1. He replied, “Because you have so little faith.
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20
A Summary:
To Parish or Perish
Size, numbers, funds, facilities, workers, volunteers, agendas, goals, commitment, time,
talent, and treasure. These are the issues I have observed and heard a lot about concerning the
complications as to why parishes (and Knights Councils) have difficulties maintaining their
membership let alone growing and expanding.
“Our parish (or Council) is too small, only a ‘big’ parish or Council can do that!” “We
don’t have the funds, facilities, workers or volunteers to do that!” “Father has his agenda!” “Our
leaders have their own agenda!” “Our new priest has a ‘new’ agenda!” “Our leaders are not
doing anything!” “Whose goals do we have or how do we make them or follow them?” “Nobody
is committed to take responsibility!” “We can’t get anybody to volunteer!” “I don’t have time for
that now!” “I don’t have the background or training to do that!” “The parish (or Council) doesn’t
have the resources to do that!”
Heaven is our Goal! The Parish and Knights of Columbus are means to help us achieve that goal!
There was a saying a few years ago that was used to get young Christians to compare
their life’s activities with what Christ’s way would be of doing something. “What would Jesus
do?” The initials WWJD became a call sign to remind friends to stay on the ‘right’ path.
Well, what would Jesus do in our parishes today if He were there, right now, to help us?
He IS in our parishes; at Mass, in adoration, in the Eucharist – in our hearts!
The Church is not a construction of man, but a creation of Our Triune God!
Christ founded His Church on His Apostles and His Disciples through the Father and the gifts of
the Holy Spirit!
Jesus, the Christ; the Messiah of the Old Testament and the Savior, the Sacrificial Lamb
of God of the New Testament chose ordinary people to do extra-ordinary accomplishments as
His followers and disciples. These Disciples did do extra-ordinary activities because of the Grace
of Faith they accepted in their personal “Yes!” to truly commit their lives through their personal
relationship with our Risen Lord!
Our Loving Father God, the Creator; His Only Begotten Son Jesus, our Loving Brother
and Savior; and the Giver of Life and Inspiration our Holy Spirit are now in His Faithful
Followers and the work of God on Earth is accomplished by us; in our hands, in ourselves, in our
families, in our neighbors and in our communities through our Christian Home in our (His)
Parishes.
“Did you not know that God has placed churches (Parishes) in the cities as ports in the sea,
that those who come thither for shelter from the storms of this world
may find perfect peace?” - St. John Chrysostom

2. The “personal relationship” with Our Lord is the first step in our finding what Our Lord
God has given us as our personal gifts that will shape our lives as we share our Earthly Journey
back to the Lord with our neighbors.
Each parish, regardless of size, can achieve what Our Lord has deigned His Parishes to
accomplish in the triumph over the evils that the devil and his cohorts place as obstacles on each
person’s journey back to the Father.
But, each parish has the spiritual tools and resources within its members and its Priest,
with the power of the Eucharist and all the Sacraments, to plan processes to build up its members
to be able, together, to triumph over the impediments we find in ourselves, our families, and our
communities. The solution to every parish’s needs can be found in the Prayerfully Faithful Priest
and the Prayerfully Faithful parish members, each, as true Intentional Disciples.
We each must build a Sacred Personal Relationship with our Lord. We must build a
Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Christ within our parishes. One resource that is accomplishing
this process in our Parish, that also has instilled a desire to activity toward Bible Study,
volunteering, and a new realization and confidence to Evangelization is the retreat program
Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP). The Christ Renews His Parish has a retreat for Men and a
retreat for Women. My Parish has Spring and Fall Retreats. This program in now under the
Dynamic Catholic Organization headed by Matthew Kelly. http://dynamiccatholic.com/
Next is the need for each person to find the Gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us to
utilize in our lives with our neighbors and our community. The Saint Catherine of Sienna
Institute in Colorado, Springs has a program, Called and Gifted, which is a prayerful process to
discern our Personal Gifts. http://www.siena.org/
Next is a process that will help those who are interested in the Catholic Faith, those who
wish to enhance their knowledge about their Faith, and those coming into the Catholic Church
will find helpful is the Catholic Alpha Program. http://alphausa.org/catholic
A program that the enthused Men from the Christ Renews His Parish Retreats may find
useful is That Man Is You (TMIY). https://www.paradisusdei.org/index.php/programs/tmiy/ This
program can be both a follow-up after attending the CRHP Retreat and also as a first step to
attending the next CRHP Retreat. A Women’s “That Woman Is You” program could be built
from the Men’s That Man Is You format to continue our growing ever more fully in our personal
Faith.
Sherry Weddell, co-founder of the Saint Catherine of Sienna Institute has written two
books: “Forming Intentional Disciples” and “Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples”. In her
first book Ms. Weddell refers to Authors Don Everts and Doug Schaupp. In their book: “I Once
Was Lost - What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus” (published in
2008) and from a review in InterVarsity Press - “listen(ing) to the stories of two thousand
postmodern people who have come to follow Jesus” they highlight “the factors that influence
how people shift in their perspectives and become open to the Gospel”. “Postmodern evangelism
is a mysterious and organic process that nevertheless goes through discernible phases, as people
cross thresholds from distrust to trust, from complacency to curiosity and from meandering to
seeking.” Ms. Weddell, in her book lists these “thresholds” as: Initial Trust – Spiritual Curiosity
– Spiritual Openness – Spiritual Seeking – Intentional Discipleship. The Alpha Program was
initiated in 1985 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Brompton, England (HBT Church). A
Catholic Alpha Program has been initiated at our Parish and is supplemental to our RCIA

3. program as a first step to membership in the Catholic Church or as a “refresher” course to
returning to the Church or to better understand our Catholic Faith. There are concerns about the
“Catholicity” of the Catholic Alpha Program. Our program as “Alpha” – the “beginning” or
enhancement of a faithful understanding of Our Catholic Faith is paramount in our Parish’s
Alpha Program. Alpha (1985) also has five stages for Host/Leaders to gage group attendees as to
their “discernible phases” as they grow through their “thresholds” to Discipleship: Trust –
Curiosity – Seeking – Open – Disciple.
Every parish needs to become aware of the “steps” or “thresholds” that we each must step
through on our path to Christian Discipleship. In Ms. Weddell’s first book she talks of
“learn(ing) that there is a chasm … between the Church’s sophisticated theology of the lay
apostolate and the lived spiritual experience of the majority of our (Catholic) people (and
leaders). And this chasm has a name: discipleship.”The primary gift of lay leadership in our
parishes is that ALL members in organizational leadership (including our ordained and religious)
need to have given their “Yes!” to our Lord and have become Disciples in a personal relationship
with Him!
Christ in His Church, in His Parishes and for its members cannot have the practice
continue that just places “select members”, or willing workers, and/or volunteers into leadership
positions that do not share the bond of Prayerful Christian Brotherhood and Sisterhood in a
Personal Relationship with Our God! Sherry Weddell says, these parish leaders are “devoid of
spiritual motivation,”! We each need to become intentional members of the Body of Christ!
Just as Jesus washed the feet of His Apostles as a sign of Humble Servant Leadership
we too must become the Prayerful Humble Servant Leaders within our parishes, in our families,
at work, at school, at play and become the person that our Gifts potential meant us to become.
Worldly experience is not THE criteria for leadership placement in Church leadership; but
worldly experience becomes a useful tool in Prayerful discernment for parish work shared BY
true Christian Disciple Leaders.
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?
I will show you my faith BY my works. - James 2:14, 18
The world tells us to seek success, power, and money;
God tells us to seek humility, service, and love. – Pope Francis
Results are the fruit of prayerful good works. Many workers in the Church are not accomplishing,
or are not harvesting the good works that enthuse our parishes, enhance our members, bring new
members, or help the lost return. We are not impacting the cultural issues that are making evil ways
acceptable.
Enthusiasm - Greek word meaning "possessed by [a] god's essence"
Harvesting the good fruit - “I am the vine…you are the branches” - John Chapter 15:5
Each Apostolate or Ministry (e.g. Liturgy, Family Life, Faith Formation, Finance,
Maintenance, Parish/Pastoral Council, etc.), should be led by Prayerful Enthused Intentional
Disciples of Our Lord.
Each Apostolate or Ministry should have a lay led Board of Prayerful Enthused
Intentional Lay Leaders. A lay led Apostolate or Ministry should be the Leadership Heart that
accomplishes the activity of that Apostolate or Ministry. If a parish hires a Director of their
Apostolate or Ministry that Director would then be free to use their gifts to build and enhance all

4. the leaders and workers of that Apostolate or Ministry and grow their Organization. The lay
Board would be in charge of maintaining the qualified workers in their Organization; working
with their Pastor (or Director) for budget, planning, evaluation, enhancement, and volunteer
training. The Director would be a member of the parish staff. Former Board Members should be
elected by their Organization to Represent on Parish/Pastoral Council.
Each parish should form each of their parish’s organizations, committees, groups, etc.
around a Lay led Board of Prayerfully formed Leaders as a beginning of their Apostolates and/or
Ministries. As the parish experiences growth of new and enthused members each Apostolate or
Ministry can be grown to accommodate their leadership/volunteer needs. When the time to hire
Directors is reached the Boards of each Apostolate or Ministry should assist their Pastor in the
hiring process. Each new Parish Director is hired by the Pastor and is a member of the Parish
Staff but is also accountable to the Apostolate or Ministry and is a member of their Board.
With this process each Apostolate and Ministry will develop through their program a
means of building their members of the parish into evangelizers/leaders/volunteers to enhance
the parish’s programs in the parish, in the community, and outreach.
This Summery is just an overview to the most important issues facing a parish as it works
to accomplish God’s plan for His People in the Vineyards known as Parishes. My book To
Parish or Perish offers many diverse benefits that won’t be found in other books about Parishes
because the nearly 50 years of inspiration that has helped to compile the many different chapters
have been unique to the path the Lord has had me trod and their weaving together is background
information about the Church, our Parishes, choice making, leadership, organization, and a better
understanding of our participation in our Parishes, families, communities, and the Body of
Christ.
Over fifty years of leadership experience in Parish, Archdiocese, Adult and Youth
groups, A National Youth Organization, Fraternal Organizations, Corporate Training and
Facilitation, Municipal Government, and Community Renewal; along with the opportunity of
helping to found a new Parish, has given me a unique perspective that will help any Parish
become what the Lord intended His Parishes and Parishioners to Be.
Philip Carney
philcarney41@q.com
303-452-8432
11794 Melody Drive
Northglenn CO 80234