Michael White (15)

This book gets a lot of things right about the way Catholic parishes are currently being run ... In many cases, yes, Catholic parishes are being run into the ground. Parishioners are more consumers than disciples ... it's more about me, me, me! I, myself, may very well fall into this category ... because as the Parish Secretary at my current parish it's really upsetting for me to read that my job -- a job I absolutely love and am very good at -- is more or less obsolete because it can be done by a retired volunteer parishioner as part of their ministry.

When I told others, "Oh that's a really great book; I've had to read it for work ..." They told me, "It's not really. Its better for a large parish but would never work for a small parish where I work..." Because I hadn't read but the first first chapters, I didn't understand their comment ... as I'm now finishing up the book I totally understand it. By this books standards, we are a very small parish ... a lot of what they suggest -- a parking ministry -- is something that would never be feasible for us or necessary. An "Information Booth" would also not be necessary ...

Update: I've decided to not bother finishing the book.
Another reviewer pointed out that Rebuilt never mentioned the Eucharist, or at the very least, mentioned it very rarely. (It was an excellent review.) I found Encyclical Letter of John Paul II: On The Eucharist in it's Relationship to the Church in a collection of booklets I had and started reading this ... THIS is the book parishes should be reading!

Adrianne… (más)

Whew! Talk about a title that promises a lot. It’s a problem, alright. It’s a problem in Catholic churches, but it’s also true of most mainstream Protestant churches, too. Wouldn’t it be great if this book really could teach us how to awaken the faithful, reach the lost, and make church matter? The authors share first what didn’t work (food, lots of activities), strategies that only ended up making everyone in charge feeling more tired and more despairing. Then they share how they were able to transform their church into a body of Christ that was vital and alive.… (más)