The Four Ways Forward: Becoming an Apostolic Parish in a Post-Christian World

by Susan Windley-Daoust

Overview

An increasingly post-Christian world is forcing parishes to re-envision how they "make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19). Pastors and lay leadership must pivot to building mission-first parishes, equipped to proclaim the Gospel to those who have not heard it - while the number of practicing Catholics falls with increasing speed. Parish leaders are hungry for programs and resources to help address these challenges. Yet no single model or program can suit every parish, and leaders are bogged down with options, many of which offer no clear goals or methods. In The Four Ways Forward, Susan Windley-Daoust, theologian and diocesan director of missionary discipleship, provides a road map to pastors and parish staff to make sense of it all. To become an apostolic parish, there are four effective models to choose from, each built on a distinct, necessary insight and method in the art of conversion: 1) Radical hospitality and proclamation, 2) The practice of spiritual multiplication, 3) Organizational mission (re)focus, 4) Highlighting divine signs and wonders in our midst, Every fruitful, joyful, evangelizing parish should embrace the insights and methods of at least three of the four models. This book not only describes each model, giving examples of how it is being used in parishes today, but offers a practical blueprint toward crafting a response to the post-Christian world, including notes on spiritual roadblocks that can get in the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681927152
Publisher:	Our Sunday Visitor (IN)
Publication date:	10/31/2022
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	372,823
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Susan Windley-Daoust, Ph.D., is director of missionary discipleship for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota). She formerly was a professor and chair of theology at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. She holds a doctorate in theology from Vanderbilt University, a certificate in spiritual direction, is the author of four books, and is the married mother of five children.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Part I What Happened?

1 Beyond Christendom: A Landscape of Nones 17

2 The New Evangelization and Its Emerging Models 33

3 Souls Are Not for Sale: The Problem with Program Dependence 53

Part II The Four Models of Post-Christian Parish Evangelization

4 The Radical Hospitality and First Proclamation Model 65

5 The Spiritual Multiplication Small-Group Model 85

6 The Organizational Mission (Re)focus Model 105

7 The Signs and Wonders Model 131

8 Why You Need (at Least) Three of These Models for Apostolic Transition 157

9 A Post-Pandemic Conclusion 183

Acknowledgments 189

Notes 191