Parish Catalyst Information

At Parish Catalyst we connect vibrant pastoral teams in a unique process that accelerates parish growth. Modeled off of our Evangelical “big brother” Leadership Network, Parish Catalyst invites pastors with demonstrated creative leadership skills and key members of their pastoral teams to join a Parish Catalyst Learning Community. We then foster an environment where participants challenge each other to capitalize on new ideas and stretch their visions of ministry beyond the current strategies in play at their parishes. While each Learning Community works directly with only a few, our purpose is to influence the many. Often innovation begins with a small number of visionary thinkers, “influencers” whose success encourages others to follow suit. Thus the parishes in our program serve as testing grounds for new approaches to ministry, which they can hone before sharing them with other communities. Already the parishes which have participated in our Learning Communities are becoming churches of “radical hospitality” with an enriched prayer life, clearer goals, stronger leadership, and a more active outreach to young adults. Our current goal is to launch at least two new Learning Communities per year for the next ten years. Our hope is that if we can impact at least 300 Catholic parishes, we will ignite a flame that will continue to revitalize and grow the Catholic Church.