The Rebuilt Parish Podcast

Episode 60 - Building a Culture that Welcomes People

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Summary
Father Charlie Garza shares his experience of growing a welcoming parish community at St. Albert the Great in Austin, Texas. The parish is multicultural, with people from over 60 countries. 
 
Before focusing on parish renewal, the weekly mass attendance was around 2,500. However, through intentional efforts to create a welcoming environment, the attendance has almost doubled, with Spanish-speaking attendance at 222% above pre-COVID levels and English-speaking attendance at 7% above pre-COVID levels. 
 
Father Charlie shares his experience in building a welcoming culture at St. Albert the Great. He discusses the challenges faced, such as pushback from older generations who felt left out when the focus shifted to young adults. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the pain points of parishioners and addressing them. 
 
Father  Charlie advises other multicultural parishes to identify the big events for each culture and tailor their strategies accordingly. He also encourages parishes to learn the principles of successful growth but adapt them to their own circumstances. Father. Charlie shares his vision for St. Albert the Great, including hosting large events and providing training for hospitality teams.
Takeaways
Creating a welcoming parish community begins with a mindset shift and a positive attitude towards newcomers.
Leadership plays a crucial role in setting the tone for hospitality and welcoming.
The entire parish community, including volunteers and regular attendees, must actively participate in creating a welcoming environment.
Hospitality should be extended from the parking lot to the pews, with a focus on making newcomers feel welcome and included.
Initiatives such as welcome tables, connection cards, welcome emails, and personalized phone calls can help newcomers feel connected and informed.
Retreats can be a powerful tool for engaging newcomers and transitioning them into discipleship. Building a welcoming culture requires understanding and addressing the pain points of parishioners.
Multicultural parishes should identify the big events for each culture and tailor their strategies accordingly.
Learn the principles of successful growth but adapt them to your own parish's circumstances.
Don't be afraid to fail and learn from failures.
Celebrate wins and reinforce positive behaviors to build confidence.
Have a vision for big events and invest time and energy in planning for them.
Provide training for hospitality teams to ensure welcoming practices.
Perseverance is key in achieving success in parish growth.
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Parish Background
02:19 - Impressive Growth in Attendance
06:16 - Extending Hospitality from Parking Lot to Pews
09:43 - Engaging the Entire Parish Community in Welcoming
14:42 - Initiatives and Practices for Enhancing a Culture of Welcome
23:19 - Building a Welcoming Culture: Addressing Pain Points and Challenges
28:23 - Tailoring Strategies for Multicultural Parishes
34:05 - Adapting Principles for Successful Growth
36:15 - Embracing Failure and Learning from It
41:00 - Vision for Big Events and Planning
42:48 - Training for Welcoming Hospitality Teams
45:09 - Perseverance in Parish Growth

Episode 59 - Identifying Your Target Audience, Establishing an Invest and Invite Strategy Implementing a Newcomer Engagement Plan

 
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Summary
In this conversation, Allie Wade, the Connections Coordinator at Nativity, shares insights on growing wider and building a welcoming culture in a parish. She emphasizes the importance of identifying the target audience and looking outside the church walls to reach newcomers. 
Allie discusses effective strategies for reaching different groups within the community and highlights the power of personal invitations from parishioners. She also explains the invest and invite approach, which focuses on building relationships and making genuine connections. 
Allie emphasizes the need for a structured plan for welcoming and integrating newcomers, as well as the importance of creating a culture of hospitality and care. She encourages parishes to learn from successful churches and conferences, and to tailor these strategies to fit their own community.
 
Takeaways
Identify the target audience by looking outside the church walls and studying the community.
Personal invitations from parishioners are powerful in attracting newcomers.
Invest and invite approach focuses on building relationships and making genuine connections.
Having a structured plan for welcoming and integrating newcomers is essential.
Creating a culture of hospitality and care is crucial for growth.
Learn from successful churches and conferences, and tailor strategies to fit your own community.
 
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:19 - Identifying the Target Audience
06:25 - The Power of Personal Invitations
08:07 - The Invest and Invite Approach
11:27 - Creating a Structured Plan for Newcomer Engagement
13:13 - Building a Culture of Hospitality and Care
25:30 - Challenges and Encouragement
33:22 - Conclusion

Episode 58 - Grow Wider Deep Dive

Get our FREE Grow Wider Evaluation here: rebuiltparish.com/widerevaluation 
 
Summary
In this conversation, Ed discusses the importance of the Grow Wider anchor in the Rebuilt Framework. 
 
He emphasizes the need to build a culture that welcomes people and shares the burden of reaching out to the unchurched. Ed highlights the key elements of the Grow Wider anchor, including identifying the target audience, implementing an invest and invite strategy, creating a compelling digital presence, and providing exceptional kids and student programs. 
 
Ed also discusses the importance of implementing a newcomer engagement plan and shares success stories and challenges faced by parishes in implementing these strategies.
 
Takeaways
Building a culture that welcomes people is crucial for parish growth.
Identifying the target audience helps parishes focus their efforts.
Implementing an invest and invite strategy encourages parishioners to invite others to church.
Having a compelling digital presence, including a user-friendly website and active social media, is important for attracting newcomers.
Providing exceptional kids and student programs helps engage young families.
Implementing a newcomer engagement plan, including a welcome desk and follow-up emails, helps newcomers feel welcomed and connected.
Consistency and intentionality are key in growing wider.
Evaluating and improving strategies is essential for parish growth.
 
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
03:30 - Chapter 1: Building a Culture of Welcome
08:10 - Chapter 2: Identifying the Target Audience
14:20 - Chapter 3: Implementing an Invest and Invite Strategy
24:44 - Chapter 5: Providing Exceptional Kids and Student Programs
29:55 - Chapter 6: Implementing a Newcomer Engagement Plan
34:25 - Chapter 7: Success Stories and Challenges
38:49 - Chapter 8: Consistency and Intentionality in Growing Wider
42:09 - Conclusion

Episode 57 Weekend Experience Evaluation

Weekend Experience Evaluation
Get our FREE Weekend Experience Evaluation here: rebuiltparish.com/weekendevaluation 
 
Summary
In this episode, Melissa discusses the importance of conducting a weekend experience self-evaluation to improve the overall experience for parishioners and newcomers. 
 
She covers various aspects of the weekend experience, including the first impression, physical setting, staff and volunteer ministers, children and parents, preaching, music, hospitality and fellowship, preparation and evaluation, and the online campus experience. 
 
Melissa provides questions and recommendations for each area and encourages listeners to take action and create an action plan based on their evaluation.
 
Keywords
weekend experience, self-evaluation, parish, newcomers, first impression, physical setting, staff, volunteer ministers, children, parents, preaching, music, hospitality, fellowship, preparation, evaluation, online campus
 
Takeaways
Conducting a weekend experience self-evaluation can help improve the overall experience for parishioners and newcomers.
Areas to evaluate include the first impression, physical setting, staff and volunteer ministers, children and parents, preaching, music, hospitality and fellowship, preparation and evaluation, and the online campus experience.
Taking action and creating an action plan based on the evaluation can lead to an excellent weekend experience in the parish.
Providing a welcoming and engaging experience for children and parents is crucial for the weekend experience.
Having quality sound and engaging with remote parishioners is important for the online campus experience.
Chapters
 
00:00 - Introduction: Conducting a Weekend Experience Self-Evaluation
01:54 - Chapter 1: Creating a Welcoming First Impression
05:09 - Chapter 3: Ensuring Excellence in Staff and Volunteer Ministers
08:03 - Chapter 4: Fostering a Positive Experience for Children and Parents

Episode 56 Investing in the Online Campus

Get our FREE Weekend Experience Evaluation here: rebuiltparish.com/weekendevaluation 
 
Summary
Father Roger Gustafson shares his experience of building an online campus for his parish during the COVID-19 pandemic. He started by live streaming Masses and gradually grew his online congregation to over a thousand subscribers. 
 
The online campus includes live streaming Masses, Zoom small groups, and online chat hosts to engage with the virtual community. Father Roger emphasizes the importance of making online parishioners feel welcome and connected to the community. 
 
He also discusses the financial impact of the online campus, with giving increasing by 9% since 2020. Father Roger encourages parish leaders to start somewhere and strive for excellence in their online initiatives.
Check out Father Roger's parish online: https://www.sthilary.org/ 
 
Takeaways
Building an online campus can help reach and engage a broader audience, especially during times of limited in-person gatherings.
Creating a welcoming and connected virtual community is essential for online parishioners.
Starting small and taking steps towards excellence is key to building a successful online campus.
Investing in technology and professional expertise can enhance the online worship experience.
Financial giving can increase as the online congregation grows and becomes more connected to the parish community.
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Background
06:18 - Engaging the Online Congregation
12:33 - Creating Welcoming Touch Points for Online Parishioners
28:29 - The Financial Impact of the Online Campus
36:20 - Recommendations for Building an Online Campus

Episode 55 Crafting Meaningful Liturgical Celebrations

Get our free Weekend Experience Evaluation here. 
Summary
Fr. Gregory  Reichlen shares his experience of coaching with Rebuilt and the transformation it brought to his parish. The parish, located in the eastern Pocono Mountains, had a multicultural and multilingual community but struggled to engage with the culture, especially the next generation. 
 
After attending the Rebuilt Conference in 2018, Fr. Greg and his team implemented changes, particularly in the liturgy, to create a welcoming and vibrant experience. The COVID-19 pandemic forced them to adapt and seek guidance through webinars and coaching. 
 
They focused on prayerful preparation, casting a vision, and involving volunteers in the planning and execution of liturgies. They also emphasized the importance of music, meaningful homilies, and active participation. Fr. Greg encourages parish leaders to start somewhere and take one step towards parish renewal.
 
Takeaways
Coaching with Rebuilt can bring transformation to a parish and help engage the next generation.
Creating a welcoming and vibrant liturgical experience is essential for parish renewal.
Prayerful preparation, casting a vision, and involving volunteers are key to successful liturgies.
Music, meaningful homilies, and active participation enhance the worship experience.
Parish leaders should start somewhere and take one step towards parish renewal.
 
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Parish Background
07:15 - Creating a Welcoming and Vibrant Liturgical Experience
14:32 - Involving Volunteers in Planning and Execution of Liturgies
32:32 - Ensuring Reverent, Meaningful, and Inclusive Sacraments
38:28 - Advice for Parish Leaders

Episode 54-Engaging Empowering Volunteers

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Summary
Joseph, the minister coordinator at Church of the Nativity, discusses his role in recruiting and training ministers for NextGen. He emphasizes the importance of creating an environment where ministers feel their service is serving Christ and removing roadblocks to serving. 
Joseph shares his approach to recruiting, training, and empowering volunteer leaders, including the use of a tier structure and developing relationships. He also highlights the significance of saying and knowing people's names, providing clear positions and expectations, and following up with potential ministers. 
Joseph emphasizes the importance of maintaining cohesiveness through communication, prayer, and keeping the why in focus. In this conversation, Joseph shares insights on training and developing volunteer leaders, overcoming challenges, and effective communication within a ministry. 
He emphasizes the importance of pouring into people, leading by example, and creating a culture of trust and support. Joseph also highlights the power of prayer and being specific in prayer requests. 
He recommends resources such as the Rebuilt Podcast and the Next Gen Rebuilt course for building up volunteer ministers. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the importance of conveying emotion in email communication.
 
Takeaways
Create an environment where ministers feel their service is serving Christ
Remove roadblocks to serving
Develop relationships with potential ministers
Say and know people's names
Provide clear positions and expectations
Follow up with potential ministers
Maintain cohesiveness through communication and prayer
Keep the why in focus Pouring into people and leading by example are crucial for training and developing volunteer leaders.
Creating a culture of trust and support is essential for the success of a ministry.
Being specific in prayer requests can help build trust and confidence in God's provision.
Effective communication involves getting the message across and receiving a response.
Multifaceted communication is necessary as different age groups respond differently.
Resources such as the Rebuilt Podcast and the Next Gen Rebuilt course can provide valuable insights and guidance for building up volunteer ministers.
Conveying emotion in email communication can help to effectively communicate and connect with recipients.
 
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Role of Minister Coordinator
08:13 - The Power of Saying and Knowing Names
16:27 - Keeping the Why in Focus
33:37 - Effective Communication
41:49 - Building Up Volunteer Ministers

Rebuilt Podcast Episode 53: Weekend Experience Deep Dive

Get our free Weekend Experience Evaluation here. 
Summary
In this conversation, Ed Bradley discusses the importance of the Weekend Experience anchor in the Rebuilt model for successful churches. He emphasizes the need for excellence in the Mass experience and how it ties into the other anchors. Ed highlights key elements of a great Mass experience, including music, message, and ministry. He explains how a great Mass experience can take people deeper in their faith and bring them back week after week. 
 
Ed also discusses the importance of consistency, preaching a unified message, and building layers of hospitality. He touches on the significance of investing in the next generation and the role of an online campus in enhancing the weekend experience. 
 
Ed concludes by offering advice to parish leaders on strengthening their weekend experience and the resources available through Rebuilt Parish Coaching.
 
Takeaways
The Weekend Experience anchor is crucial for successful churches and involves delivering an excellent Mass experience.
 
Key elements of a great Mass experience include music, message, and ministry.
 
A great Mass experience can take people deeper in their faith and bring them back week after week.
 
Consistency, preaching a unified message, and building layers of hospitality are important for a strong weekend experience.
 
Investing in the next generation and having an online campus are also critical for parish growth.
Rebuilt Parish Coaching provides valuable resources and support for strengthening the weekend experience.
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Overview
04:20 - Key Elements of a Great Mass Experience
09:03 - Delivering a Consistently Excellent Weekend Experience
13:47 - Building Layers of Hospitality
28:55 - Advice for Strengthening the Weekend Experience
34:39 - Resources and Support from Rebuilt Parish Coachi