When you vote for a politician, you are choosing him to lead you and your community.
When you go to the doctor, you are choosing her because she can lead you to good decisions about your health.
When you want to accomplish something complicated (for example, plan for retirement, decide to get married, buy a new house), you look for leaders who can guide you through the journey to your goal.
Who leads the RCIA in your parish?
When the inquirers come to us, they are looking for leadership. It is perfectly fine to say “Father Jones is the leader of our parish.” Or you might say, “Sally is the leader of our RCIA process.” But when a potential inquirer shows up for Mass on Sunday morning and is checking out your parish, she doesn’t know Father Jones or Sally. She might sit in your pew. Or just behind you or just in front of you. She is looking for a leader. And you’re it.
Check out this webinar recording: “Strengths Based Leadership for RCIA Teams.” Click here for more information.
Or maybe you are Sally. Maybe you are the RCIA team leader. Perhaps you don’t like that title. Many of us are more comfortable with “coordinator.” That’s fine, but it doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the team is looking for a leader. And they are looking at you. It isn’t going to be helpful to them, or to you, if you keep passing the buck to Father Jones. If he was going to be the leader of the RCIA process, he wouldn’t have asked you to take the job.
Or maybe you are Father Jones. You no doubt see yourself as the leader of the parish. But there are a lot of irons in the fire. You can’t possibly provide the kind of leadership everyone is demanding of you at every committee and council meeting. Even so, at every single meeting you are not at, someone is invoking your name. They are all saying, “Father wouldn’t go for that” or “That’s what Father wants us to be doing.”
If you’re reading this, you’re probably an RCIA leader
It is important for all of us in ministry—and especially initiation ministry—to understand the importance of leadership and how to provide it. Every single one of us—from the brand-new volunteer to the 30-years-ordained pastor—is a leader in the parish. And we have one primary objective as leaders. We lead people to Jesus. The Holy Spirit has given each of us a unique mix of gifts for leadership and an individual call to leadership. The word we more often use for this Spirit-filled leadership is “vocation.”
Whatever we call it, we need to be doing it. The most important thing we can do is to pray about where the Spirit is leading us and how we are called to lead others.
It won’t do any good to say, “I’m not a leader” or “I’m too busy to lead.” The Holy Spirit has other plans. The most fruitful thing is to figure out what those plans are and get on with it.
How do you lead?
How do you lead RCIA in your parish? What has the Holy Spirit called you to do?
Check out this webinar recording: “Strengths Based Leadership for RCIA Teams.” Click here for more information.
