One of the frustrations of trying to evangelize today is the atomization of society, especially in the suburbs. Each family is isolated in so many ways from their neighbors and other community organizations (just drive down your local neighborhood in the evening and observe the “TV glow” emanating from each house). But I firmly believe that this hides a lot of hurt and pain out there. With the incredible divorce and abortion rates today, there are many, many people who need to be touched by the love of Christ.

I just read a good article by an Evangelical pastor titled, “Rethinking Suburban Evangelism“. In the article, the pastor gives the positives and negatives of his own experience in trying to preach the Gospel in suburban neighborhoods. I found much of his experience familiar, and much of his advice helpful. Some excerpts:

Some of those who never go to church may be reached by the church’s annual Christmas pageant or Easter musical. The athletically inclined are more likely to respond to the church’s softball league than its junior choir program. And, yes, we’ve discovered that some people still respond well to a knock on the door.

So we still do visitation (while trying to eliminate as much of the fear factor as we can). And we offer a variety of ministries (while trying not to fall into a pointless busianity).

This is very true; there are many ways to evangelize, but we can’t rule out what the author calls “visitation” (i.e. door-to-door). Too often we assume that going door-to-door won’t work because it wouldn’t work on us. But this is a fallacy; door-to-door still works, just look at the continued growth of the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some people will still respond to this type of outreach, and as Catholics we can’t leave it to groups without the fullness of the faith to be the only ones who directly reach out to our neighbors.

Care has two sides. One is the informal, low-profile, and personal kind of care. A young man, who with his family had just moved into town and visited our church once or twice, had to have emergency gall bladder surgery. One of the Bible classes in our church heard about it. Class members took casseroles to the family and cared for the children so the wife could visit her husband. As a result, this couple joined our church and quickly became part of the ministry.

The other kind of caring is structured, open, and public. Our youth group went through two neighborhoods of West Omaha a few weeks ago to collect food for the downtown mission and gathered more than a thousand cans. They not only helped the mission, but they also made our community aware that our church cares about the needy.

These are great examples. A parish that does not care for its members – and other members of the community – is simply not a parish that is following Christ. We don’t help others simply to recruit them, but the truth is that many will join (or stay in) a parish because it is there for them in a time of crisis or loneliness.

I’ve made it a practice (and I teach this to others) to speak with the man of the family. In a day when sexism is a possible criticism, I do this not because I believe either parent is more significant than the other, but because I believe that in most homes, the man is the key in reaching the entire family. Perhaps it’s because he’s often the most reluctant; perhaps because he often has more influence on the choice of activities for the whole family.

When I do visitation, I ask if I can meet the whole family. I work at including both the husband and the wife in the conversation, but when it comes to asking for commitment (whether praying for salvation or simply indicating their willingness to visit the church), I ask the man for his commitment first. If he agrees, it’s easier for the rest of the family to make the same commitment.

This point is sure to be controversial, but I think it has some merit. Too often I see families at Mass in which the father stays at home while the mother valiantly brings her children to Mass. I worry that these are the children who eventually stop going themselves, as they have received a mixed message their whole life as to the importance of practicing the Faith.

I have often wished that Catholic parishes would be more like Evangelical ones when it comes to evangelization. Of course, there will be differences: we are not trying to bring people to a “one-time decision,” but instead into a life-time sacramental communion with Christ. This difference necessitates a difference in approach at times. But the fact remains that Evangelicals, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses bring many people into their communities with only a fraction of the truth – how many would become Catholic if our parishes were out there truly evangelizing?

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