Have Better Meetings: A 3-Step Framework for Catholic Ministry Professionals
Whether they’re unproductive, redundant, or just plain boring, bad meetings can make or break your work experience. Meetings should be fruitful and move the mission of the organization forward, and no where is this more important than in the Church, which has the most important mission in the world.
In this blog post, we present a three-part framework designed to transform parish meetings into dynamic and purposeful sessions that align with the mission of the Church.
Focus on mission. (5-10 min.)
Everyone wants to know that their work matters. Imagine if every time you met, you team was inspired, and led to consider how their work TODAY was going to affect souls and build the kingdom of God. Our connection to Jesus’ mission for the church can get lost in the mundane details of our work. Paint the picture for your team. Help them to understand how their work impacts souls.
It doesn’t have to be overly complicated, and you don’t have to do all of this. Give them a chance to identify their connection to the Kingdom for themselves. Let them share what God is doing “here and now” through the work of their hands.
When you do this, it naturally reorients everyone into a team mentality which helps to prioritize the agenda and set the tone for the next part of the meeting.
Content. (30-45 min.)
This is the bulk of your meeting. If you find that eyes are glazing over during this part of the meeting, here is a quick tip that will save you time and immediately make your meetings more productive: Consider whether the information being covered in your meeting time could have been sent in an email.
If an email would have done the same job as the meeting, then opt for the email. This frees up time in the meeting to identify real mission-related items that need to be addressed with the whole team, such as the upcoming parish fundraiser.
Topics like these will be much more effective in aligning your team towards accomplishing the mission of the Church.
Summarize and follow up. (5 min.)
This final part of the meeting is simple, but it is the most important.
After all the discussion and possibly debate that happened during the meeting, it’s important to summarize the decisions that were made, and who is responsible for carrying them out. Make notes and be sure to follow up in the next meeting to ensure progress is being made.
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There you have it. A simple 3 part framework for better meetings. As you put this framework into action, observe the positive shift in meeting dynamics and outcomes. Remember, your role as a Catholic ministry professional is not merely to manage tasks but to inspire souls and amplify the impact of your work in the Vineyard of the Lord.
If you found this post helpful, listen to Episode 8 of the Catholic Ministry Professionals Podcast where we take a deeper dive into the topic.
