Cashing In On The Charismatic Economy
God wants your parish to be rich . . .
Rich in faith, rich in hope, rich in love--
and rich in charisms.
In fact, God has given each parish community all of the gifts it needs to fulfill the mission to which He has called it (and its members). If we take the both written and oral Tradition seriously and acknowledge the reality of the charisms in our midst, then we begin to realize that there is a charismatic economy to the Church--a way in which God intends for His Body to go out and continue the mission of Christ to the world.
We are not left to our own devices in responding to the call of Christ to "go make disciples among all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:18-19). Rather, God has equipped us with particular talents and charisms to accomplish the particular work of love that He has called us to. We limit ourselves and we place artificial boundaries upon God when we simply throw bodies at particular issues, deploying resources like any solely human institution.
In honoring this economy (by discerning the charisms among us and connecting particular gifts with particular work) we not only realize the full flowering of effectiveness in our mission, but we also honor the Giver of These Gifts. Recognized in this light, calling forth and nurturing the gifts and vocation of the community becomes one of the fundamental expressions of the pastoral role of governance and a living example of good stewardship.
Solid stewardship of treasure, for example, seeks the maximum result for every single penny spent. Why do our parishes not have the same approach with its members. We should seek the maximum effect in every area of our formation, our worship, and our mission to the world. Lining up people's experience and charisms with particular tasks that must be accomplished. Their are charisms of leadership and administration waiting to be used to address the particular issues of the local community in which the parish is placed. There are charisms of teaching and encouragement that are waiting to be used in our sacramental preparation and formation for mission. There are an abundance of riches that God has showered upon us in the charismatic economy.
How, then, can we best cash in on this economy? How can we, at the parish level, provide better formation, discernment, and "deployment" so that all of the God-given resources of each parish may be offered for the sake of the world?
posted by Keith Strohm @ 10:11 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Not to show my age, lol, but management skills (one can think of them as being a good steward) aren't as mainstream as they were some decades ago. Post WW2 and in the business boom of the 50's into 60's, the everyday average Joe and Sally knew how to manage, whether they received that background from the military, the gray flannel suit business, or the household. We've lost two generations, I reckon, of those mainstream skills ... ironic with all the education advances that have been made... many people can't "get it done" as naturally as people of the "greatest generation". I think of my stepdad (rest his soul) just going out and buying an air conditioner and putting it in the rectory for the elderly father, just as an individual action. I think of his brothers who were auto mechanics by day, and yet managed construction projects for the churches... they just knew how to do things. So there's an additional challenge these days that natural management is not as prevalent as it once was, and this is not a knock to anyone's intelligence, devotion, or intentions. I think that each parish who can recognize the need for someone like that and can draft them, even in just an advisory role, will benefit.
Another business principle I think will help is to be, as the business people call it, "client centric." The needs of the parish must drive the charisms given to it. I agree that the gifts and vocation of the community must be called forth and nurtured ... so long as someone is at the same time clearly discerning what activities the parish truly needs, and thus what charisms must be developed and offered. Discerning the right match between parish need and charism required to meet that need results in, well, the best investment result and richness of treasure and growth for the parish. Again, sometimes a parish has to go and do a draft, because maybe you have many with "this" charism, but the community needs "that" charism.
Mmajor,
Thanks for your thoughts on this post. I do agree with what you've said. In terms of discernment and reflection regarding, it is the role of the pastor (and those who participate in the pastoral office by delegation--the pastoral staff) to help build cultures of discernment and formation that call forth the gifts of the community, nurture the formation of lay apostles, and help connect charisms with opportunities.
The one thing I believe we do need to change at the parish level is to stop being guided by need and start being guided by call. There is a difference in approach to parishioners and parish life if a community is guided by need, and often that approach focuses on the maintenance of the parish community rather than the mission to the local and global secular community.
Often, a parish looks at its sacramental prep programs and says "we need bodies to make sure our children are receiving adequate preparation for the sacraments." Then, they throw out a general announcement and take any and all comers.
If a parish started to look at the children and teens among them and said, "we need to form these future generations of apostles for their mission in the world," I believe their wil be greater discernment and reflection regarding who forms them and how they are formed.
It is a paradigm shift that really changes the fundamental approach to how the parish lives--and one that is sorely needed in the Church today.
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