Together We Flourish

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Church as we experience our Journey in Faith together in the Archdiocese Dubuque, and as I step more fully into my role as Director of Leadership Formation.

Not the Church as a building. Not the Church as an institution. Not even the Church as the collection of programs, ministries, committees and structures we’ve created over time. The Church Jesus envisioned.

What did He imagine when He called people to follow Him? What did the Holy Spirit create when the first disciples began to gather? And what might happen if we allowed that biblical vision to shape not only what we believe about the Church, but how we think, how we speak and how we live together?

I believe the invitation before us isn’t to change the Church. It is to become more fully who God created the Church to be. And the biblical vision of the Church is profoundly participatory.

A Church where leadership is stewardship, authority is exercised as service, gifts are activated for the common good and responsibility is shared. A Church that doesn’t exist primarily to preserve itself, but to make Christ known.

Acts tells us that the first Christians devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread and prayer. They shared what they had, cared for one another, worshipped together and welcomed others.

Paul gives us another powerful image: the Body of Christ. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’” — 1 Corinthians 12:21

A body doesn’t work because one part does everything. It works because every part matters. Different gifts. Different roles. Equal dignity. Shared purpose.

This is more than a metaphor for how the Church should feel, it is a picture of how the Church is meant to function.

What would happen if we actually lived this way?

This doesn’t mean leadership is unnecessary. The Church needs pastors, authority, accountability and people entrusted with responsibility. But there is a difference between leadership as position and leadership as stewardship.

Stewardship asks:
What has been entrusted to me?
What gifts have I been given?
How can I use them for the good of the whole?

Influence becomes something we earn through trust, contribution, expertise and character, rather than something we receive simply because of a title.

Responsibility moves closer to the people doing the work. Knowledge is shared rather than protected. Decisions are made as close as possible to where the impact happens. Success becomes less about individual achievement and more about collective flourishing.

This is not about everyone doing everything – it is about everyone taking responsibility for something meaningful. If we want to become a more biblical expression of the Church, we can’t simply change our organizational structures. We have to change ourselves.

We need to think differently.
Pay attention to the assumptions you carry. Instead of protecting what we’ve always done, become curious about what God might be inviting us to become.

Instead of “That’s the pastor’s responsibility.” Ask “What is mine to steward?”

Instead of “Who gets to make this decision?” Ask “Who is closest to this work and has the wisdom and gifts to help?”

Instead of “That’s not my role.” Ask “What might God be asking me to contribute?”

We need to speak differently.
Our words reveal what we believe. Talk about our Church, not my parish. Talk about us vs. them. Make room for prayer and share what the Holy Spirit is saying vs. only your opinions and preferences. Be patient with those who have different experiences and ideas from you.

Instead of complaining, ask “How can I help?” Before telling people what you think, ask “What do you see?” Make room for other voices who haven’t always been heard by asking, “What/who are we missing?” Get curious when you feel furious by asking, “What might God be doing here?”

When we disagree, disagree without dividing. Work on intentional listening, intentional speaking, and deeper understanding.

We need to act differently.
Share information instead of holding it tightly. Invite others into decisions instead of making them alone. Develop and teach people rather than simply accomplishing tasks.

Use your gifts instead of waiting to be asked. Take ownership rather than waiting for someone else to solve the problem. Create environments where people can genuinely say:
I belong.
I am trusted.
My gifts matter.
I am growing.
I am stewarding something meaningful.

That’s what an empowered, collaborative Church begins to look like.

We aren’t called to do more. We are called to do differently.

We don’t want a Church where everyone is busier. We need a Church where more people are meaningfully engaged in the mission. The goal isn’t more programs, more meetings or more activity.

The goal is more disciples. More people deeply connected to Christ. More people discovering and using their gifts. More people taking responsibility for the mission. More people caring for one another. More people making Christ visible in the world.

Take the following question to prayer: What is God asking me to change?

• If I want a more collaborative Church, am I willing to collaborate?
• If I want people to feel heard, am I willing to listen?
• If I want leaders who empower others, am I willing to take responsibility?
• If I want people to use their gifts, am I willing to offer mine?
• If I want a united Church, am I willing to surrender some of my preferences for the sake of our shared mission?
• If I want a Church centered on Christ, am I willing to let Christ—not my comfort, history, preferences or fear—be at the center?

Transformation doesn’t begin with them. It begins with me. And then it becomes us.