Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
1. Storytelling Jesus taught through stories, and so should we. Storytelling conveys information on multiple level, and is a powerful tool for influencing behavior. If you want to teach the seekers how to be disciples, teach them using the techniques of the Master. For more guidance on using storytelling in your catechesis, click here. 2. […]
Six skills every RCIA catechist must have
What would you say if I told you that none of us are actually catechists or teachers? That’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: In catechesis … “It is Christ alone who teaches — anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ’s spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips.” (427)
Ten ways RCIA teams teach like Jesus
Every parish thinks their team is too small. I met some folks from a Texas megaparish that has 35 people on their RCIA team. They think their team is too small. The smallest team I have served with is three — me and two others. Jesus started with one and maxed out at 12. And
Help! My RCIA team is too small
Most RCIA team members know that, for the purposes of the rite, an “adult” is anyone who has reached catechetical age.* That means that if an unbaptized child who has reached catechetical age wishes to be baptized, he or she is also confirmed and receives first communion at the moment of baptism. It also means
Misunderstandings about the age of confirmation
This article is focused on influencing the pastor because that is how the question is most often asked of us here at TeamRCIA. How do I get my pastor to do X? If you are a pastor, I know your concern is the reverse. How do I get my RCIA team to do X? I
If I said that through baptism, a person is made one with Christ, we would all agree to that. If I said that a person who is baptized outside of the Catholic Church is made one with Christ, there might be some resistance. We would want to know who baptized the person, how the baptism
Does your RCIA teach one baptism — in both words and actions?
Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors, had an audacious goal. He planned to deliver 500,000 electric cars to waiting consumers by 2020. He set this goal despite the fact that no one has created a successful new car company in the United States in over 50 years — much less one that sells electric cars.
Plan for an audaciously better RCIA…and change the universe
For year and years, I kept a hand-written to-do list that looked like this. At any given time, it had maybe 50-100 items on it. That’s crazy. If you make lists like that, stop. Long lists like that are depressing. They never end, and you’re never done. It is impossible to complete a list like
How to keep track of everything and not go crazy: a primer for RCIA teams
In a previous post (“How long does RCIA take?”), I wrote about the initial discernment process and said: “If you find out you are dealing with a biblical scholar who has been living as a faithful Lutheran for 40 years, the training process can be very brief.” That prompted a reader to e-mail me with
Should we stop calling ourselves “RCIA” teams?
Human beings are bad at making estimates. How long will it take to shop for groceries? How long will the meeting last? I’ll just check Facebook for a minute or two. We are just plain awful at giving accurate answers about time. So when someone asks us, “How long does RCIA take?” what should we
