Note: Response form is located at the end of the text.

Goal Four: To call forth and empower servant-leaders for ministry.

The purpose of this goal is to identify, form, train, and support servant leaders for ministry so that they are witnesses to God’s Kingdom. Inclusive of the diversity of gender, culture, and generational differences, the objectives and action steps of this goal focus on the ongoing formation of lay and ordained ministers, recruitment of young adults for church ministry, and development of parishioners for leadership in the church.

Objective 1: Promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Action Steps:

1. Establish and train vocation committees in parishes.
2. Develop, evaluate, and provide tools that assist priests in inviting men to consider priesthood and that foster relationships between priests and potential candidates.
3. Promote opportunities for discernment retreats for priesthood and religious life and develop new retreat opportunities for particular age and cultural groups.
4. Provide materials and training to all Catholic high school guidance counselors, campus ministers, and theology instructors on college options for young men considering priesthood and also include resources for high school aged discernment.
5. Develop a pastoral letter or similar resource on vocations with action steps and discussion questions.
6. Expand the use of technology to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life through audio/visual tools, the internet, and other communication vehicles.

Objective 2: Develop strategies to identify and invite persons to leadership for ministry reflective of the diversity of gender, culture, and generational differences.

Action Steps:

1. Assist local parishes with resources for training and curriculum development to recognize, equip, and affirm their baptismal call.
2. Develop a coordinated recruitment plan for ordained, religious, and lay ecclesial ministry and promote ordained and lay ecclesial ministry through information settings in a variety of settings; e.g., schools, colleges, parishes.
3. Develop a blog as well as other technologies for the recruitment of young adults for ministry.
4. Create a multicultural tool kit for parishes that would invite young adults to share their interests, gifts, and talents with the church.

Objective 3: Provide for the pastoral development of ordained and lay ministry in the Archdiocese.

Action Steps:

1. Develop and offer a symposium to clarify the role of the lay ecclesial minister and its relationship to the ordained.
2. Provide parishes with training opportunities on the topics of leadership and collaborative ministry in staff positions, boards, and councils.
3. Update policies for continuing education requirements for ordained and lay ecclesial ministers.
4. Evaluate church employee compensation and provide recommendations for improvement.

Objective 4: Provide for the ongoing personal, spiritual, and pastoral support of ordained and lay ministers.

Action Steps:

1. Develop a comprehensive mentoring program for ordained and lay ministers in their first five years of ministry.
2. Provide for the existence of various peer support groups and facilitate the establishment of new groups and the enrollment of new members in existing groups.
3. Provide opportunities for spiritual enrichment programs that serve ordained and lay ministers.
4. Expand services available to lay ecclesial ministers in times of personal crisis.
5. Implement and provide pastoral supervision for ordained and lay ecclesial ministers.
6. Develop resources, materials, and training for ministers who serve in a multiple-parish setting.