New resource: Re-imagining Pastoral Councils Starter Kit
We are delighted to announce our new resource - the Pastoral Council Starter Kit!
The building up of the body of Christ and the mission of the church is a task entrusted to each of us as the people of God, through our baptismal vocation. However this is not so easy in practice!
Our new resource, the Pastoral Council Starter Kit, offers a reimagined style of Pastoral Council, open to the Holy Spirit through prayerful listening and speaking, and discerning concrete next steps.
This toolkit for pastoral councils is designed to foster faith-filled communities, more engaged participation, and a renewed openness to mission. Far from being just another managerial tool, it draws us deeper into a relationship with the Lord and one another, through prayerful listening, sharing, and being moved by the Holy Spirit.
We share with you some very practical elements to help you at each stage of the journey, from explaining the framework, how to facilitating prayer and conversations in the spirit, moving from listening to action, along with key tips along the way to support your journey to become more synodal.
(You'll be taken to a registration form for use to keep track of whose downloaded this resource, and the final version will be emailed to you).
Want to know more about our Pastoral Council Starter Kit and how it can be used?
You are invited to our online Re-imagining Pastoral Councils Workshop. Its an opportunity to talk through the practicalities, as well as have the chance to share with others your own hopes for re-imagined pastoral councils in a synodal style in your community.
Date: Saturday 23rd November
Time: 10:30am - 1:00pm GMT
More about the Resource:
Moving to a new form of Pastoral Council requires learning new skills and practices, particularly in listening to the Holy Spirit and to one another. We hope this new resource will reignite a passion for pastoral councils, either to begin completely new or to refresh current frameworks.
There are elements in this resource to help you at each stage of the way, including:
Members – heads, hearts, hands, dispositions
Sample meeting outline
Case Studies
Leading prayer in meetings
Conversation in the Spirit
Pastoral Council Retreat
Moving from listening to action
The Pastoral Council Starter Kit has been developed by the School for Synodality, in collaboration with four Catholic dioceses in England and Wales and the Jesuit Institute. We are grateful to all those who have contributed, and we hope this new resource will reignite a passion for pastoral councils, either to begin completely new or to refresh current frameworks.