Engagement Toolkit
Empowering the Gifts of the Community

Design Process

1.  Assess: Engagement Processes of the Parish Community
2. Explore: Discovering the Gifts of the Community
3. Plan: Develop an Engagement System

1. Assess: Engagement Processes of the Parish Community
Processes for Developing the Gifts of the Community
(Sharing the Ministry: A Practical Guide for Transforming Volunteers in Ministers. Jean Marie Trumbauer. Augsburg Fortress, 1995.)
Shifting the Paradigm from Volunteers to Ministers
(Sharing the Ministry: A Practical Guide for Transforming Volunteers in Ministers. Jean Marie Trumbauer. Augsburg Fortress, 1995.)
paradigm_shifts.pdf
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Parish Assessment of Volunteer Ministry in the Parish Community
(Sharing the Ministry: A Practical Guide for Transforming Volunteers in Ministers. Jean Marie Trumbauer. Augsburg Fortress, 1995.)
congregational_assessment_.pdf
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2. Explore: Discovering the Gifts of the Community 

Option 1. Discover the Talents in the Parish Community using Strengths Finders from Gallup
This first option uses the StrengthsFinder from Gallup as the basis for helping people in the parish community identify their talents. This can be implemented in many different ways, for example as a workshop or small group program with current and potential leaders, as an adult faith formation program, or as a Lenten series. 
Living Your Strengths: Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your Community
Living Your Strengths shows all members how to use their innate gifts to enrich their congregations and parishes. It teaches people to identify and affirm their talents, and how to use them for growth and service. Every church member plays a role in energizing and shaping the church. Living Your Strengths will help them find their  role, and, most importantly, inspire people to discover their true calling. The book includes a unique access code that gives people access to the Clifton StrengthsFinder, a personality assessment that reveals a person's top five talent themes. The book is available in English and Spanish, and there is a Catholic edition. 

Download the Clifton StrengthsFinder Themes to review the 34 talents. 
clifton_strengthsfinder_themes.pdf
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Conduct a Workshop or Small Group Program Using StrengthsFinder and the Living Your Strengths Book

The Living Your Strengths Guide and Moderator's Manual is designed to guide small group discussions centered on the Living Your Strengths book and related StrengthsFinder® assessment. Small groups coming together to learn more about their unique God-given talents, those of others, and how we each contribute to fulfillment of the Body of Christ results in a greater sense of belonging and more effective stewardship. 

The five session program includes the following modules. They can be used independent of each other.
  1. Personal Discovery
  2. Understanding Others
  3. Team Development
  4. Spiritual Enrichment
  5. Devotion to Stewardship
living_your_strengths_-_guide.pdf
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living_your_strengths_-_moderators.pdf
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Building Bridges in the Heart of Your People: Strengths and Talents as Keys to Engagement and Participation
Building Bridges to the Heart of Your People by Leisa Anslinger and Stephanie Moore is your guide to building a fully participative parish culture. When people see themselves as a gift from God, discover their talents, build strengths, and grow as good stewards of their gifts as members of the parish community, their lives are changed and the parish culture is transformed. This third book in the Bridges series builds on current research and the best practices of Catholic parishes in North America within a strong theological and ecclesial context. Are you ready to build a strengths based parish culture? This book begins by examining why it is important that every person sees him or her self as a gift from God. With this foundation, we explore who we can be as a community of disciples who grow as good stewards. Then, we consider what it takes to identify talents and build strengths. Finally, we explain how to build fully participative culture in the parish.

Catholic Life and Faith Website: https://www.catholiclifeandfaith.net
Building Bridges book information: https://www.bridge2faith.net/workbooks

Option 2. Gift Inventories

1. Gift Inventory (and Letter)
(Created and Called: Discovering Our Gifts for Abundant Living. Jean Marie Trumbauer. Augsburg Fortress, 1998.)
gift_inventory.pdf
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gift_inventory_-_letter.pdf
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2. Gifts and Talents Inventory 
After people complete this gifts inventory have them move on to the inventory of ways they can be involved in the church community and world. Have them think about which interests best match with their gifts and talents. Some activities may be more traditional, such as teaching or singing, while others may be new, such as digital ministry. Customize the "inventory of ways to be involved" to the parish community and local community. 
gifts___talents_inventory.docx
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3. Finding Your Gifts and Talents for Service (Ministry Matters)

​3. Plan: Develop an Engagement System
The "Guide to Developing a Ministry Leadership System" helps parishes design an engagement system that  builds on the strengths and areas for improvement identified in Part 1 (Assessment) and utilizes the results of the Gifts Inventory process in Part 2. The Guide has three elements: 

​Part 1. Inviting People into Leadership
Step 1. Identify the leaders you need.
Step 2. Develop job descriptions for each leadership position.
Step 3. Search for persons with leadership potential.
Step 4. Develop a database of potential leaders.
Step 5. Secure needed leaders.
Step 6. Meet with each prospective leader.
 
Part 2. Preparing and Training Leaders
Step 1. Provide an orientation workshop for all leaders.
Step 2. Develop and implement a training plan.
 
Part 3. Supporting Leaders
Step 1. Authorize leaders to begin service.
Step 2. Provide the information and resources that leaders need.
Step 3. Gather information and evaluate the work of leaders.
Step 4. Deal with problems.
Step 5. Express and celebrate the support of the church.
developing_a_leadership_system.pdf
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developing_a_leadership_system.docx
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Additional Resources
The Volunteer Church. Leith Anderson and Jill Fox. (Zondervan 2015.
  • Learn how to effectively recruit and train volunteers
  • Discover how to build sustainable, long-lasting ministries led by volunteers
  • Find methods for encouraging and maintaining your volunteers for success
  • Know how to build teams of volunteers
  • Understand how to find the right service that fits a willing volunteer
​
Connect: How To Double Your Number of Volunteers. Nelson Searcy. (Baker Books, 2012)
This step-by-step guide shows church leaders how to create a culture that attracts, keeps, and grows volunteers. Taking a comprehensive approach to the often frustrating issue of finding and retaining volunteers, Connect gives leaders the practical insight and tools they need to effectively involve people in serving the local church. It details how to help people see the importance of serving, how to continually raise up new volunteers, how to really delegate, and even how to "fire" a volunteer.
The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer. Jonathan McKee and Thomas McKee. Group, 2012.
This book is designed with the simple goal of helping you recruit, manage, and lead the new breed of volunteers. They'll guide you to a clearer understanding of what today's volunteers look like, how they want to get involved, and how you can most effectively attract, train, and unleash them within your organization. You'll also discover a bounty of helpful resources to assist you, including job descriptions, applications, and interview questions; activities, icebreakers, and team-builders for volunteer meetings; community-building activities; and tips for board retreats and planning sessions. The 21st century calls for a new system and for a greatly expanded definition of what it means to be a volunteer. 
Parish Covenant: Building Bridges to the Heart of the Community: Six Steps to Creating a Parish Covenant. Leisa Anslinger and Stephanie Moore. Catholic Life and Faith, 2015. 

This book is a guide to strengthening your community through a parish covenant. The covenant leads parishioners to make an on-going commitment to Christ and to the parish. This second book in the Bridges series builds on current research and the best practices of Catholic parishes sin North America within a strong theological and ecclesial context. Are you ready to deepen your parishioners' commitment to Christ and to your parish community? This book begins by exploring why clarifying expectations is key. Then, we consider what a parish covenant is, and how to create one, using six proven steps. Finally, we explore how the big picture of creating an engaging and evangelizing community comes together through the covenant process. 
Everyone Leaders: How to Revitalize the Catholic Church
Chris Lowney. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2017.

After a bracing review of the church’s global struggles—from clergy shortages to declining participation—Lowney draws on two decades of change-management experience to propose an "EASTeR" strategy of five transformational principles: be entrepreneurial, be accountable, serve, transform, and reach out. These five ideas can catalyze profound change in every parish, in how bishops think, and in the roles laypeople play in leading the church. Filled with real-life examples, Everyone Leads outlines strategies that anyone can employ—from the pews to the pulpit—to strengthen the church. As a former business executive who lectures globally about leadership, Lowney speaks credibly about the institution’s challenges and potential. And, as chair of one of Catholicism’s largest hospital systems, he writes “from within” as a Catholic who loves his church and is committed to seeing it flourish.