ROCKFORD—The annual Presbytery Day on Sept. 20 brought priests from around the diocese together to hear from Father Michael White and Tom Corcoran, authors of “Rebuilt” and “Tools for Rebuilding.”

Both guest speakers serve at Church of the Nativity in Baltimore. Their books and talks are based on their experiences and experiments in their parish.

Father White began with a question, “Why am I here?” and added that “knowing why you do what you do matters.”

After some years of ministry at Nativity parish, the speakers realized they were doing lots of activities and, Father White said, “much of it was a waste of time … The net effect was that we were creating consumers and had crafted demanding consumers.”

The programs also had left the parish staff “completely exhausted,” and their pastor described the moment when “something snapped” and “finally I asked, ‘Why?’”

“Jesus gives us our ‘why,’” Corcoran said, quoting the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus’ great commissioning: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations …”

“That’s it,” he said. “Disciples are students learning to follow the Master. (They) are growing to love God, love others and make disciples … If (you) follow Jesus long enough, he’ll attract others through you.”

The pair researched several large churches, beginning with Saddleback Church, an evangelical Christian megachurch in California.

When Father White arrived to sit in on a Saddleback service,  he said, “I was so welcomed, I went out the side door and came around (to the front) to see if it would happen again.”

Corcoran described three key strategies used at their parish: change the focus from the ‘churched’ to the ‘unchurched;’ prioritize the weekend experience; and “move church people to take ownership of their faith (and) challenge them to action.”

The day’s second session was devoted to answering questions from the priests, who had received the “Tools for Rebuilding” book last February at the annual Clergy Conference.

They also held elections for the Clergy Relief Society and to receive information updates.