The Four Ways Forward Study

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Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Join Andrew Reinhart for a study of "The Four Ways Forward: Becoming an Apostolic Parish in a Post-Christian World." by Susan Windley-Daoust. This study will culminate in a virtual gathering with Susan. She will share some brief remarks followed by an extended time for questions and conversation about the book. The first 30 that sign up for the live stream will get a free copy of the book! Those that sign up will receive weekly reading reminders and chapter summaries.

Reading Plan: March - April 2023

Virtual Gathering - April 27th, 2023 at 10:00 am (Zoom)

Why should you read this book?

  1. Its a great follow up to “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission.” It starts to answer the “how” question.

  2. It provides a framework for integrating Acts XXIX and the Rescue Project with other initiatives for parish renewal: Amazing Parish, The Search, ALPHA, etc.

  3. It provides an introduction to many of the best parish based evangelization initiatives. It could be considered a meta-analysis of parish renewal efforts.

Week 1

Preface & Chapter 1 | Pages 9 - 32

Topics:

  1. The 4 Emerging Models of Parish Renewal

  2. Jesus/the Church Offers Healing to our Time

  3. The New Idols of Postmodernism

 “The over attention on academic theology has fed into a classic American belief that we can teach ourselves into spiritual health and prosperity.  The American “can-do”-ism is not new, though.  It is basic Pelagianism: if you know the good, you can do the good. […] Can you imagine a person showing up wounded with a broken leg in the ER, and the doctor responding by instructing him on how to make a cast? Even offering him different types of casting? The wounded person can’t concentrate, is keenly aware of the pain […] Jumping to how the leg can be healed without attending to the need to immediately set the leg is both nonsensical and cruel.” P. 20

Week 2

Chapters 2 & 3 | Pages 33 - 61

This section covers the following topics: 

  1. A quick tour of teachings about the New Evangelization

  2. The Threshholds of Intentional Discipleship

  3. The place for programs

Evangelii Gaudium Paragraph 28 (quoted on pages 41 - 42) - https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#An_ecclesial_renewal_which_cannot_be_deferred

 "Souls were not created by the Lord to be bought and sold. They were and are created for eternal love and relationship... and it is free. This is part of the Good News. In today's day and age, it may be the most relevant piece of the good news.” P. 58 

"But marketing overstates the ability of any program to transform a parish. Jesus Christ transforms your parish.  Jesus Christ did not come to us as Incarnate God to offer us a program.  He offers us himself, and the One who heals, saves, and leads us through suffering into joy with him forever." P. 59

Week 3

Chapter 4 | 65 - 84

Topics:

  1. The Kerygma: The basic proclamation of the Gospel is the cornerstone

  2. An Immersion in Radical Hospitality

    1. Generous to Strangers

    2. Meet People Where They Are

    3. Foster Belonging

  3. How to create a culture of invitation

“this model of evangelization presumes three things: radical hospitality, culturally sensitive but clear proclamation, and reliance on the Holy Spirit as the Evangelist.” P. 71

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.” (Mother Teresa) P. 77

Practical Applications:

Series

The Rescue Project - https://watch.actsxxix.org/therescueproject

ALPHA - https://alphausa.org/try

Retreats

ACTS - https://www.actsmissions.org

Welcome/CRHP 2.0 - https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/welcome.html

Week 4

Chapter 5 | 85 - 103

Topics:

  1. Spiritual Multiplication: Making Disciple Makers

  2. Breaking the “Spiral of Silence”

  3. The Art of Accompaniment

    1. Leading People Closer to God in Friendship

    2. Authentic Listening

    3. Go on the “Pilgrimage” of Life Together

“Spiritual multiplication organically builds in basic leadership training and an expectation to step up.“ P. 96

Week 5

Chapter 6 | 105 - 130

Topics:

  1. Discovering Christ’s vision for your parish

  2. How to audit parish resources for alignment with vision

  3. The need to make outreach the “top-tier” goal of the parish

  4. Jesus -> Peter, James & John -> Apostles (12) -> Disciples (72) => Pastor -> Leadership Team -> Staff/Council -> Missional Parishioners

The parish “may also be dealing with the hard reality that Christ’s vision for this parish is different than what is once was, given the change of the culture.“ P. 111

“Rebuilt identified the key to being a hospital complex turned field hospital concisely: ‘easy on the outsiders, hard on the insiders.’” p. 123

Practical Applications:

ACTS XXIX (3 Essential Principles) - https://www.actsxxix.org

Amazing Parish - https://amazingparish.org

Divine Renovation - https://divinerenovation.org

Week 6

Chapter 7 | 131 - 155

Topics:

  1. Signs and Wonders in the Scripture

  2. How signs and wonders dispose one to receive the Gospel.

  3. What about when people are not healed?

  4. Eucharistic Adoration

“The death of the messiah delivers salvation from sin. Yet the way the messiah reached out to the people was through signs and wonders, and specific ones focusing on healing at that.“ P. 137

“The key to signs and wonders is to focus not on them but on the relationship between God and the person at the center. Jesus is Lord and friend, not a gumball machine. Signs and wonders do not need to be showy and are sometimes more powerful when they are quiet.’” p. 146

Practical Applications:

Ministry of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Toledo - https://mccrholyspirit.org

St. Paul Street Evangelization - https://streetevangelization.com

Encounter Ministries - https://encounterministries.us

Week 7

Chapter 8 & Conclusion | 157 - 187

Topics:

  1. You need to use at least three models for stable mission focus.

  2. Parish Case Studies: Prayer, Assessment/Diagnosis, Investigate Solutions, Cast a Vision, Craft a Discipleship Path, Mobilize & Equip Leaders, and Align Everything

  3. Post-Pandemic Conclusion

“The purpose [of this book] is to cut through the firehose of options and better understand what it takes to transform a parish into an evangelizing parish in an apostolic age.“ P. 157

“When more than half of the people raised Catholic in the United States have left the faith at some point, that is a red flag that should scream that adult discipleship and evangelization needs to be the priority.“ P. 164

“The idea that evangelization is hard and hurts and is offensive to others is a lie, and comes from the Father of Lies. It is the number one thing Satan does not want to happen. Evangelization is the number one thing the Holy Spirit will support and reward with joy!’” p. 186

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