Parish Pastoral Council
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Purpose
- Develop a sense of community by promoting volunteerism and creating a parish family.
- Develop a system to promote a greater understanding of the content of our faith and the formation of our faith.
- Provide opportunities for parishioners to grow through personal and community worship.
- Provide opportunities for the people of our parish to address the spiritual and corporal needs of others.
- Practice transparent reporting and prudent stewardship of parish resources.
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Parish Council CharterThe Parish Pastoral Council advises and assists the Pastor in engaging the parishioners of St. Joseph Parish in the development of a mutually shared vision and implementation of a pastoral plan by which the parish as a whole strives to carry out its mission from Jesus Christ given through His Church.
- Reflect with the Parish Family to develop a mutually shared vision,
- Inspire it to grow in faith
- Engage each person to act upon his or her faith.
Purpose Statement from the Council:
The goal of the St. Joseph Catholic Church Parish Pastoral council is to use our diverse expertise and our enthusiasm to motivate and inspire St. Joseph Catholic Parishioners to live and practice their Catholic faith every day.
Team Values Identified by the Council (with definitions and corresponding behaviors):
Respect: high regard and esteem within and outside the group.1. Listening actively to others (being able to summarize and reflect it back)
2. Being considerate of/acknowledging all opinions
3. Speaking in turn
Passion: a high level of conviction about and commitment to our work
1. Showing enthusiasm toward what we are doing
2. Staying focused/staying on task/not getting side-tracked/showing progress
3. Coming to meetings prepared and on time
Faith (Religious): Our thoughts, words, and actions are rooted in our Catholic Tradition
1. Parish Pastoral Council decisions are based on prayer and reflection.
2. Opening and closing meetings with prayer.
3. Parish Pastoral Council members participate actively in parish life and the Sacraments.
Integrity: Behavior conforms to accepted Catholic standards of right and wrong
1. Uncompromised honesty in words and actions.
2. Publicly supporting decisions of the Council made by consensus.
Insight: The ability to look beyond the obvious (think outside the box)
1. Breaking down complex ideas into simpler thoughts.
2. Outside preparation/research/consultation with the parish before meeting discussions.
3. Propose alternate views to encourage discussion.
Team Outcomes
Key Responsibility Areas
Worship
Leadership
Community
Word
Service
Stewardship
Evangelization
Timing, Resource, and Budget
Team Operating Guidelines
Meeting Structure:
The PPC will aim for results-oriented meetings. Agendas are to delivered to members a week prior to each meeting. Copies of all agenda and working documents will be stored for the convenience of members will be stored at the Council Google Docs site. Council meetings will be scheduled for the third Thursday of each month unless otherwise amended by the group. Meeting process roles will consist of: facilitator, scribe, process observer, and timekeeper. The council will determine the length of service for each role.
Problem-Solving Process:
‘Problem,’ is used here mostly to refer to something is not working right, or at least not as expected, and maybe that’s why there are complaints. Perhaps parishioners are not coming to planned events – Because we haven’t gotten the word out? Because the events are not as appealing as we thought? Because other events are scheduled at the same time? Because there’s something wrong with the parishioners that they don’t immediately flock to the events we set up? Also included under ‘problem’ are unexpected events that need to be dealt with: perhaps we were depending on a rental company that just went out of business, or some law changed so that we can no longer do something the way we did before. In other words, the word ‘problem’ here refers mostly to problems in our projects or programs, NOT problems between individuals. For that, see the ‘conflict’ section below.
Problem Solving will begin with open discussion, with members carefully listening to all sides of the issue. Some structured problem-solving techniques may be needed to understand the root causes of the problem to come to a consensus as to what the problem really is. This could include brainstorming or using storyboards to determine which ideas are reasonable and applicable. Some tools and techniques could include patience, compromise, and active listening. This may also include the use of flip charts, whiteboards, dry wipe markers, and sticky notes, among other tools.
Decision-Making Policies:
Remember, this was written to apply to all sorts of teams. You may have to adapt the questions and your responses to take into account that the Parish Pastoral Council is an advisory council, not a decision-making body and that its purpose is to help develop and help implement a “mutually shared vision,” rather than legislating anything. Yet, as the Council carries out its work, there are decisions that will need to be made.
The PPC will reach decisions by consensus, an agreement that all can live with even if all members do not completely agree with the decision. The decisions reached by consensus could be later amended depending on the severity of the consequences resulting from the decision. While a quorum is desirable in all PPC decisions, it is crucial to have a balance of the people involved in the decision. All decisions and recommendations should be open to revision resulting from changing circumstances or information. The facilitator, assisted by the process observer, will work to ensure that all members are involved in the consensus reaching activities.
Conflict Resolution Rules:
Members perceiving a conflict or breach in values should first approach the individual before involving the entire group in the conflict. Parties involved in the conflict must be willing to discuss the problem, reflect on their role in the conflict, and take responsibility for resolving the conflict.
Team Norms and Ground Rules:- Members will actively participate, stay focused, and listen respectfully
- Members will provide immediate feedback to the issue at hand while being mindful of the sensitivity
- Members are expected to be prompt at all meetings, participate in council activities, and complete tasks as assigned
- Members are expected to use their skills and talents, in supporting the activities of the PPC
- Members will maintain a professional and pleasant demeanor while interacting with others
- We will acknowledge and celebrate accomplishments of the PPC at least twice each year with dinner or another appropriate manner
Roles:- Team Leader: the Pastor
- Facilitator: Solicits input from the members of the PPC, develops meeting agenda with the Team Leader, publishes the agenda via email one week in advance of the next meeting, and executes the agenda to ensure the intended outcomes are accomplished. The facilitator will serve for six months, and assist in the transition of the incoming facilitator. The council will nominate the incoming facilitator, who will be confirmed by the Pastor six months prior to assuming that role.
- Scribe: Documents meeting proceedings and publishes them via email for review by the council within ten days of the meeting. The scribe posts the approved meeting notes to Google Docs and submits a summary for publication in the bulletin and Parish website. The scribe will serve for six months, and assist in the transition of the incoming scribe. The council will nominate the incoming scribe, who will be confirmed by the Pastor six months prior to assuming that role.
- Process Observer(s): Ensures full participation of the team members and monitors the meeting proceedings to ensure adherence to the values, norms, and ground rules of the council. Every member of the council is accountable to identify and address the council when they observe violations. The facilitator will designate a Process Observer for each meeting, as well.
- Time Keeper: Ensures adherence to the planned agenda item time estimates. The timekeeper will announce when the time has ended and the council will decide whether to extend or table the topic. The facilitator will designate a Time Keeper for each meeting.
- Council Member: Parishioners will be nominated to serve on the Council for three years starting with the September meeting. The Pastor will contact those nominated personally to ask their commitment. Members could be asked to extend in certain circumstances.
- Charter Endorsement:
(The parish council members and Fr. James Morris have signed the original document.)
Team Vision: Reflect, Inspire, Engage!
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St. Joseph's members are: Father John Fleckenstein, Stacey Nutting, Jason Schmidt, Ann Ollis (Chairperson), Janet Trumbley (Vice Chairperson), Tom Gazella (Secretary), Renee Hardmen, Ray Matejczyk, Mary Helen Proos, Gabi Havilicek, Jonathan Goble & Mark Frazee.
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