Imagine a stronger church

Tom Cronin is the Director of Evangelization & Strategic Planning in the Diocese of Albany. Contact Tom with any questions about boosting evangelization efforts at your parish at [email protected] or by visiting www.rcda.org/evangelization. Follow me on Instagram: tom_rcda.

We all have dreams for our individual lives, but what about dreaming of a more fulfilling and spiritually nourishing church experience?  

Our church is in crisis mode and we are in the perfect storm of aging demographics, decreasing population, challenging financials, and an anti-Christian secular culture. Additionally, our American “culture of convenience” encourages us to be comfortable consumers rather than proactive and engaged contributors. We need to unite and take action — Christianity is under attack and spiritual warfare is real. 

How can we do it better? In what ways can we best fulfill our mission of going out and making disciples of all nations? Take some time and dream of a church experience that has ... every imaginable ministry; dynamic youth, young adult and family ministries; engaging adult faith formation; wonderful music that elevates the liturgical experience; abundant generosity supporting those in need; and a community that loves one another like family. Imagine a parish with extensive resources to journey with those seeking to know and love Jesus Christ. Imagine the energy of worshiping in a church that is filled to capacity. Imagine a church experience where everything is done with excellence and the parish culture is loving, warm, welcoming and outwardly focused.

It is important to note that many of our parishes are thriving, but many more are not. We need to dream and have a vision for a stronger and more vibrant church. We must assess the state of our parishes and have the courage to take action. It is critically important to call upon the Holy Spirit, especially the gifts of wisdom and fortitude to help us make prudent decisions. We have been overextending our limited resources for too long. We continue to ask more and more from the same people. Parishes operate thanks to the hard work and sacrifices by our clergy, parish staff, volunteers and so many wonderful lay people that are the difference between surviving or thriving.

May our love of God and love for each other be present and foster productive conversations as strategic planning meetings continue at parishes around our Diocese. The passion for a specific Mass time or a particular building is very real. Our church buildings are sacred spaces and house many of the happiest and saddest events of our lives. These buildings and the memories in them are very special, but we need to be cautious that our love for these earthly things does not impact rational thinking. We must consider the impact that Mass schedules and an overabundance of buildings are having on our clergy and the fulfillment of our mission.

Please pray for our church and its leaders that we may have the wisdom to look objectively at our circumstances and implement strategies that will allow us to be good stewards of our limited resources and best fulfill our mission of making disciples of all nations.

Thomas Cronin is the Director of Evangelization & Strategic Planning for the Diocese of Albany. Contact Tom with any questions about boosting evangelization efforts at your parish at [email protected] or by visiting www.rcda.org/evangelization.