Outreach to the Unaffiliated
The rising number of people who are disconnecting from the Catholic Church—and religion altogether—presents a difficult cultural situation for the Church today. However, as Pope Francis reminds us, “difficulties exist to be overcome. Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigour” (Evangelii Gaudium, no 109).
An initiative of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops delves into this situation identifying who are disconnecting, why they are leaving, and how to get them back. Similar conditions exist in Australia.
While our current historical circumstance represents a crisis in the life of the Church, it is also a beautiful invitation, a moment in time for us. It serves as a summons to spiritually alert catechists, evangelists, and witnesses, willing to give their lives to the great task before them.
The video and the accompanying discussion guide below seek to spark conversations about how we may address this important issue. The sharing of these resources and expanding the conversation inspires all of us to respond to our baptismal call to be missionary disciples.
We explore questions related to the increasing number of people who identify as religiously unaffiliated, and highlight five effective avenues for reaching out to them.
Outreach to the Unaffiliated background
Outreach to the Unaffiliated discussion guide (PDF 593.5KB)
Original material by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops