Step Four - Get Organized
Congratulations! Your ministry is now official, and you can start getting organized and making plans.
Give yourselves a name.
Some suggestions are Care for Creation Team, Care for Our Common Home Ministry, Green Team, Integrity of Creation Ministry.
Draft a mission statement.
This can be an interesting and far-reaching exercise that should be done in a brainstorming session. Any and all ideas should be welcomed first, and the group can then pare them down to your most important ideals. Look in the Resources Tab for examples of mission statements.
Create a Logo.
Develop a logo with the name of your ministry and your parish and use it any time your ministry communicates with others: bulletin notices, emails, agendas etc. To get started, use a logo that the Diocese of Arlington has created and is sharing for free. You can download the file and edit by adding your parish name.
Establish goals and objectives.
Set an initial set of goals and objectives that your team can accomplish in the first year. Consider developing goals within four main areas: Spirituality, Education, Sustainability, and Advocacy. Here is some guidance as you formulate possible goals:
Give yourselves a name.
Some suggestions are Care for Creation Team, Care for Our Common Home Ministry, Green Team, Integrity of Creation Ministry.
Draft a mission statement.
This can be an interesting and far-reaching exercise that should be done in a brainstorming session. Any and all ideas should be welcomed first, and the group can then pare them down to your most important ideals. Look in the Resources Tab for examples of mission statements.
Create a Logo.
Develop a logo with the name of your ministry and your parish and use it any time your ministry communicates with others: bulletin notices, emails, agendas etc. To get started, use a logo that the Diocese of Arlington has created and is sharing for free. You can download the file and edit by adding your parish name.
Establish goals and objectives.
Set an initial set of goals and objectives that your team can accomplish in the first year. Consider developing goals within four main areas: Spirituality, Education, Sustainability, and Advocacy. Here is some guidance as you formulate possible goals:
- Have conversations with your pastor, parish council, liturgy committee, director of religious education, parish facilities manager, school principal, and others about what may be realistic starting points for your efforts. E.g., what do they see as effective ways of getting the message of Laudato Si’ out to the parish? Where do they notice opportunities for reducing energy or materials?
- Start with small steps on which people will be willing to collaborate, rather than trying to push larger efforts that may make people feel overwhelmed. As people become knowledgeable about what can be done, they will become more invested, and will be ready to work on larger projects.
- Try to have something that everyone can be involved in. Take into account the demographics and resources of your parish, the interests of the people, and the groups that already exist. For example, what small steps can people take at regular meetings of parish groups and ministries? Is recycling available at your parish? Can you make your parish a plastic-water-bottle-free place? Can you phase out single-use items in the kitchen? Always keep the spiritual connection to sustainability efforts in focus and offer suggestions to staff and others in a spirit of improvement, not criticism.