Evangelization Hot Take | Choose Your Local Parish

September 1st, 2026

11 mins 28 secs

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parish life catholic faith adam stephenson equipcast catholic discipleship local parish community parish ministry geographic parish catholic evangelization parish shopping parish boundaries parish tools parish renewal new evangelization ministry jim jansen everyday evangelization evangelization discipleship diocesan directors clear path to discipleship church leadership church growth catholic anchor consulting

About this Episode

Adam Stephenson, our guest from the episode "Knocking on Doors", joins me for a walk where he gives his hot take on evangelization: you should stick to the parish in your own backyard. He argues that parish shopping keeps us at arms length from the real work of evangelization, while staying local invites us to love the people God has placed right in front of us. And I agreed with him…for the most part. Tune in for a mini-sode on why you should (or shouldn’t) belong to the parish whose geographic boundaries you live in.

Episode Timeline:

[00:00] – Introduction
[00:32] – The Hot Take: Geographic Parish Boundaries
[00:56] – Why Proximity Matters for Loving Your Community
[02:29] – Modern Disorientation and the Loss of Neighborhood Faith
[04:29] – Valid Exceptions for Stepping Away from Your Local Parish
[06:49] – Accompanying "Dying" Parishes and the Mission Field
[09:21] – How to Supplement Your Spiritual Life Outside Parish Walls

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