Barriers to Parish Participation

  • Sometimes it’s easy for a parish to develop an “in-crowd” where others feel excluded.
  • Be careful of using acronyms. Not everyone understands what they mean and are embarrassed to ask or feel excluded.
  • Current parish ministry leadership – Unknowingly, when a person leads a ministry too long, the ministry can become the “agenda of Joe” and may discourage people from joining. (Develop term limits for leaders and rotate leaders to other ministries.)
  • Parishioners don’t always know what their gifts or talents are (See more under Gift Discernment).