Replacement Reserve Analysis
Orthodox Christians love their temple — no matter how elaborate or modest.
Unfortunately many Orthodox parishes are unprepared for funding the true long term cost of ownership of their facilities. Whether the parish facilities are new or ancient it behooves the parish to take a serious look at undertaking a well thought out, comprehensive “Replacement Reserve Analysis”. See article
Reducing Risk of MisconductVarious documents associated with good practices for avoiding the risk of sexual misconduct in parishes can be found here.
Parish Council Webinar
Midwest Diocese Parish Development Ministry leader Joseph Kormos recently delivered a webinar titled Revamping Parish Councils — and Parish Council Meetings. The session covered:
- Roles Responsibilities of PC – an Updated view
- Good practices of Parish Councils
- Good practices of Parish Council Meetings
- Using facilitation in parish council meetings.
- Meeting Problems and potential remedies
Click here for archive recording
Click here for slide download
Growth and Decline in Your Parish
Is your parish showing signs of decline? Fewer worshippers at Divine Liturgy? Smaller church school? Atrophy of once vibrant ministries?
What, if anything, can parishes do about the above?
For those not satisfied with slow decline the following are some thoughts about building urgency for a stronger parish.
Growing Parishes Are Not All the SameThe recently held Parish Health Summit was one of the few structured Diocesan gatherings in recent memory where priests came together to openly discuss parish life. The environment and agenda was vastly different from Diocesan Assemblies and Clergy Convocations. Summit attendees participated in workshops and exercises designed to openly and fairly describe the strengths and challenges of their parishes.
Areas of Commonality– Growing ParishesThe Diocese of the Midwest recently held a Summit for parishes that had demonstrated growth over the past five to ten years.
There was a universal feeling among all present that “our parish is far from a model parish.” Warts and imperfections in parish life abounded. Yet, as one listened it was hard not to feel that, in an aggregate sense, the collective insight of those assembled could be used to describe a composite view of good Orthodox parish practices.
1. Ethnic Diversity
None of the parishes in attendance was dominated by a single (traditionally Orthodox) ethnic group.
Face FactsIt has been said that “The view of the gallows clarifies the mind.” Unfortunately in withering parishes that view seems to be constantly cloudy. While nobody wants a continual flow of negativity, occasionally it’s time to face facts. Gather key data — not opinions but verifiable facts — to help the faithful understand the true parish situation. The worksheet found here can provide a structure for your data.
A Toolbox for Parish Vision Casting
Some call it “strategic planning”. Others refer to it as “vision casting”. Still other parishes examine critical priorities as part of their stewardship efforts.
Whatever label you put on this effort you will want to carefully consider how you reach out to the parish to engage them in the discussion. For helpful tools click here.
Reorganizing Parish Ministries
if your parish is in the midst of re-thinking your set of parish ministries –adding new and replacing old this article about Holy Trinity Parish in Overland Park KS may be of interest to you.
Read articleMiscellaneous Articles
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| Tip 1. Get a New Sign |
In preparation for the launch of the Parish Health Ministry we visited each Deanery. Here are some practical impressions left by these visits. By Joseph Kormos
Looking to be prepared for an anticipated clergy retirement? This article provides insights from four senior priests on what qualities they would look for in new parish.
Parish Financial Best Practices Manual AvailableThe parish council at Holy Trinity parish in Overland Park KS recently developed a best practices manual for answering these questions.
The document has been posted here for your review.
Your Parish Budget
You can discern a lot about a parish’s sense of excellence, its vision and its priorities from its budget. What does your parish budget say about your parish community? Read article