"In the Diocese of Metuchen, we recommend 30 minutes of prayer at the beginning of each parish pastoral council meeting. It gets the group into a state of discernment before they take on the business items, and I swear they get more done in the next…"
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Jeffry Odell Korgen's Discussions
That's Why We Call it a PASTORal Council
Started May 10 0 Replies 0 Likes
The parish pastoral council exists for one purpose, to help the pastor in his apostolate. There is no evidence in the documents of the Church that pastoral councils are to be an "apostolate of the…Continue
"The Shared Parish" and its Parish Pastoral Council
Started May 7 0 Replies 0 Likes
A new concept for multi-ethnic parishes, especially large territorial parishes is the notion of the "shared parish," popularized by Patlist Father Brett Hoover. A Hispanic community, a Korean…Continue
Parish Census--How to utilize?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Jeffry Odell Korgen May 1. 4 Replies 0 Likes
The parish census can be a game-changer--"Just who are we as a parish?" But is can be many decades between parish censuses. Where to go for help? A pastor recently told me the Legion of Mary assists…Continue
Developing a Parish Census
Started this discussion. Last reply by Jim Lundholm-Eades Mar 23. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Sometimes Parish Pastoral Council discussions get stuck at the realization that parish registrations don't really reflect who is showing up, who still lives in the area, and who...well..is now with…Continue
Jeffry Odell Korgen's Page
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Jeffry Odell Korgen replied to Peter Denio's discussion Recommendations for Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils
Jeffry Odell Korgen posted a discussion
That's Why We Call it a PASTORal Council
The parish pastoral council exists for one purpose, to help the pastor in his apostolate. There is no evidence in the documents of the Church that pastoral councils are to be an "apostolate of the laity." Such thinking puts us back in the direction of the adversarial "city council" model that has proved so destructive in the past. The pastoral council is the pastor's "think tank," a group of key leaders he can count on to articulate the sense of the faithful, the parish in all of its glorious…See More
Jeffry Odell Korgen posted a discussion
"The Shared Parish" and its Parish Pastoral Council
A new concept for multi-ethnic parishes, especially large territorial parishes is the notion of the "shared parish," popularized by Patlist Father Brett Hoover. A Hispanic community, a Korean community, and a diverse Anglo community might share the same parish--what do they do separately and what do they do together?The parish pastoral council can play an essential role in such a parish. What's been your expeience? How do we makes sure that all communities are represented? How are we one holy,…See More
Jeffry Odell Korgen replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Parish Census--How to utilize?
"Very helpful responses! Are there any parish folks who'd like to share their parish census experience?"
Mark F. Fischer replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Parish Census--How to utilize?
"I'd like to see a parish census with an "appreciative inquiry" twist. In other words, I would like to see a census that takes a page from appreciative inquiry and asks parishioners what they like best about their parish. …"
Dennis Cheesebrow replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Parish Census--How to utilize?
"Parishes can utilize a variety of methods for parish census but the bottom line is that it takes the commitment and time to go door-door in a personal way. A census is an engagement and evangelization process arnd needs to be well planned and…"
Robert Miller replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Parish Census--How to utilize?
"We had a pastor who was very much committed to the Legion of Mary appraoch not only as a way to conduct a census but as an evangelizing approach in his largely non Catholic neighborhood. He felt that a parish that did not conduct a census at least…"
Jeffry Odell Korgen posted a discussion
Parish Census--How to utilize?
The parish census can be a game-changer--"Just who are we as a parish?" But is can be many decades between parish censuses. Where to go for help? A pastor recently told me the Legion of Mary assists parishes with these processes. Does anyone have experiences with this?Once the data is good enough, I have used a program called Microsoft MapPoint to map the parishioners. Talk about "a picture says a thousand words"! You can learn a lot about your parish by viewing a mapping of its people!Any…See More
Jim Lundholm-Eades replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Developing a Parish Census
"a parish census is not a survey, its a count of who is showing up. what I have found interesting over the years with parish census activity is that a lot of parishes have really wanted to know what people think rather than who is turning up or not…"
Jeffry Odell Korgen posted a discussion
Developing a Parish Census
Sometimes Parish Pastoral Council discussions get stuck at the realization that parish registrations don't really reflect who is showing up, who still lives in the area, and who...well..is now with the Lord. What methods and best practices might you recommend to a parish that has just had the realization that they need to develop a parish census?See More
Michael Brough replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Best Workshop Topics for Parish Pastoral Councils
"Board of Directors"
Jeffry Odell Korgen replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Best Workshop Topics for Parish Pastoral Councils
"BOD? Could you clarify what the initials stand for?"
Marcy Meldahl, SPHR replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Best Workshop Topics for Parish Pastoral Councils
"How about:
What is the council's purpose? (The BOD approach isn't it.)
What is the best way to serve the pastor and parish?
What skills should council member possess?
How long should PC terms be? Should there be terms? (Yes.)
What is the…"
Michael Brough replied to Jeffry Odell Korgen's discussion Best Workshop Topics for Parish Pastoral Councils
""How can pastoral councils and parish staff work best together?""
Jeffry Odell Korgen posted a discussion
Best Workshop Topics for Parish Pastoral Councils
Calling all Parish Pastoral Council members! We diocesan types put together conferences with the workshops we think that you need--but what do you think? What are the skills you want to learn, the teaching you want to know, the experiences you want to have?Full disclosure--I am planning a conference for September 29!See More
Jeffry Odell Korgen replied to David E. DeLambo's discussion Looking for Arch/dioceses with "Green Teams" and/or Offices for Environmental Sustainability
"A good resource for anyone working on implementing our Church's teachings on the care of God's creation is GreenFaith. www.greenfaith.org ."
Profile Information
- What is your vocational state:
- Lay Ecclesial Minister
- What is the type of Catholic entity you represent in this forum:
- (Arch)diocese
- Name of Catholic entity you represent (e.g. St. Ann's Church, Diocese of Gary, Franciscan Friars Northeast region, etc.)
- Diocese of Metuchen (NJ)
- What (Arch)diocese is your Catholic entity located in?
- Diocese of Metuchen
- City of Catholic entity you represent:
- Metuchen
- State of Catholic entity you represent:
- New Jersey
- Why would you like to participate in this forum?
- Learning and sharing best practices in ministry.
Comment Wall (1 comment)
- At 1:44pm on December 22, 2011,
Michael Brough said… Hi Jeff, great to have you on the forum!
Michael
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