Parish Champion

Role of a Parish Champion

A “Parish Champion” can be defined as a lay member who serves as a parish’s “subject matter expert” in one of the following areas:

  1. Journey website functionality / credentials

  2. Invitations

  3. Mission Team / Alpha Team

It is encouraged that a parish discerns 2 champions to lead numbers 1 and 2 above. These champions can help teams understand when and how to give their members access to the Journey website and also can help the parish be as successful as possible in the crucial ministry of invitations.

Role of the Mission Champion and the Alpha Team

The JOURNEY Mission Champion is not a formal ministry in the JOURNEY process. The Mission Champion is simply the person or persons who begin the process of bringing the retreat to their home parish. This is a long process which will involve various twists and turns.  We are not in control, we attempt to do our part, be open to the Holy Spirit and take the gift forward when we are first able to do so. 

Bringing JOURNEY to your parish

  1. Contact the Regional Support Team (info@journey.org). You will be assigned a liaison from the JOURNEY Regional Support Team.

  2. The JOURNEY Mission Liaison will meet with the interested parties to outline the steps that need to be completed in order to bring JOURNEY to the parish.

    1. Pastor must give approval and support for JOURNEY

    2. Pastor and Mission Champion must recruit 6 men and 6 women to form the Alpha Team for the parish. The Mission Champion may be one of the 12.  Materials to support recruiting the Alpha Team can be found in the Invitations Facilitator Guide.

    3. The Alpha Team members and the pastor must attend a JOURNEY retreat weekend at another parish

    4. The Alpha Team members will become part of the Mission Teams and help present the first JOURNEY retreat weekends at their parish

The Mission Champion will continue to be the key contact for the Mission Liaison, for both men’s and women’s teams.

It should be made explicit to the Alpha Team the expectation that they will form the Continuation Committee at the parish AND take on specific facilitator roles to support the JOURNEY process at their parish.

More Information on Mission Teams

More Resources

Journey Registration Links and Timeline