Here’s the number-one rule for building an RCIA team

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Here's the number-one rule for building an RCIA team

When I first got involved in parish ministry, I was pretty excited. I had lots of ideas, and I would usually rush headlong into some new project without much planning. More importantly, I’d start creating new schemes without much help. I would ask for volunteers from the parish, but usually folks would tell me they were too busy. And when I did get the occasional volunteer, I spent so much time telling him or her what needed to be done — and then correcting mistakes — that I finally decided it was just easier and faster to do the work myself.

Soon, however, my excitement turned to discouragement. And overwhelm. And dread. I felt like that guy I saw on The Ed Sullivan Show when I was a kid. He was spinning a couple dozen plates on six-foot poles, and he had to run all over the stage to keep the plates spinning. I was running all over the parish trying to keep the plates I was spinning from crashing to the ground.

It took me a long, long time to learn an essential rule for parish ministry and team building: Stop spinning.

6 essential rules for communicating a new RCIA vision

Without looking it up, can you tell me what your parish mission statement is? If you can, can all the members of the parish council? And what about the RCIA team? And if they can, can the parents whose children are in the school or religious education process tell me? What about the neophytes in your parish?

In most parishes, hardly anyone can say clearly what the parish mission is. In some cases, they’ve never heard it stated. In other parishes, it appears on the cover of every Sunday bulletin and is sometimes read aloud at Mass. And still people cannot remember it. Why does this happen?

3 ways Catholics can respond to gun violence

The most recent events in Las Vegas involving gun violence have put the spotlight on not only lawmakers but also on people of goodwill who genuinely want to offer prayers and thoughts for those affected by such overwhelming tragedy. As Christians, we indeed are called to pray for those affected and for change in our society, but we are also called to do more than pray. RCIA teams have a responsibility to help catechumens and candidates learn how to be fully active in their Catholic faith through prayer, reflection, discernment, and action.

What you're saying about TeamRCIA

“Dear Nick & Diana,

I was really bummed to have missed the webinar due to last-minutes circumstances, until you came through with a second chance. Thank you so much for making that possible. I found the content very valuable and am going to check with the parish office about ordering the extended training. As always, you hit several nails firmly on the head. Many thanks to you both for your ministry."

Paul Bender
Seaside, California, USA

Apprenticed to Christ: Activities for Practicing the Catholic Way of Life

Jerry Galipeau

Why is this book important?

Jerry Galipeau takes you to the heart of the RCIA formation process, which is a process of apprenticeship—learn by doing.

What is in this book?

Your RCIA team will get ideas and resources for a true apprenticeship process. Jerry gives you hands-on, easy-to-implement activities for every Sunday of the three-year liturgical cycle. He backs up the activities with resources from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, documents from Vatican II, letters from the popes, and liturgical rites.

What’s the big deal?

By using the material in this book, you can finally move your catechumens and candidates out of the classroom and into the life of the parish.