April 20 -23, 2008 will mark an historic event for the Catholic Church in the US. The National Ministry Summit in Orlando will gather pastoral leaders from across the country to look at the future of Catholic ministry in this country.
Traditionally, most Catholic professional associations for ministers (eg., priests, deacons, pastoral planners, lay ministers, religious educators, young adult ministers, youth ministers, etc.) hold an annual conference for their members. What makes the Summit unique is that for the first time in history, six of these professional associations are planning one joint conference — the National Ministry Summit.
The sponsoring organizations are:
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National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM)
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Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development (CPPCD)
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National Association of Church Personnel Administrators (NACPA)
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National Association of Diaconate Directors (NADD)
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National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association (NCYAMA)
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National Federation of Priests’ Councils (NFPC)
The National Ministry Summit will include information and discussion about the results of the Emerging Models project which has been ongoing for the past four years. The project has been identifying trends, challenges and growth edges of pastoral leadership. By sharing models and best practices, the group will be developing recommendations for the future.
At the Summit, participants will be able to select one of six action groups to explore an area in more depth. The action groups are:
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Pastoring Multiple Parishes
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Parish Life Coordinators and Sacramental Ministers (Canon 517.2)
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Young Adults: The Next Generation of Parish Leadership
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Implications of the Emerging Models Studies for Human Resources
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Implications of the Emerging Multicultural Diversity for Pastoral Leadership
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Best Practices of Parish Leadership
The individual professional associations will also hold their business meetings and related workshops immediately before or after the Summit.
The Summit will take place at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando Florida (near Disney World.) Any interested person may attend, on a space-available basis. If you are a member of one of the six sponsoring professional associations, you will also be eligible for a $200 scholarship applicable towards the registration fee. (Those who aren’t members may want to explore joining one of the associations.)
Over 500 participants have already registered to attend the National Ministry Summit. The Registration Brochure is available online. More information on the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project is also available online.
In times when parishioners may be discouraged by various factors, whether it be the drop in the number of priests, the closing of parishes, or the changing attitudes among younger Catholics, the National Ministry Summit will be a beacon of hope and direction for our future Catholic Church in the US.
Posted by APWeb 
