About a year ago, my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. Without a doubt, she has been one of the greatest joys of my life. When I consider our lives before her, it almost seems dull and boring compared to the life we live now. It’s not perfect - adding another human being into our lives has required massive change to our lifestyles. Having a baby limits our freedoms and makes things that used to be simple (like getting in the car) more complicated. That being said, I wouldn’t change it for anything.


In many ways, the work of evangelization can be compared to having a child. Like the birth of a baby, those who come to faith in Jesus, and in some cases walk through the waters of baptism, experience new life that brings joy to everyone around them. At the same time, doing this work is inconvenient. It requires that parishes reconfigure their systems and structures to accommodate the addition of new members to their family. It makes simple things more complex because they need to be explained to people who might not have the understanding.


Even amidst some difficulties, the draw to become an “evangelistic parish” is attractive. It makes good sense that, especially in the last 10 years, new initiatives have been started (like Proclaim), new books have been written, and entire conferences have been devoted to teaching parishes and parishioners to be on mission.


That missional zeal is an important thing but it’s worth asking ourselves “is the parish community we are welcoming new believers into a healthy place for them to grow?” Welcoming new people into our Church families is a beautiful thing but, like welcoming a child into a family, if our Church families are not healthy places for these new members to be “brought up,” we are not standing on a solid foundation. 


Between finding out that my wife was pregnant and the birth of my daughter, there was all sorts of important preparation work we had to do. We prepared our physical spaces, making sure that there was room for her and that it would be a safe place for her to play and explore. We prepared for the birth, taking classes and learning everything we could to ensure her transition into the world was smooth and beautiful. We prepared spiritually and emotionally, spending time in prayer and with our community to make sure we could give completely of ourselves to her. This preparation was a lot of work but when she was finally born, we felt ready (or as ready as you possibly can be before the birth of a child).


When we’re talking about preparation for being a parish on mission, there are two big areas to focus on: the health of our parish family and the health of our leaders. We need to be sure that in our parishes, zeal is fueled by deep intimacy with Jesus, emotional health, community, orthodoxy, and the spiritual disciplines.


The question might be raised though, “what’s the difference between being inwardly focussed and focussing on being a healthy parish?” For those more familiar with the teachings of the recent Popes, this concern can be taken further: “don’t the Popes say that mission is the driving identity of the Church? Shouldn’t that be our foundation?” These are important considerations but if we consider them deeply we realize that a parish on mission isn’t really possible if interiorly, it’s a mess. We run the risk of becoming “rocky soil” that chokes the seeds that are planted in us.


So how do we develop good and healthy soil where new believers can grow and produce a hundredfold? While certainly not exhaustive, here are three things pastors and parishioners can focus on to ready their parish families for new members:


1 - Remember that Jesus’ yoke is “easy and light”

While the work of evangelization is beautiful and exciting, one of the first temptations leaders face is the temptation to put the burden for mission on themselves. This is one of the most common pitfalls I see for parishes hoping to grow in their missional zeal. 

In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The first thing to notice here is that He calls it His yoke, and not ours. That means we can rest, knowing that ultimately He has shouldered the responsibility for bringing the lost to Himself. The second thing is that He invites us to carry His yoke with Him but that it is easy and light. Mission is a joyful task when we do it with Jesus!


2 - Develop a sustainable Rule of Life

Burnout is all too common among people who serve in ministry, both paid and volunteer. There are some key things we can do as missionary disciples to tend to our own wellbeing. I’d recommend as a starting place, developing a Rule of Life that takes into account your whole person, body, mind, soul, and heart. A good Rule of Life should be designed in a way that you can carry it out and be sustained over the long haul. The goal isn’t to be a spiritual hero by taking on all sorts of difficult practices - it’s to index our whole person towards life with God. 


Here are some powerful rhythms for leaders to consider adding to a Rule of Life:


  • Rhythms of daily prayer, both in the morning and evening

  • Weekly Sabbath rest

  • Deep community and accountability

  • Confession

  • Seeing a counselor and/or spiritual director on a regular basis

  • Getting 8 hours of sleep

  • Committing to a meal and exercise plan



3 - Examine your closest relationships in your community

An unhealthy community culture is a distraction from the work of evangelization and a reason many seekers turn away from the Church but a community where parishioners are known and loved, where communication patterns are clear and respectful, and human formation is prioritized serves as a powerful witness. Improving the culture of an entire parish can be overwhelming. Instead, start with those closest to you. Here are some questions to consider:


  • Do you know other parishioners well and feel like you can be appropriately vulnerable with some of them?

  • When working with other parishioners in ministry, do your patterns of communication include unhelpful tactics like silence or gossip or are you honest and clear?

  • Do you spend regular time trying to improve your relationships with other people through interpersonal formation and practice?

  • If there’s no real sense of community in your parish at all, how could you work to create it?


4 - Develop a culture of hospitality

I remember my first visit to a particularly evangelistic parish in my Diocese. As soon as I had taken my seat, the couple seated in front of us turned around to greet me, introduce themselves, and make sure I knew that I was welcome. This was a simple gesture but it felt so significant to me. 

Starting with hospitality matters because it starts preparing parishioners to welcome not just each other, but new people you might encounter as you begin the work of evangelization. Hospitality ministries (like having greeters at the front door of your parish) are very helpful first steps but it can go even deeper. Hospitality isn’t the job of a few volunteers, it’s a whole parish work. 


Start with yourself: do you notice when new people show up at your parish? Do you feel comfortable introducing yourself and welcoming them in? Those in parish leadership can consider initiatives like hospitality formation or name tag Sundays.


Building a healthy parish community is not a quick or easy task. It can be easy to become discouraged if it takes a long time but if it ever feels like this work is unproductive, remember Jesus’ words at the Last Supper “love one another as I have loved you. This is how the world will know you are my disciples, by the love you have for one another” (John 13:34-35). Building up a healthy parish is a hard task but ultimately, it’s the way that others will know we are followers of Jesus.