The report highlights four key elements that are evident in vibrant parish communities: Leadership, Worship, Word, and Service. These elements combine to form a parish that is welcoming and missionary.
In addition, the report details how parish vitality may be fostered through four specific areas or lenses of parish life, as identified by the Church Vitality Affinity Group: Welcoming Parishes, Young Adults, Women and Women Religious in Leadership, and Hispanic Ministry. These areas are represented as four pathways in the adjacent infographic “Pathways to Parish Vitality.” Each pathway contains action steps that invite the faithful into the church and encourage them to then go forth to spread the Gospel within the larger community. These pathways also support the vitality of a parish.
