#024: Understanding Liturgical Assessment (with Mike Novak)

Mike Novak

In last week’s episode, we explored the concept of operational development with Kathy Bartlett. In that conversation, we examined how we in pastoral ministry should apply a strategic, organizational lens to the way we view our work in order to be both efficient and effective. 

Today, we are continuing this thread of practical, strategic, and professional topics by discussing the concept of liturgical assessment. Now, before you hit the “skip” button or push “pause,” consider this question for a moment. How effective are your parish liturgies? If your response was negative, what high impact steps can your community take to address this ineffectiveness? If your response was positive, what objective evidence can you point to in order to back up your claim? 

Liturgical assessment is NOT about imposing or challenging musical or aesthetic taste, it is NOT about evaluating the personal worth of you or your volunteer ministers, and it certainly isn’t about the style wars. It is about giving good, accurate, real information about the experience of those who participate in your liturgies so that you know what your community does well and so that you know exactly what to do about those things your community doesn’t do so well. To help us understand the process, we’ll speak with assessment expert Mike Novak.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Mike Novak, visit his biography page at World Library Publications. 

You can download the three resources mentioned in the conversation using the links below. NOTE: These were created by Mike Novak and are his intellectual property. The files are included here for your reference and your professional use. Please ensure that you properly credit the source of these resources. 

Handout 1: Overview of the Parish Liturgy Assessment Process

Handout 2: Liturgy Assessment Tool

Handout 3: Sample Assessment Report

The recordings of "They'll Know We Are Christians" was produced by World Library Publications. "Give Us Peace" was produced by GIA Publications.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode. 

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

#023: The Importance of Parish Organizational Development (with Kathy Bartlett)

Kathy Bartlett

If you examine professional development for pastoral ministers, you see a not-surprising array of topics and offerings. At conventions, parish and diocesan workshops, and even graduate programs, you’ll find classes in music, sacramental theology, scripture, liturgy, and spirituality. These are, of course, well and good. But what about the more practical, even mundane, topics necessary for successful ministry? What about operational planning? Or strategic planning? Or navigating interpersonal relationships? Or budgeting?

In today’s episode, we explore the concept of operational development and why these practical realities are of great importance for anyone who wants their ministry to be both efficient and effective. To do so, we’ll speak with organizational expert Kathy Bartlett, and we’ll hear tips for running an effective parish staff meeting in today’s Ministry Moment.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, visit the parish website. You can read an article about the parish, the largest in the United States, from the May 1, 2017 issue of America Magazine.

If you haven't done so yet, go back and listen to our conversation with Leisa Anslingerin Episode #014. We discuss discovering and living your strengths, and other topics also addressed in this episode.

There were lots of organizations mentioned in our conversation! You can find more information by following the links below. 

• To learn more about StrengthsFinder, visit the Gallup Organization website.
• While you are there, you can also visit the ME25 Member Engagement survey pagethat Kathy mentioned in the episode.
• You can visit the Catherine of Sienna Instituteat their website.
• Also, you can find out more about the "appreciative inquiry" process by doing a simple search in your preferred search engine. 

You can read articles about leading effective parish staff meetings at the Christianity Today ("How to Run a Great Staff Meeting") and Ministry Best Practices ("How to Make Meetings Stink Less") websites. 

The recordings of "All Are Welcome (All Belong)" was produced by OCP. "Give Us Peace" was produced by GIA Publications.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode. 

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

#022: How Firm A Foundation - Gathering and Word (with Dr. Elaine Rendler)

Dr. Elaine Rendler

We are past the half-way point of summer. In many parishes around the country, the pace of liturgical life slows a bit during these traditional vacation months. While we hope you are all enjoying some well-deserved vacation, or, at least, a lighter rehearsal schedule, we also hope you are able to take advantage of these months for some professional reflection and development.

Last week we gathered in Baltimore for the 41stNPM national convention. Almost two thousand participants spent five days learning, praying, and networking in the historical birthplace of American Catholicism. Like any convention, there were repertoire sessions to introduce new music, concerts, keynote presentations, and workshop sessions to both introduce new concepts and practices and to revisit the basics. Many of these sessions were recorded, and we look forward to bringing you some of this captured content in future Ministry Monday episodes and in the member’s only section of the NPM website.

Today, we’ll hear an archived presentation from one of this year’s NPM presenters, Dr. Elaine Rendler. Recorded at the twenty-fifth NPM national convention in 2001, Dr. Rendler breaks open the rite of gathering and the liturgy of the word. In doing so, Elaine reminds us of the structure of the liturgy, the theological and liturgical underpinnings, and challenges us to look closely at our own practice. For some of our listeners, this might be new information. For others, this will be familiar content. Regardless, we hope that today’s episode will encourage you to take some time to evaluate your community’s practice of gathering and welcoming, and that you will be able to take away some practical steps for when your full liturgical ministry returns at the end of the season.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Dr. Elaine Rendler and her work, visit her composer page at OCP and her faculty page at George Mason University. You can find out more about Today's Liturgy, including how to subscribe, by visiting the OCP website.

The recording of "You Are My Shepherd" was produced by OCP. The recording of "Give Us Peace" was produced by GIA Publications.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode. 

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.