Woe to the solitary person! If that one should fall, there is no other to help. So also, if two sleep together, they keep each other warm. How can one alone keep warm? Where one alone may be overcome, two together can resist. A three-ply cord is not easily broken.
-Ecclesiastes 4:10b-12
With so much happening at any given moment in the parish, it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on. Even worse, it’s easy to lose track of each other. One of the quickest ways a parish can break down is when each member of the parish team becomes so lost in their own projects that they stop coordinating and communicating. Different ministries start to clash, schedules are mixed up, and suddenly, a once harmonious office becomes filled with bitterness, rivalry, and resentment. In short: siloing destroys community. It’s time to turn the tables and tear down the silos.
Do not be afraid (of technology)!
“Tear down the silos” may sound scary and challenging (could a parish possibly have MORE meetings or MORE emails?). However, when we use available technology well, it’s actually quite easy (and leads to LESS meetings and LESS emails). In almost every major industry, there are apps for tracking projects, meetings, events, and anniversaries. These apps allow various teams working together to always be on the same page, know who is doing what and when, and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Instead of leading to division, they help build comradery and mutual support. When new tech and new apps can help us build better community, we need to embrace them. Heck, the first American to earn a PhD in Computer science was a nun!
There’s an app for that
When Fr. Josh designed Pastoral Parish, he created it specifically to keep every person involved at the parish on the same page. From the Pastor to the leader of the weekly Bible study, various members of the parish team can have access to the information they need to know, all in one place. No emails or meetings necessary. Does Fr. Bob need to know who his next Pastoral visit is? It’s on Pastoral Parish. Does the Marriage ministry leader need to know if the future Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have their baptismal certificates in? They can check on Pastoral Parish. Does the event coordinator need to schedule a quinceanera? They can schedule it on Pastoral Parish. This is technology built well, carefully designed to serve the boots-on-the-ground needs of the parish and build a stronger community.
Maybe Pastoral Parish isn’t the right fit for your parish. Maybe simply using Slack, or Monday, or any number of other options can help. The point is that as a Church we cannot afford to become siloed in our own parishes. We need to do whatever we can and use whatever resources and technologies are out there to make sure we are always on the same page, working together to build each other up and accompany our parishioners towards Christ.
