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1-844-PUSHPAY Go Bravely: Why parish volunteers are needed now more than ever
OCIA numbers are climbing across dioceses. Here's why the volunteer standing at the door decides whether new Catholics stay or drift away.
The Church is growing again.
For decades, the story of the Church in America has been one of decline. Parishes closing, dioceses consolidating, pews emptying out, one generation at a time.
That story hasn’t ended entirely, but another one has begun alongside it.
Across the country, dioceses are reporting the highest OCIA numbers in years — young adults, Gen Z and Millennials, walking through OCIA doors not because someone asked them to, but because something in them is looking for more. They’re not showing up out of obligation. They’re showing up on purpose.
Which means someone has to be standing there when they arrive.
Tech tools don’t welcome seekers. People do.
The data on renewal in the Church is encouraging. But data has never once made a newcomer feel at home. It doesn’t stand at the door on a Sunday morning. It doesn’t notice the person sitting alone in the back pew, unsure if they’re allowed to receive communion, unsure if they’re allowed to stay.
A volunteer does.
A parish volunteer is most often the first face a newcomer sees — the one who hands them a bulletin, who explains where the OCIA meetings are held, who remembers their name the second time they show up instead of the fifth. That’s not a small thing. For a lot of people walking into a Catholic Church for the first time in years, or for the first time ever, the people who serve in your community are the ones who will make a first impression and have a lasting impact.
The renewal happening in the Church right now isn’t self-sustaining. It’s carried, week after week, by the people who show up.
Going bravely means showing up
It’s easy to think of bravery as something reserved for the big moments — a decision made at the diocesan level, a pastor navigating a difficult season, a leader casting vision for what’s next.
But for most of the people in the pews, going bravely happens in the small, ordinary moments.
It looks like:
- Introducing themselves to the person no one else has talked to yet.
- Showing up to greet newcomers at the door on Sunday mornings.
- Following up with a first-time giver, registrant, or program participant, even though it feels a little awkward to reach out.
- Staying present with someone through their first, second, and twentieth week — long after the newness has worn off for them, and long after anyone’s officially “assigned” you to care.
None of that shows up in a headline about Catholic renewal, yet all of it is the reason the renewal is real.
How your volunteers allow your parish to go bravely
This is a critical moment for parishes across the nation. And those who are committed to your mission are a critical part of responding to that moment.
Here’s what that can look like in practice:
- Volunteers are the people who are sitting beside the people in the pews, getting to know them, learning their names, and asking questions.
- They notice who’s missing. If someone who was at OCIA every Tuesday, but a staff member notices that their profile indicates that they’re no longer coming, it’s a volunteer who can follow up to check in.
- They say yes to the unglamorous roles. Greeting, setting up coffee and donuts, reaching out for newcomer follow-up calls — these aren’t filler ministries. They’re often the entire reason someone stays.
- Volunteers are the ones who can relay back to your parish team what they see in the pews. They’re closer to the pews than almost anyone on staff. What they notice about newcomers and lapsed parishioners is information your parish team needs.
The Church is in a season it hasn’t seen in decades. Whether that season becomes a lasting renewal or a missed opportunity won’t be decided by data. It’ll be decided by whether the person in the pew next to a newcomer chose to turn, say hello, and stay.
They were created for this moment. Let’s go bravely into it.
