Commission on Evangelization

In reflecting on the experience of holding ecumenical listening series in two different churches where he was pastor, Glenmary Father Dennis Holly concluded that it would be helpful for parishioners to have some preparation. He envisions giving them a simple framework to guide their listening.

From the six ministers who talked last spring in his misison parish in Lafayette, Tenn., he has identified eight areas where there are many variations of belief and practice. Each area can be seen as a spectrum or a horizontal line. Most churches fall somewhere “in between” the extremes depending on where they place the emphasis in their church life.

The eight areas that he has identified are:

• Leadership: congregational churches to hierarchical churches

• Worship: churches with ritual to those not having any ritual

• Attitude toward salvation: a specific moment (Are you saved?) to an ongoing process

• Attitude toward “outsiders” whether they can be saved or not

• Communion: open to anyone who is baptized or open only to those who are full church members, (e.g. Catholic)

• Biblical interpretation: individualistic (the Spirit speaks in the heart of each believer) to ecclesial (the Spirit speaks within the church body)

• Emphasis in worship: emotional to cerebral-Word to Sacramental

Has your church experimented with education about other Christian churches? How would you devise a preparation process for your church members?

Please Share Your 'Idea That Works'': If you have an evangelization idea that works, please share it with Glenmary's evangelization consultant, Lorraine Vancamp.

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Nashville, TN  37208
615-256-1900
dps@glenmary.org