From Maintenance to Mission: Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish [Paperback]

Robert S. Rivers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

Evangelization, contrary to what many people believe, is not just a Protestant concern; in fact, writes Robert Rivers, it is Catholic to the core. In this practical, approachable work he suggests that the Catholic parish is a wonderful setting to carry out the evangelizing work of the church.

He makes the case that evangelization holds they key to the future of the church because it was in fact the centerpiece of post-Vatican Council reform. Drawing from the USCCB document Go and Make Disciples, which offers a comprehensive plan and strategy for evangelization, he explores ways to challenge us to become Catholic evangelizers. And he proposes ways to move from maintenance to mission-oriented parishes.

"My purpose," affirms the author, "is to try to place before the reader a compelling vision of Catholic evangelization and share some strategic thinking that might enable us to implement the great vision to which we have been called." He attains that goal convincingly, practically, and hopefully.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A pastoral leader could find here the unifying principles that could help him or her pull it together. -- America

About the Author

Robert S. Rivers, CSP, who holds an STL from the Gregorian University in Rome, is vice president for mission advancement at the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association in Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Paulist Press (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809143186
• ISBN-13: 978-0809143184
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Important Subject, Problematic Message, October 31, 2008

By 

Eric Sammons (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: From Maintenance to Mission: Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish (Paperback)

As head of my parish's evangelization committee, I was very interested in reading this book to find new ideas for effective Catholic evangelization. Any book that is about the need for Catholics to evangelize is a noble undertaking. Since so many Catholics don't recognize the urgency of our call to evangelize, anyone trying to foster that effort, like Fr. Rivers, should be commended. However, this book falls quite short in its ability to actually help Catholics bring people the Good News about Jesus Christ.

There are two major problems with "From Maintenance to Mission":

1) It ostensibly attempts to take a "non-partisan" view of the divide within the Church today, yet ends up equating positions that reject the Church's teachings with those that support it. Fr. Rivers tries so hard to appear non-partisan about the divide , but it is clear where his sympathies lie. For example, in the first chapter he uses the tired and inaccurate terms "conservative" and "liberal" to explain the divide within the post-Vatican II Catholic Church, which often ends up equating heretical and orthodox beliefs. In his example of this divide, he speaks of a "Midwestern diocese" in which the "conservative bishop had staked out a clear ideological path". This led to people feeling "alienated, angry, and betrayed". He does not give a similar example of such problems in the other direction. This in spite of the fact that there have been entire dioceses decimated by bishops rejecting the Church's teachings and attempting to become just like the culture around them.

2) It does not sufficiently prioritize an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ as the central focus of evangelization, instead often emphasizing structural and social justice themes. I am personally familiar with one of the parishes he lauds as an evangelizing parish in the book, and this parish is consumed with activities and social justice work, while diminishing the importance of embracing Church teaching in one's life and being personally transformed by Jesus Christ.

Recent history has shown that watering down the Gospel does nothing to further its reach. It is only through dynamic orthodoxy that the Church's message of salvation is powerfully preached, and people are evangelized. Fr. Rivers' attempts to diminish the important of preaching the whole Gospel - even those aspects that are difficult for moderns to accept or even understand - does not help in the work of evangelization. I would recommend passing on this book if you are serious about evangelization in the Church and the world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, moving, call to action, January 16, 2011

By 

Lou - See all my reviews

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This review is from: From Maintenance to Mission: Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish (Paperback)

From Maintenance to Mission discusses the challenging topic of re-evangelization within the Church.

The book is engaging, it provides deep insight into the issues of the contemporary Church, and challenges its membership to evangelize the Good News. It advocates a return to the core values, and personality traits of the earlier Church. It reminds us of our life in Christ, and the responsibilities of faith.

Try it, you'll like it.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maintenance to Mission, November 5, 2006

By 

Joseph Krzanowski - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Maintenance to Mission: Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish (Paperback)

Terrific book which tells it like it is in a non-judgemental style. It gives parishes a goal to work toward so that the routine "irritations" become secondary to the real mission of the Church.