Pastors and DREs are burning out as they try to do more with less. We must let go, and train and trust the very community of adult we wish to serve.
The Scenario
It's Wednesday, March 15, the morning after the parish council meeting from
hell. In one hour you have a staff meeting to discuss the proposed cutbacks
that the finance committee dumped on the parish council last night. The collection
is down 12% from last year while the expenses are up 14%. As if this weren't
bad enough, you had to sit through twenty minutes of the building committee
chairperson whining about a roof that is not going to last another five years.
So what will you do? Of course, you'll "restructure." This is a familiar Catholic term that in Latin means "cut staff—increase workload!"
Restructuring is a commonplace occurrence in Catholic parishes these days. Money is scarce, and, after nearly a generation and a half of increased ministry outreach and increased professional staff (meaning educated and trained), we are beginning to see the rapid decline of the trained lay, religious, and clerical professional who was once enthusiastic to stand and serve. The vocation shortage is nearing a critical point. Lay Catholic women, and even more so, men are no longer rushing to colleges and universities to be trained in religious education or pastoral formation.
Parish ministry is at a critical juncture and that means additional problems for that segment of parish ministry known as adult formation. Adult formation enjoys a priority of place in the eyes of the church, but the weight of the increased demands and the decrease in financial resources and trained personnel place this vital ministry in jeopardy of collapsing in upon itself.
This growing problem was recognized in a May 1994 study titled, "Toward Shaping the Agenda" (conducted by the Educational Testing Service and funded by the Lily Endowment), bishops and diocesan leaders of the United States identified their concerns about program and instructional issues as they relate to parish and the parish staff. The most serious set of problems and issues dealt with the lay professional staff. These problems included: 1) the need for theological and ministerial preparation for lay ministers. 2) the shrinking pool of theologically and ministerially trained parish directors of religious education.
The Solution
Although we must find ways to increase the number of well trained parish lay
leaders and educators, we are forced to recognize that this is a very complex
issue that demands greater attention than it has received in the past or, unfortunately,
will receive in the near future. What, then, must we do in the meantime to assure
an appropriate response to the educational and formational needs of adults in
our parishes? Moreover, how do we assure such a response without overwhelming
that one already overworked staff person responsible for (among other things)
adult education/formation?
As restructuring continues, the challenge for every parish will be to keep its vision and priorities straight. Restructuring pressures can force a parish to ask itself two important questions: 1) What is the purpose of the parish and, 2) What must a parish do to fulfill its purpose?
Scripture, tradition, and common sense provide us with answers to these questions.
First, the purpose of a parish is to proclaim the good news of Jesus. This is Evangelization.
Second, when a parish proclaims the good news it invites those who hear the good news to become disciples and to live that which they hear and believe. Thus, the mission of the parish is to foster mature faith. This is Catechesis.
Evangelization and catechesis must remain priorities as we restructure. Furthermore, within the ministry of catechesis, a parish must recognize and embrace the priority of place that belongs to the formation of adults. In its recently published document, Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community, the Vatican's International council for Catechesis states: "It is not only legitimate, but necessary to acknowledge that a fully Christian community can exist only when a systematic catechesis of all its members takes place and when an effective and well developed catechesis of adults is regarded as the central task in the catechetical enterprise."
But how are we going to establish effective adult formation when, because of cuts in staff, we are left with only one director of religious education who, although well trained and extremely qualified, is already on overload as he or she directs the pre-school through senior high religious education program, recruits, trains, and supervises catechists, runs retreats for middle school and high school kids, and coordinates sacramental preparation programs?
The solution is obvious. We must surrender! Pastors and directors of religious education (DREs) are burning out as they try to do more with less. It is unfair to add adult formation to the ever-expanding job description of our DREs and expect them to do a credible job when they simply do not have the time and energy to devote to such a broad and demanding ministry.
The First
Step
Surrendering the coordination of adult formation to a group of willing adult
parishioners could be an effective response to our dilemma. Of course this would
require a limited amount of training and a willingness to trust the talents
and gifts that reside within the parish community. A parish ought to be able
to find five to seven adults of various ages and backgrounds who are interested
in helping adults grow in their faith.
The Second
Step
Unless the parish enlists the help of the diocesan office of religious education,
the short term challenge to the DRE or pastor would be to dedicate some of their
time to developing an adult formation team. Initial time spent developing a
team of adults who would ultimately be responsible for coordinating parish adult
formation would, eventually, be a great gift to the parish and relieve much
of the burden from the pastor and the DRE. A trained team of adults would be
responsible for assessing the needs and planning opportunities for continued
formation in faith among adults. The DRE would be available to the team as a
resource person. The adult formation team, however, would do the work of assessing
adult needs and interests, developing programs, and organizing events.
Resources for Training Adult Formation Teams
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops – 1-800-235-8722
Groundwork: Cultivating Adult Religious Education in the Parish, 1990,
USCCB Publication #393-0.
Serving Life and Faith: Adult Religious Education in the American Catholic
Community, 1986, USCCB Publication #982-3.
Hayes, Matthew. "A Different Approach to Needs Assessment." An article
found in Christian Adulthood, 1987, USCCB Publication #106-7.
Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community: Some Principles and Guidelines,
1992, USCCB Publication #520-8.
Common Ground/Common Sense
Adult formation would include the broad perspective. Therefore, instead of a
parish having many different committees (i.e., family, justice and peace, evangelization,
adult education), these committees would be folded into one adult formation
committee.
Consolidating several committees, all having adult formation as their common ground, simply makes sense. Consolidating committees under adult formation will relieve the tug-of-war that goes on between committees as they all vie for the attention of the adult parishioner. Furthermore, consolidating committees ought to have the effect of freeing staff who had previously served as a liaison and resource person to each committee.
Sample Planning for Consolidation
As former committees are folded into the adult formation committee, planning
would be done after needs were assessed under four key categories: Adult Continuing
Education, Spirituality, Service, and Community Building. A sample list of programming
under each category might look like the following:
Adult Continuing Education
Spirituality
Service
Community Building
Time for Trust
The challenge is clear. Parish staff size is shrinking as adult formation needs
continue to grow. We cannot ignore this trend. We must train and trust the very
community of adults that we want to serve. Parishes can assess and attend to
a significant number of adult formational needs be developing an adult formation
committee. Enabling adults to actively participate in their own formation without
adding unnecessarily to the job description of a diminishing staff is a challenge
demanding that the pastor and the DRE let go and surrender to the parish community
that which is rightfully theirs-the responsibility to foster mature faith.