The Pastoral Council

The Parish Pastoral Council is a community of servant leaders which shares its wisdom and offers its consultation in discerning with the pastor, through prayer and study, how the parish can best meet the pastoral and spiritual needs of the members of the community and the neighborhood.

The Pastoral Council is a consultative body. It uses a consensus process of deliberation. The fruits of this shared wisdom and discernment are recommended to the pastor who presides over the Council and whose responsibility for the parish is respected. The council operates in accord with the guidelines of the diocese of Grand Rapids governing Pastoral Councils.

The Pastoral Council is the visioning and planning body for the pastoral and spiritual concerns of the parish. It strives to identify the needs of the parish, studies and reflects upon those needs, makes recommendations and plans as to how those needs can be met, and evaluates the ministerial efforts of the parish.

The members of the Pastoral Council reflect the entire body of the community and act as the voice of that community. They also model to the parish ways in which that community can be strengthened through prayer, sharing, communication, and respect for one another.

Current Pastoral Council Members: Jane Balcom (STM), Roger Dore (STM), Suzanne LaMourie (STM), Joseph Rexroat (ALLS), Mark Robinson (ALLS), Dawn Soules (CTK), and Gary Watkins (ALLS).