Members of a faith community should think of their parish as their home away from home; a place where they come to worship with their brothers and sisters in Christ.  Parishes which provide a welcoming and sacred environment for their members to worship and offer their gifts in service to God are known as vibrant faith communities.

Community Building is about creating and sustaining a vital faith community where parishioners feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging in their parish.  If the parish community is supportive and spiritually nourishing, parishioners will want to share their gifts with the larger community and become involved in parish ministries.  Once they are involved in ministries, they will become aware of the importance of building and renovation structures and the concept of a Master Plan for their parish campus.

If the time comes to improve the physical structure of our church, we must first "build up" other parish structures which support the mystical Body of Christ.  In other words, parishes should "build community" before they begin a building/renovating plan.  The need to build a new church structure or an education/life center should arise from an unmet need for space to support pastoral ministries and for people to gather and participate in their faith community.  When parishioners understand and support this, it will have a mighty influence on the success of a capital campaign. 

An excellent way to build community is through parish pastoral planning.  Parish pastoral planning is a process which invites collaboration and consensus among the members of a faith community.  It provides an opportunity for everyone to get involved in some capacity.  Led by the pastor and with the support of the parish pastoral council, each parish will examine where it is at present and where it wants to be at some point in the future (generally five years out).  In addition to building community, all parishes in the Diocese of Charleston are asked to evaluate the following areas of their parish pastoral activity: Evangelization, Christian Formation, Social Ministry, Stewardship and Prayer and Worship.

If your parish needs an effective planning initiative or just needs some guidance, the Diocesan Office of Planning is available and willing to serve you and your community.