Using the Secular Sciences to Increase Parishioner Participation and Engagement

Although a major theme of Vatican II was the Church’s call to transform the culture (Lumen Gentium, Apostolicam Actuositatem and Gaudium et Spes), a variety of data shows the secular culture may be transforming God’s people more profoundly than the other way around.Parishes are given a divine mission to draw people into an ever-deepening relationship with God. However, the incredible seductive power of various destructive forces within “our country’s dominant secular culture” effectively competes for people’s minds and hearts by utilizing far greater secular resources than parishes have generally found to fight back. As a result, parishes have experienced a steady and precipitous decline in participation and engagement. Parish ministries could be more effective by integrating the resources of the secular sciences in addressing declining participation, engagement, and spiritual commitment of the faithful. Gaudium et Spes stated, “In pastoral care, sufficient use must be made not only of theological principles, but also of the findings of the secular sciences, especially of psychology and sociology, so that the faithful may be brought to a more adequate and mature life of faith” (no. 62).The effectiveness of many pastoral ministries could benefit greatly if the Church also applies proven tools, techniques, and concepts from the multi-disciplinary field of resource development, which draws upon fields like marketing, communication, education, and public relations, all of which draw heavily upon the social sciences and technology. In order to prove the veracity of this broader concept, this treatise focuses on one specific parish ministry area: parish communal reconciliation services. A step-by-step multi-disciplinary manual was provided to parish leaders to facilitate a process of increasing attendance and engagement and to help penitents deepen their relationship with God and others.Parishes of various sizes, geographical locations and economic backgrounds participated in the study. One hundred percent of participating parishes experienced a substantial increase in attendance at communal reconciliation services compared to the previous year (average increase of 246 percent and maximum increase of 426 percent). Higher levels of participation can best be achieved by utilizing a combination of both the theological and the practical and by doing both well. Therefore, the call to aggiornamento includes looking at the best and brightest concepts, tools and techniques the current culture has to offer and utilizing them to transform the world to Christ.DivinityMarketingReligious educationChurch Marketing, Engagement, Evangelization, Ministry, Reconciliation Service, StewardshipPastoral StudiesDegree Awarded: D.Min. Pastoral Studies. The Catholic University of Americ