Parish Social Ministry [Paperback]

Tom Ulrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Meeting the social needs of their communities-the elderly, teen moms, poor schools, blighted neighborhoods-is essential to the life of the parish. Whether looking to build upon, or simply start, a concerted social ministry outreach, this guidebook poses all the questions (and provides direction and answers) to help your parish move forward. Questions Posed and Answered: •What does a fully functioning parish social ministry effort look like? What is its vision? •What does a parish social ministry effort attempt to accomplish? How does it attempt to accomplish it? •What is the foundation of parish social ministry? •What are the characteristics of direct service and social action ministry? •What are the scriptural foundations for parish social ministry? •What are the key elements of successful parish social ministry? •How does one assess to what extent parish social ministry is being fully developed in the parish? •What exactly is a parish social ministry leader? How do we identify potential leaders? •How is a team of leaders organized to be the conduit for parish social ministry efforts? •How do you effectively recruit parishioners to lead social ministry work? •Is it important for social ministry to be integrated into the life of the parish? How is that accomplished? •How can diocesan offices and parishes create a partnership to do parish social ministry? •What are the main considerations and skills for being a successful meeting facilitator?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Ulrich has nearly twenty-five years of professional experience in working with parishes. He has a master's degree in social work (specializing in community organizing), a bachelor's degree in psychology, and has been trained as a trainer. He has worked as a caseworker for Catholic Charities, directed parish social ministry for Catholic Charities at the diocesan level, worked in the educational division of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and is currently the Vice President for Training, Convening, and Mission at Catholic Charities USA. He lives in Maryland with his wife of 28 years, with whom he has raised two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: Ave Maria Press, Inc. (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877937478
• ISBN-13: 978-0877937470
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Primar for Parish Justice Ministry, August 25, 2011

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Brandon Vogt - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Parish Social Ministry (Paperback)

Last year I was tapped to be the Vice-Chair of our parish's "Social Ministries Commission." When I joined, the commission hadn't done much for about a decade and was somewhat floundering. In fact, because of the word "social", most people in our parish thought the Commission was merely responsible for planning parties.

Since then we've really tried to turn things around. To fix our image problem we renamed our team the "Justice and Service Commission" and we began to organize, unite, and market all of our community's justice-related efforts. To teach about the the imperatives of justice, we've hosted speakers, workshops, and I even gave a four-talk series on Catholic social teaching.

So why do I tell you all that? A big part of the change was the effort and imagination of our team. But a number of my own proposals and ideas came through reading this thin book by Tom Ulrich. Parish Social Ministry provides incredibly practical strategies for building a social ministry in your parish.

In the book, Ulrich offers a number of case studies, sample worksheets, examples, and discussion questions you can immediately use. Ulrich provides a framework for making a parish become outward-focused, which makes this a great book for pastors, pastoral associates, or justice and peace leaders. If you want to revive or begin a thriving social ministry in your parish, this book will get you going.