Can Small Parishes Grow?
By Fr. Jeff Lorig, Director of Pastoral Services
Turns out a lot of us churchgoing Catholics attend Mass at a parish with 400 or fewer attendees. Eighty-three of the 138 parishes in the Archdiocese of Omaha have a Mass attendance of less than 400. My rough estimate is that about 18,000 or 21% of us experience church in fairly small communities. And we like it! We love the community aspect of parish life. We love that we get to know our priests on a personal level. We are proud of our past and we are very loyal to our communities.
While we like our small parish experience, many of us also realize the need to grow because healthy things grow.
Today I want to talk about what it’s like to be a part of a small parish as well as suggest a few growth strategies for our small parishes. There are actually different strategies for different size churches, but it’s likely that some of these suggestions may benefit larger parishes.
Much of the following ideas and concepts come from a book I read recently titled One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Bringing Out the Best in Any Size Church by Gary L. McIntosh. A small-sized parish could be described as a single cell parish because it’s like one big family. Single cell parishes have other defining characteristics such as:
- Everyone pretty much knows everyone.
- There are two or three central families that hold a lot of influence.
- Newcomers find it hard to become accepted.
- The central concerns are often inward focused.
The only way to get into this single cell is if you’re born into it, married into it, have a charming personality, or are useful (time, talent, treasure). This is the main reason many of our small parishes find it hard to grow. It’s not because they don’t want to grow, it’s just hard for outsiders to get in. The key to growth for a small parish is to move from a single cell church to a stretched cell church. What does that mean? Think of a rubber band. Transitioning from a single cell to a stretched cell parish is often just a matter of focus. A stretched cell parish is one that is thinking as much about who’s not in church than who’s in church. It stretches the walls of the church because it is looking outward. The following growth strategies are from McIntosh’s book. I’ve added a few slight modifications. I highly recommend this book for parishes of any size who are looking to grow.
Growth Strategy 1: Renew a Sense of Purpose
What is the mission of the church? Why would anyone join it? To answer those questions, focus your attention on Jesus Christ, particularly on the kerygma, the Great of News of why He came, what drove him to Calvary, his purpose.
Growth Strategy 2: Begin a New Ministry
Are there any felt needs in your community that we could meet by starting a new ministry? If we don’t meet people’s felt needs, we will never meet their real needs. Focus on the 3 Es: Events, Experiences, and Education.
Growth Strategy 3: Cultivate Evangelization
Pastors do well to focus on the times when the people are most receptive to Christ: death of a family member, personal or family illness, need for pastoral counseling, getting children ready for sacraments, a wedding. However, the most important dynamic for evangelization is participation by laypersons. One approach to evangelization that is usually UNSUCCESSFUL in small churches is the training class. Here’s a better approach:
First, find one or two key people who are interested in reaching new people for Christ.
Second, train them in a small peer group as Christ did his disciples.
Third, assist the parish in developing an evangelization consciousness through the preaching and teaching ministry.
Fourth, retool one or two traditional ministries so they have more of an outward focus.
Fifth, challenge church members to make a prayer list of unchurched friends or family and then pray for the people on their list for an entire year.
Sixth, establish a group or class focused solely on outreach.
Seventh, develop two or three outreach events a year where church members may bring the people they have been praying for over the year.
Growth Strategy 4: Celebrate Victories
Good things are happening in your parish. Unfortunately, the low self-image of most small churches leads them to see their weaknesses rather than their strengths. One solution to improve the self-esteem in a small church is to call attention to the positives in the church.
Growth Strategy 5: Start New Groups and Classes
The creation of new groups and classes begins the process of moving from a single cell church to a multiple cell model of ministry. Rather than trying to fight their way into being accepted by people who have been together for years, new people prefer to join a new group, class, or circle.
Growth Strategy 6: Involve New People
It is a common, but false, assumption that new members or regular attenders in small churches quickly develop a sense of belonging. In reality it takes significant involvement in the life of the church before new members and attenders begin to feel like they really belong.
Want help growing your parish? Contact Fr. Lorig at jplorig@archomaha.org. Members from the Pastoral Services Team are equipped to roll up their sleeves and work with you to transform the culture of your parish.
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