Pastoral Council

The Pastoral Council ensures the life of the parish reflects the mission of Jesus and that all parishioners are encouraged and provided an opportunity to participate in this mission.

Purpose

"...to examine and consider all that relates to pastoral work and to offer practical conclusions on these matters, so that the life and activity of the People of God may be brought into greater conformity with the Gospel."

-Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiae Sanctae

• Examine pastoral matters
• Consider and reflect upon pastoral matters
• Offer practical actions to address pastoral matters, and
• Overall, to plan its pastoral program systematically and to fulfill it effectively

What Does the Council Do?

• Consult and advise the Pastor
• Examine pastoral needs
• Prioritize needs
• Develop and propose strategies to address those needs, including the identification of parish resources to implement those strategies
• Provide a model of a small Christian community

Membership

Meetings and Minutes

Good Shepherd Pastoral Council
2022 - 2023 Goals and Objectives

Goal 1 - Welcoming: To improve the welcoming atmosphere at Good Shepherd by implementing activities that result in a self-sustaining Welcoming Committee under the guidance of the Pastoral Associate by June 2023.

Objectives:

1. Expand the Welcoming Ambassador ministry and offer a comprehensive Welcome Wagon with regularly updated information by May 2023.
2. Research and evaluate Connect Communities for Good Shepherd by May 2023.
3. Transition the quarterly “Church and Chat” meetings into the regularly scheduled Good Shepherd community events (i.e., Family BBQ, Advent Dinner, Soup & Stations, late spring event tbd) by May 2023.
4. Recruit volunteers to the Welcoming Committee to work with the Pastoral Associate in overseeing this ministry by May 2023.

Goal 2– Strengthening Marriages:  To provide couples with opportunities to strengthen their marital covenant and fortify the boundaries of their home and families.
Objectives:

1. Identify available programs for married couples and perform an evaluation of those programs by December 2022.
2. Develop a selection criterion for the programs to be considered and do an in depth look at the top 3 programs and select program(s) by February 2023.
3. Plan, host and evaluate the initial offering of the selected program(s) by June 2023.

 Goal 3 – Community Outreach: To provide information and encouragement to parishioners about opportunities to participate in community activities

Objectives:

1. Work closely with the Parish Involvement Community, the Mercy & Justice Core Community, and other ministries with existing outreach to coordinate efforts and minimize conflicts and unnecessary overlap.
2. Develop and implement an effective communication approach to share the details of upcoming opportunities by December 2022.
3. Provide support to the Parish Involvement Community, Mercy & Justice Core Community, and other existing parish outreach sponsors.