1 - Communion

The first idea, that of communion, brings us to the heart of Christian identity. Christians are chosen and united by God. The First Letter of Peter says this about the Christian communion: "You are 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart' to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light" (2:9). All Christians form one people. God has called us together. Our communion is the foundation of our efforts on behalf of the Church.

2 - Participation

That brings us to the second idea, that of participation. In the Christian communion, everyone participates. Christians are participant-members of the Body of Christ. St. Paul taught, "As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many are one body, so also Christ" (1 Cor. 12:12).

Baptism commissions every Christian to carry on the saving mission of Christ. Every Christian belongs. Every Christian has a part to play. All of us are to work together as partners in bringing forth God's kingdom.

3 - Gifts

The third fundamental idea from Christian tradition is the idea of gifts. As members of the Body of Christ, every Christian has a gift from God's Spirit, given for the benefit of the Church. St. Paul taught that "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but same God who produces all of them in everyone" (1 Cor. 12:4). Not everyone has the same gift. Pastors have the gift of leadership. Council members have the gifts of wisdom and prudence. All of us serve the Church according to the gifts we have been given.

4 - Consultation

The final idea is that of consultation. From the earliest days of the Church, the leaders would take counsel with the community. The apostles and the elders met at the Council of Jerusalem, for example, to discuss whether gentile Christians needed to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15, Galatians 2). No decision was made until all parties, including Paul and Barnabas, had had a chance to speak. Consultation ensured that the leaders received good advice and that the community remained united. What was important in the first century is no less important today. Pastors consult parishioners in order to receive wise counsel and to hold the community together.

The four ideas of communion, participation, gifts, and consultation are ancient. But they have a relevance for pastoral councils today. Vatican II recommended the establishment of councils in 1965. That original recommendation has been amplified in later official documents. But the pastoral council, a new creation of the Vatican II Church, has its roots in Christian antiquity. Pastors establish councils in order to benefit from the wisdom of parishioners. The Church envisions parishes in which pastors and people form a single communion.

All parishioners are invited to participate in the parish to the best of their ability. Some have gifts suitable for service on the pastoral council. Those council members are consulted by pastors in order to study pastoral problems, reflect on them deeply, and draw practical conclusions.

Parish Pastoral Councils - An outstanding web stie by noted author Mark Fischer. Mark is on the faculty of St. John's Seminary in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. This site is a massive resource for pastoral councils.