Pastoral Council Diocese Guidelines

ST STEVEN CATHOLIC CHURCH

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL

Job Description for Parish Council Members

The Parish Pastoral Council (hereafter referred to as the PC) members function as anintegrated body of the faithful that forms a dynamic, consultative resource to the pastor as the parish community unites to achieve our mission. PC activities focus on nurturing

our individual and collective lives in the living Christ by:

• Envisioning long term directions that will bond parishioners into a cohesive community;
• Establishing  plans, goals and policies in collaboration with the Pastoral Team and Financial Council and parish committee leaders that enable meeting the mission;
• Coordinating the consistent review and evaluation of the effectiveness of parish ministries, projects, processes and systems toward achieving goals, recommending changes as appropriate;
• Guiding our faith community in living our Christian call to be evangelists and good stewards.

Roles of the PC Member

Members of the PC are:

• Servant leaders of the parish in consultation with the pastor, functioning as a resource to the Pastoral Team, parish administrative staff, and parish committees;
• Partners in devising ways to unite the parishioners as people of God in St Stevens community;
• Ambassadors of the living Christ to the parishioners, evangelizing the word of God;
• Champions for the sharing of each parishioners time, talent and treasure to nourish the Kingdom of God on earth;
• Facilitators of outreach to the greater Church and communities;
• Active participants in achieving parish and PC goals.

Responsibilities of a PC Member

Each member of the PC is expected to:

1.  Make a firm commitment to actively support the parish in achieving the vision and mission of St Stevens;
2. Participate in prayer and study to identify and prioritize the ways in which the parish is being called to fulfill its mission;
3. Commit time to fulfilling PC goals and conducting PC business;
4. Participate actively in the planning, goal setting and evaluation processes and other PC business;
5. Use the practices of discernment in assessing and addressing parish needs and of consensus in making strategic decisions;
6. Interact with the other PC members with an openness that promotes careful listening and respectful dialogue;
7. Energetically encourage fellow parishioners to exercise good stewardship;
8. Maintain awareness of changing circumstances and needs in the greater Church and surrounding communities;
9. Perform effectively as a PC member by constantly evaluating ones changing role and contribution to the PC.

Member Expertise and Skills

 Given the type of leadership needed on the PC and the nature of the work, we seek parishioners who have the following abilities and skills:

•   Servant leadership skills
• Strategic planning and goal setting expertise
• Critical thinking and analytical skills;
• Strong decision making expertise;
• Measurement and evaluation skills;
• Flexibility and openness with people and ideas;
• Positive interpersonal relationship skills;
• Oral/written communication skills;
• Teamwork skills.

February 6, 2007