The Thresholds of Conversion and Discipleship

The buzz phrase “Meet people where they are!” has been around for a while now. Pope Francis often concretizes this in a call to go out and be with those who are suffering. While many of us are no stranger to caring for the physical needs of others, we know that the spiritual poverty of the United States is where the greatest need lies. So, how do we meet people where they are when the need is intangible?

One tool that my team, The Parish Support Team, has found to be very useful is the Thresholds of Conversion and Discipleship. These Thresholds give us a common language for evangelization and help us to identify where people are at on their spiritual journey.

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Jim Jansen – Director of Pastoral Services, Archdiocese of Omaha

Whitney Bradley – Coach & Equip Producer, Parish Support Team, Archdiocese of Omaha

3 Responses to “The Thresholds of Conversion and Discipleship”

Thanks for this. I want my comment to be positive. Put it simply, it seems to me that the impetus for evangelization is love of neighbor. This love of neighbor is first demonstrated in various ways like feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, caring for the sick etc. In other words, am I wrong in thinking that without reaching out and helping people in a tangible way, it will be almost impossible to reach out and help them in an intangible, spiritual, and evangelizing way?
May God bless you always.
Thanks again.

You are not wrong! I totally agree that living mercy is first essential to who we are as Christians and our love for others. I think we do have to be creative when it comes to our literal neighbors though. Often, their poverty is a little harder to find. But, that’s what I mean when I say “just show up in their lives”. Building trust does mean going to the things they invite you to, but it also means being present when life gets hard. So, I can give to the homely community that lives off of the Maple St. exit in Omaha (right next to the chancery), and I can give to my friend when I find out he can’t make rent. Even more intangibly, I can be a calm and listening presence when a friend decides to share vulnerably with me, maybe a childhood trauma, their PTSD from serving Iraq, or a sin that they struggle with. These are the spiritual poverties that we often encounter more regularly than the physical ones. They are a little harder to find, but as Mother Theresa said about the US, our physical poverty isn’t the problem. We have an epidemic of loneliness, despair, and hopelessness.

Anyway, I think we are in agreement. Serve the poor, tangibly first! Just be creative about what “tangible” means.

Wonderful podcast- will share at my parish of Our Mother of Perpetual. Great for all ministry leaders

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