Product Details
Keeping the Covenant: Taking Parish to the Next Level

Keeping the Covenant: Taking Parish to the Next Level
By Thomas P. Sweetser S.J.

List Price: $19.95
Price: $14.96 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

33 new or used available from $7.54

Average customer review:

Product Description

Churches and parishes are closing in record numbers. Those remaining are seeking new ways to invent the way their parish functions in the community. This book provides new material for parishes, based on extensive research and experience with parishes across the country. This book offers hope and promise—and practical advice—for lay leaders and clergy interested in having their parish be the Church that Jesus intended. Book includes discussion guides and hands-on suggestions.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #596317 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-09-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 288 pages

Customer Reviews

Keeping the Covenant- Managing a parish together5
This book provides solid management skills to any Roman Catholic Parish interested in a collaborative style of management. This style is perfectly suited to the church as we move into the 21st century, with fewer priests and less money for paid staff. The church, that is the People of God, must organize for their future and this is a great tool for that task. We bought copies for about twenty parish leaders and are reading it together as we prepare to support our pastor and our parish using this model. Thanks to Tom Sweetser for putting this information into a book we can use.

Save our Church; Keep a covenant4
Father Tom Sweetser is a Jesuit priest who teams with Franciscan Sister Peg Bishop in rebuilding our churches, one parish at a time. Together they direct the Milwaukee-based Parish Evaluation Project, and travel to train and to advise parishes how to survive, vibrantly meeting the needs of all parties, through their Parish Assessment and Renewal and renewal program which blends data gathering and parish planning.

They visit parishes with a long term, commited strategy. The first four months they give a self-assessment, during which they gather parish data. Then a two-week visit to the parish provides talks with individual parishioners in person and by telephone. They assess the liturgies, as well as programs and ministries. They then report what they have seen, and make their recommendations.

A parish leadership council examines the report and draw up a strategic plan, forming goals-oriented committees and regular meetings. After six months, Fr. Sweetser and Sr. Bisho return to facilitate parish renewal.

An essential key according to Fr. Sweetser is finding a "partner for the pastor who can serve as a mentor to the staff and take on many administrative functions for the pastor" since "priests are just not trained for administration." Neither are our recent crop of bishops . . .

Fr. Sweetser therefore finds effective the empowering of lay leaders.

My concern of coruse lies in finding lay leaders who were the cause of the earlier paralysis. A concerted effort must take place to find the most comprehensive and compassionate leaders available, and not simply those in political or material favor. We do not want to tighten the oppression but empower the base by reaching to those who have been most aleinated, including by language, race and economic class.

Father Sweetser lovingly lays down a road map for parish renewal, which must be absolute, revolutionary and complete in order fully to incarnate the Gospel in our Church.