Ask this question to get more freedom in your work.
Your pastor probably doesn’t care how you’re lining up catechists for the year; he just cares that you’re lining up catechists. There are many items like this that you know he’s going to sign off on, but you still feel like you need to run them by him. If he’s going to sign off on them though, we have to wonder why we’re waiting to move on until we run them by him. A better question might even be: Why do I need to run them by him at all? Usually, it’s just because we never asked for permission to make decisions for our selves.
What if my pastor is the reason I can’t get stuff done?
“Father, our meetings aren’t good.”
To be fair the meetings weren’t good. I had only been at the parish for about 5 months, but I had been internally (and externally) complaining about our team meetings since my first attendance. They were unorganized, had nothing to do with the actual work I did, and almost always wrapped up with 20 mintutes of gossip. We had good people on our team, but the meetings were far from productive for most of us. I decided that if that trend was ever going to change, I needed to approach the issue head on. I read everything I could on the Amazing Parish website, practiced the conversations in my head for a couple weeks, and decided to meet with my pastor. Father was typically super-approachable, warm, kind, and patient; I was certain he would be excited by my energy and practical solutions. It was time for a 1-on-1 meeting.
How do you transform parish culture?
Since Sherry Weddell’s “Forming Intentional Disciples” gained national attention a lot time has been spent by parishes to figure out one question: How do we establish a culture of discipleship in our parish?
Culture is a tricky thing to transform. After all, culture doesn’t happen when you define it; it is defined by the way it is lived out. You can’t just say, “We’re a parish of disciples.” And boom! It happens. People aren’t that easy.
How do you avoid burnout?
If you want to avoid burn out and bear fruit and in your parish, Jesus is the answer. Jesus and only Jesus. You need to be with him. Go to him constantly in scripture and in the Blessed Sacrament. Make sure that he is the source of your ministry by cultivating a deep interior life of prayer.
Seek first the Kingdom, and the rest will be given you as well.
Matthew 6:33