the task, given at Christ’s Ascension.
Parish or Deanery Evangelisation Teams?
An evangelisation team is there to help you evangelise – to find ways to bring the Good News to bear on your parish and community. That means that it can’t solely be about talking, studying or praying. Important as they are, they are there to help you evangelise. A group can establish and support a culture of mission, and by working with your priest(s) you have the opportunity to build a missionary parish or deanery.
It may be that the parish is big enough to sustain an evangelisation team, but it could be helpful to opt for a deanery team. At this level, you can avoid duplication, share ideas and maximise your ‘man-power’.
To help you, the Office for Mission offers a simple outline for a structured meeting, taking inspiration from the recent Synod, of waiting on and learning from the Holy Spirit.
Evangelisation Teams
Suggestions for running your parish or deanery evangelisation team's meetings.
What's Next?
We would like to keep in touch to support and promote formation and evangelisation in your area.
Signing up to our email list will give you access to:
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6 online meetings annually (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sep, Nov),
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Regular e-newsletter with ideas for formation and evangelisation,
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A chance to connect with others who have a passion for formation and evangelisation and to share your ideas and experiences,
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Learn from other parishes,
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Opportunities to feedback and help to discern the direction of formation and evangelisation in our Archdiocese going forward,
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Local and national events you can get involved in.