Parish Discipleship Pathway – Part II: Pre-Evangelization and Evangelization12 min read

Chris Hurtubise
Office of Evangelization & Missionary Discipleship

As we discussed in Part I last time, the process of conversion can be laid out in four key phases: Pre-Evangelization, Evangelization, Discipleship, and Apostolate. In this article, we will unpack the first two phases of Pre-Evangelization and Evangelization.

These two steps could be joined together into one notion: winning souls for Christ. The main goal of these first two phases is acting as matchmakers on behalf of the God who loves us. We strive to bring those we know and love to encounter his love for them. We do that through building relationships of trust and then looking for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus’s saving love.

Pre-Evangelization

In the parish, this phase is accomplished through hospitality and building community. Fr. James Mallon says we have to “go to war with the notion of anonymous Christianity.” Meaning, as parishes we need to not only graciously welcome everyone who comes in the door, but also get to know them and invite them deeper into the life of the parish. It also means being intentional about social events at the parish in a few key ways:

1. Have advertising and branding for your parish’s discipleship pathway on hand: for example, if the parish is planning to run Alpha or Christ Life soon, have cards advertising that on the tables at a fish fry or other community event.

2. Have hospitality ministers on hand to welcome and direct guests. Better yet, equip parishioners to do organic hospitality ministry: welcoming guests, learning their names, making connections, establishing relationships, building trust.

In our individual lives, this phase is about becoming “fishers of men.” Missionary Disciples are aware of who the people in our spheres are. And they prayerfully discern whom the Lord might be calling them to “fish” for through relationships that lead to invitation and witness.

Key Aspects
* Working toward Openness
* Relationship
* A Sense of Belonging
* Invitation
* Witness of Christian Life
* Prayer

Evangelization

In the parish, this phase is accomplished through a number of ways, but the heart of evangelization is always the proclamation of the Kerygma and an invitation for individuals to respond in a concrete way. This can and ought to happen in a number of different settings:

* Preaching at Masses – especially on Christmas and Easter
* Catholic school programs, religious education classes and youth ministry events – especially gatherings with parents at checkpoints like sacramental preparation years.
* Parish missions and parish retreats
* Specific programs for evangelization

There are a number of different evangelization tools such as Alpha in a Catholic Context, Christ Life, the Search, the 99, and the Rescued Project. The goal of these programs is to meet adults where they are at, speak to their questions and common human experience, and proclaim the full-ness of the Gospel in a way that invites a response and decision to follow Jesus.

Retreats can also be a powerful means of facilitating evangelization and an encounter with God. Some options for this sort of retreat would be the Parish Mission Apostolate, Cursillo, Christ Re-news His Parish (now known as “Welcome”), and Life in the Spirit.

Key Aspects
* Proclamation of the Gospel
* Testimony
* Encounter with Jesus
* Invitation to Respond
* Prayer

Evangelization Tools

The goal of evangelization is to lead individuals to encounter Christ and make a decision to surrender themselves to him in a life of discipleship. As Catholics, we are not accustomed to pursuing this very intentionally or very boldly. So, utilizing an effective tool to help us is vital.

Here are some tried and true resources: the Search, Alpha in a Catholic Context, the Rescue Project, Christ Life, and the 99. There are other retreats and programs that do this well, but the five listed are specifically geared toward a deep and systematic proclamation of the Gospel.

The Hinge of Invitation

Building a culture of invitation is vital. It must become normal for average parishioners to invite other parishioners and others in their life to participate in these programs. In fact, unless that happens, these programs will only serve the same group that probably already attends everything our parishes offer.