Next Generation Parish

                                       

January 2023

Dear Parishioners,

It is with great hope and optimism that I share with you the news that our parish has recently begun an exciting new journey of becoming a Next Generation Parish. In partnership with the Archdiocese and the Catholic Leadership Institute, our parish will be piloting a nationwide effort to create communities of disciples, leaders, and missionaries that will sustain the Catholic Church into the future.

The Archdiocese has selected Saints Simon and Jude Parish to participate in this program.  Saints Simon and Jude Parish was selected as one of 13 parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to take part in the Next Generation Parish program.  There are over 200 parishes in the Archdiocese! This is an amazing testament to the confidence of our Church leadership in Saints Simon and Jude as a parish of current strength and also future potential.  While we will have the great benefit of having expert guidance lead our parish through this multi-year process, there will be no monetary cost to our parish.  What will be required is the commitment of many of you, as our parishioners, to get involved and support the collective vision we create for our future.

Why the Next Generation Parish? We can no longer take for granted some of the basic assumptions on which much of parish life today is built. The current model of parish life has worked well for the 20th century, but today’s rapidly changing world demands something new from each of us. As Pope Francis has said, the parish must be willing to adapt and change through the creative and missionary zeal of the pastor and the community.
1. Society has changed. People are more mobile, religiosity is not assumed, and society is much more secular.
2. Sacramental participation is rapidly declining.
3. We are moving into a massive generational shift. • 80-90% of volunteering and giving is coming from only 7% of US Catholics • The majority of these Catholics are a part of the Baby Boomer Generation, 60% of whom currently practice their faith • As this population ages, it will be replaced by numerically smaller Generation X, 30% of whom currently practice • Generational change over 10-20 years will represent an estimated loss of 8.3M people.

To sustain a legacy for future generations, we must act boldly.
What is the Next Generation Parish? The Next Generation Parish is not just “one more program,” it is a comprehensive effort to ensure a sustainable future full of hope. This will be an opportunity for our community to assess our opportunities and strengths, develop a plan to move into the future, and most importantly, cultivate a deeper missionary spirit throughout our parish. Together we will empower each other to bring the message and love of Jesus beyond our parish walls.

Based on their more than 25 years of experience working with Church leaders, our partner, Catholic Leadership Institute, has identified four elements that define a Next Generation Parish. Our hope is to transform our community into one that does the following:
· Fosters Spiritual Maturity and a plan for discipleship of its members
· Shares Leadership by maintaining a commitment to a healthy organization
· Offers a Vibrant Sunday Experience with excellent hymns, homilies, and hospitality
· Embraces a Missionary Impulse to go out and bring others to Jesus
The benefits for our parish community during this four year pilot will be numerous, and include:
· A comprehensive analysis of parish resources
· Guided support on improving communication in the parish
· A Strategic Plan for the parish with focused priorities and goals
· Parish Leaders who are equipped to provide training and discipleship to other parishioners
· Professional Development for those in parish leadership
· Collaboration and modeling of best practices that other parishes in the archdiocese can use as an example and resource.

 The Disciple Maker Index
Over the next four years we will be actively pursuing new ways of operating and assessing our health as a parish. One of the first steps is our parish’s involvement in the Disciple Maker Index Survey. Our parish took that survey in 2022 and the results have:
· Provided robust data that measured our parishioners’ individual spiritual growth, as well as the overall effectiveness of the support our parish provides in that growth.
· Equipped our parish leadership to make informed decisions that will increase parish engagement based on data, rather than intuition.
· Measured growth. The survey will be taken again at the conclusion to measure the impact of our efforts.

Planning for the Future
Catholic Leadership Institute will provide us the tools and guidance to create a Strategic Plan with specific, focused goals and priorities that address the individual needs of our parish. These plans will be based, in large part, on what we hear from you in the Disciple Maker Index. CLI will continue to accompany us throughout the process and provide leadership skills to parish staff and key lay leaders.

A Future Full of Hope
We are excited by the opportunities that stand before us and we will continue to keep you informed as we move forward together toward the next generation, with Christ always at the center of our mission. We ask that you hold this community in prayer over the next four years, as we will do for you.
Like the generations before us that built the parishes we now call home, we are called to build. This is our moment to create and envision the Next Generation Parish experience that will provide a lasting foundation for the future.

God bless you,
Fr. Gerlach