Divine Renovation: Bringing Your Parish from Maintenance to Mission

Can read in chunks. Interesting to see how opening up can make progress in your church. Useful tool for discussion. Stepping stone for other interactions, effort and work. Will use for reference.

I was looking for something different this lent. It was easy to give up things for lent. It is not so easy to tackle a new challenge along with my parish. This was the challenge I needed. I will read this again in a few months to refresh all that I have read. I would recommend this to any Catholic out there who feel they need something extra in their spirituality.

Really solid, helpful and (at times) inspiring book for those involved in leading parishes forward in the Catholic setting. Just got a bit hard-going at times towards the end, but extremely valuable resource.

From start to finish this book made me think deeply about how my parish could be improved. I can not recommend it enough. I am currently rereading it and have wealth of ideas that are both easy to implement and are longer term. It has also made me think more deeply about my own faith. It is a must read and fills me with hope.

Once I started this book, I found I couldn't put it down. Fr. James's enthusiasm is inspiring and uplifting. I don't know how this book will change my thinking about church but change will happen because of it. Every priest and lay person who wants to see the church grow should read this book.

This is a must read book for any clergy who run parishes and who want to renew the life of the parish in order to keep it alive and growing. It is also an essential tool for parish staff to draw inspiration from and a guide to leadership in the parish.

Good read

Informative and a realistic summary of the issues facing the Catholic Church in the West. Clear, purposeful strategy proposed as a faith-filled response by clergy and laity. Well worth reading.

Recommended reading for anyone who wants to make a difference in their parish and in the world at large. Firmly rooted in the Gospel and documents of the Church - Vatican II and more recently Evangelii Guadium - this book provides insight into what has worked to move from a maintenance to missionary church

Great book. Very inspiring. One of my favorite ideas was this: The danger of success makes us work within the capacity of our abilities instead of faith in the power of God. Thank you for showing the way to deep renewal in a Catholic context based on our ow traditions. I have found similar attempts of Catholic parishes looking for inspiration almost exclusively in the evangelical Protestant world, which is fine and good, but it was refreshing to see a parish priest find ample firing power for change in Recent Popes and the workings of a Latin American bishop meeting profoundly influencing Pope Francis. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Divine Renovation provides both a theological framework and a personal account of church restructuring to create a missional community. The author is a parish priest and although he is very concerned to root these changes in doctrine, he wants to be practical and applied, in one case right down to placement of projector screens. I found the shift back and forth from the lofty to the mundane sometimes challenging but effective. The author's pastoral heart is evident here, and he shares many stories of parish life, some very personal. It is written from a Roman Catholic doctrinal perspective but as an Evangelical I found much that was relevant to any church context (discipleship groups, staffing, contemporary music, Alpha etc.). If you are considering how to re-energize your church for mission I recommend this book.

Muy recomendable para un equipo parroquial que quiera revitalizar su parroquia pero necesite antes reflexionar despacio sobre qué es lo que necesitan hacer y por qué. Para ello se refiere muchas veces el autor a la historia de la Iglesia-sobre todo la de los últimos dos siglos- y a numerosos documentos de los papas recientes. Pero también relata de forma muy jugosa el proceso de renovación de su propia parroquia y de su papel como párroco, con sus aciertos y sus errores, y con los obstáculos e imprevistos. Es perfecto para poner manos a la obra con plena conciencia de qué significa seguir a Cristo y a qué misión nos llama.

Tudo que nós enquanto igreja católica precisa! Renovação e os seus meios para isso!!! Precisamos de mais conteúdo como esse. Perfeito!