Disciples in Mission: The Parish Evangelization Program and What It Still Teaches
Quick answer
Disciples in Mission was a parish-wide evangelization process created by the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association (now Paulist Evangelization Ministries) to put into practice the U.S. bishops' 1992 plan Go and Make Disciples. Beginning in 1996, dioceses sponsored it for their parishes, which committed to three years of prayer, Sunday homilies, Lenten small faith-sharing groups, family and teen activities, and lay leadership. The program is no longer offered, but its approach remains a practical model for parish renewal.
Key takeaways
- It was built to carry out the three goals of the bishops' plan Go and Make Disciples.
- Dioceses committed for five years and parishes for three, always voluntarily.
- Its heart was Lent, when parishioners met in small groups to reflect on the Sunday Gospel.
- A Parish Leadership Team, guided by the pastor, led the work and grew new lay leaders.
For about a decade, thousands of American parishes spent their Lents in a simple but powerful way: reading the Sunday Gospel together in small groups, praying for their neighbors, and learning to share their faith. The process was called Disciples in Mission, and its lessons are worth remembering.
Where It Came From
In 1992 the U.S. bishops published Go and Make Disciples, a national plan for Catholic evangelization. It set three goals: to renew the faith of Catholics so they would share it freely, to invite everyone to hear the Gospel, and to foster Gospel values in society.
A plan needs a method. The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association (PNCEA), founded in 1977 by Fr. Alvin Illig, CSP, as an apostolate of the Paulist Fathers, designed Disciples in Mission to help parishes carry out those goals. It began in 1996.
How It Worked
Disciples in Mission was sponsored by a diocese, not sold to individual parishes. A diocese committed to the process for five years. Parishes chose to take part, voluntarily, for three years. The PNCEA believed that forcing every parish to join would not produce lasting fruit.
The process wove together:
- Prayer, personal and communal, for the parish and for those far from the faith.
- Sunday liturgy and homilies connected to the Gospel readings of Lent.
- Small faith-sharing groups of adults and teens meeting weekly during Lent.
- Catechesis and bulletin inserts explaining the Church’s evangelizing mission.
- Family activities to help households pray and grow together.
- A Parish Reflection Day to look honestly at the parish and plan.
- Follow-up so the parish kept going after Easter.
Because the Sunday readings follow a three-year cycle (A, B and C), each year of the program used a different cycle of Lenten Gospels.
What It Hoped For
The program set out clear objectives for parishes. It hoped they would focus more on the word of God, become more welcoming, reach out to inactive Catholics and the unchurched, apply the Church’s social teaching, strengthen families, include young people, and see more inquirers in the RCIA (now OCIA). For parishioners, the hope was renewed faith in Jesus Christ and the confidence to witness to Him at home, at work and in the neighborhood.
Lay Leadership
A key to the program was the Parish Leadership Team. Under the pastor’s guidance, lay parishioners planned each year, trained small-group facilitators and organized the Reflection Day. A Diocesan Leadership Team trained and supported them. Many parishes found that the process drew out new leaders, including young adults, who went on to serve long after the program ended.
Lessons for Parishes Today
Disciples in Mission is no longer offered, but its insights fit what popes have taught since. St. Paul VI wrote that evangelizing is “the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity” (Evangelii Nuntiandi 14). Pope Francis calls every baptized person a “missionary disciple” (Evangelii Gaudium 120).
- Start with the word of God. Renewal grows from prayerful reading of Scripture, especially the Sunday Gospel.
- Use small groups. People open up and grow in faith when they meet in groups of eight to twelve.
- Plan for years, not weeks. Lasting change takes patience.
- Raise up lay leaders. The pastor cannot do it alone.
- Look outward. A parish exists not only for its members but for those it has not yet reached.
A Prayer for Parish Renewal (Original Prayer)
Lord Jesus, You sent Your disciples to every nation. Renew our parish with the fire of Your Spirit. Make us hearers of Your word, a welcoming community, and witnesses of Your love to all we meet. Amen.
Continue Reading
Read about Go and Make Disciples, how to run small faith-sharing groups, or how to start a parish evangelization team.
Frequently asked questions
Who created Disciples in Mission?
The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association in Washington, D.C., an apostolate of the Paulist Fathers founded by Fr. Alvin Illig in 1977. The organization is now called Paulist Evangelization Ministries.
Is Disciples in Mission still available?
No. The program ran from 1996 into the 2000s. Paulist Evangelization Ministries now offers other programs, and its approach lives on in many parish renewal efforts.
How many parishes used it?
The program reported that by the mid-2000s over 2,000 parishes in 34 dioceses had taken part. Paulist Evangelization Ministries later described its reach as 3,600 parishes in 42 dioceses.
Sources
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Go and Make Disciples (1992)
- Paulist Evangelization Ministries, Our History
- Pope St. Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), no. 14
- Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (2013), nos. 27–28, 120
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