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Vital and Healthy Parishes report (2014)

Building vital and healthy parishes requires practical strategies, strong leadership and collaboration across congregations. The Vital and Healthy Parishes report draws on 2014 national consultations to share tools, case studies and frameworks for strengthening parish life.

It provides guidance for leadership development, worship, mission planning and community engagement, equipping dioceses and parishes to create resilient, sustainable and mission-focused communities.

Suggested uses

  • Supporting diocesan and parish planning
  • Developing leadership and volunteer programs
  • Strengthening worship, formation, and mission initiatives
  • Sharing practical tools, case studies and strategies
  • Reflecting on parish vitality and resilience

Key themes

  • Parish vitality and congregational health
  • Leadership development and collaborative ministry
  • Mission-focused and intergenerational church communities
  • Sustainable growth and resource stewardship
  • Faith formation, worship and community engagement

Best suited for: clergy, parish leaders, lay leaders, diocesan staff and anyone seeking practical guidance to strengthen congregational life and foster vibrant, mission-focused church communities.

Cover of the 2014 Vital and Healthy Parishes report

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.