THE PARISH COUNCIL 'TOP TEN':

RESOURCES EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER SHOULD HAVE

By Mark F. Fischer

How should you prepare for the council ministry? Read the following "top ten" and you will have the foundations, common practice, and current issues. The list contains seven books published in the 1990s, four titles still in print from the 1980s, and foundational Vatican publications essential to councils.

Bausch, William J. The Hands-On Parish: Reflections and Suggestions for Fostering Community. Mystic: Twenty-Third Publications, 1989. This is not as new as Bausch's The Total Parish Manual (Mystic: Twenty-Third, 1996), but it contains his premiere contribution to council theory, namely, the two-tiered council structure: large-group information-sharing and small-group decision-making.

Deegan, Arthur X., II, Editor. Developing a Vibrant Parish Pastoral Council. New York and Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1995. This collection of eleven articles introduces the central issues of council theory (purpose, member selection, and leadership). It coheres because each writer is a member of the Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development, the only national organization for people in the council ministry.

Howes, Robert G. Creating an Effective Parish Pastoral Council. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1991. Howes' refreshing focus is the role of the council in parish planning and development, rather than on group dynamics or spirituality. He followed it with his Parish Planning: A Practical Guide to Shared Responsibility (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1994).

McKinney, Mary Benet. Sharing Wisdom: A Process for Group Decision Making. Allen, TX: Tabor Publishing, 1987. Although this book is ten years old, it remains the best introduction to council member selection and decision-making. Benedictine Sister Mary Benet combines a sophisticated group process with a profound insight into the nature of wisdom and discernment.

Olsen, Charles M. Transforming Church Boards into Communities of Spiritual Leaders. Silver Spring, MD: The Alban Institute, 1995. Olsen, a Presbyterian minister, has a vision for building leadership groups by inviting people to share their faith, to reflect theologically, to make decisions in a discerning way, and to plan for the future.

Rademacher, William J., with Marliss Rogers. The New Practical Guide for Parish Councils. Foreword by Most Rev. Rembert G. Weakland, OSB. Mystic: Twenty-Third Publications, 1988. Although Rademacher and Rogers give to councils more responsibilities than any volunteer group could possibly accomplish, this book remains the most comprehensive council handbook.

Sacred Congregation for the Clergy. "Patterns in Local Pastoral Councils" (Circular letter Omnes Christifideles, January 25, 1973). Origins (The publication of the Catholic News Service) 3:12 (Sept. 13, 1973): 186-190. The Circular Letter is the only post-conciliar document from the Vatican to deal exclusively with pastoral councils, and the first to mention parish (and regional) "pastoral" councils. Its recommendations were affirmed in canons 511-14 and canon 536 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law.

Sofield, Loughlan, and Brenda Hermann. Developing the Parish as a Community of Service (Silver Spring, MD: LeJacq Publishing, 1984). This book predates Sofield and Carroll Juliano's Collaborative Ministry (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria, 1987) and Sofield and Donald H. Kuhn's The Collaborative Leader (Ave Maria, 1995). But Developing the Parish was among the earliest works to show how parish councils can plan for the parish's mission (rather than remain preoccupied with a system of standing committees).

Sweetser, Thomas, and Carol Wisniewski Holden. Leadership in a Successful Parish. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1987. This is not as recent as Sweetser and Patricia M. Forster's Transforming the Parish (Kansas City: Sheed and Ward, 1993), but it remains the most significant argument for the pastoral council as the coordinator of parish standing committees, and so as the chief agent of parish networking.

Vatican Council II. "Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People" and "Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church." Number 26 of the Laity Decree recommended apostolic councils at the parish level, and paved the way for councils to coordinate parish standing committees. Number 27 of the Bishops' Decree recommended pastoral councils which offer solutions to pastoral problems, the basis for the pastoral planning council.