What makes this process of Parish Transformation so difficult is that we are going into uncharted waters. The fear almost paralyzes us into inactivity. Like a person holding onto the sinking Titanic, they would rather hold onto something already present and go down with the ship than let go and break out into the unknown.  And yet, the Lord is ahead of us, asking us to let go and trust him.

Jesus is calling the entire Church into deeper faith.
Can we let go of past programs in search of new methods?

The days of resting on our past catechetical methods are over. We have to let go of that preverbal security structure on the ship (program), walk over to the rail and look out into deep (problems) and honestly assess what is going on. The good news is that we are not alone. The Holy Spirit was given to us for just this reason. Let us humbly cry out to God and bring to him our questions, fears, and confusions, and seek his light and guidance.

We can get divine answers when we humbly turn to prayer and begin to ask Him what’s broken? Can it be fixed? If so, how? If not, then let’s go back to the original mission, identify the mission and use corporate discernment to brainstorm and determine what the HOLY SPIRIT wants to do.

For quite a while now, I have been examining the struggle to make this leap of faith. In my own parish ministry meetings, I was guilty of gathering with my leaders, saying an opening prayer, planning out our year and then asking God to bless it. We could knock that out in three hours. While we gave a token request for God’s help, we made no serious effort to rightly discern the will of God.

If I were to be brutally honest, it is much easier to blow past God and make a plan than it is to learn how to wait on God for direction. It is hard for me to do it personally and it is hard for entire staffs to do it corporately. If those of us in leadership make no time to receive our marching orders from God, then we are operating on our own wisdom and power.

Why would God bring about a New Pentecost
if those souls would not have accurate models to follow.

We must get our own hearts and houses in order, to prepare for the New Pentecost where each disciple is unified to the Church (Body of Christ) through the indwelling, active, and leading presence of the Holy Spirit.  When the models are ready, Pentecost will come!