Evangelisation
“We are making a fresh beginning in a different setting,
and we pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us
and inspire us as we rebuild our Church.”
– Archbishop Bernard Longley, ‘An Invitation’, Diocesan Vision
Welcome to the Evangelisation pages of the Office for Mission in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
Maybe you are looking for some inspiration to help you to share the Good News? Perhaps you are here on behalf of your parish for ideas or programmes? You could even be here because you’ve heard the voice of Jesus Christ calling you: either to a deeper relationship with Him through a vocation, or it might be that you’ve heard His voice for the first time. If you are in this latter category, you are especially welcome!
We are commanded to ‘go […] and make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:18-20) through inviting others to an encounter with the risen Christ. There are many tools and methods a parish might employ to do this: from courses to videos, Bible studies to evangelisation teams. Our greatest resources for this work are our parishioners!
How to Use These Evangelisation Pages
“Parish Evangelisation” offers ideas that you can try and gathers the task under three important headings: ENVISION, ENCOUNTER & EQUIP.
Envisioning your parish ensures that you are not alone in this vital task, bringing the gifts of the whole parish to bear on your mission. Encountering Christ is the heart of evangelisation and tools exist to help you invite new people and to grow leaders. Finally, Equipping your leaders is essential for the first two tasks, and advice is offered here for how you can draw a team together and form them for your mission.
“How can I Evangelise?” looks at the necessity of our ongoing conversion and response to God’s call. Resources are offered to support growth in prayer and sharing your faith journey with others.
Each of us is co-responsible for the mission of the Church using our gifts together with one another. Pope Francis also reminds us that we are Missionary Disciples – that means that our Christian lives are shaped for sharing the Gospel in word and deed.
Paul Northam is the Diocesan Advisor for Evangelisation & Discipleship. He works to assist the Church in the task of announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ and supporting disciples in mission, and in the family, in parishes across the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
Paul can help parishes to develop vision and to create effective strategies for evangelisation, marriage and family life, supporting the formation of God’s Holy people, “mobilising all in the diocese to become true missionary disciples.” (Diocesan Mission Statement)
Advice is available to help you:
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Develop and communicate a vision for evangelisation,
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Identify the charisms/gifts that exist in your parish,
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Reach out to those who are lapsed, unchurched or weary of living the Catholic Faith,
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Develop evangelisation groups and teams,
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Transform parish ministries into missionary tools,
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Find resources for evangelisation,
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Pray for evangelisation.
T: 0121 321 5148
E: office.mission@rcaob.org.uk