Building an Integrated Strategy for Parish Renewal

The Archdiocese of Vancouver embarked on a mission to equip parishes with the tools, formation, and strategy needed to renew parish life and empower the faithful. From the outset, Glass Canvas worked closely with the Archdiocese’s executive leadership team to shape a comprehensive strategy—one that would not only provide digital infrastructure but also guide the diocese into a posture of renewal.

Through a deeply collaborative process, we helped the leadership team clarify their vision, align their initiatives, and transition from a reactive model to an intentional, mission-driven approach. This laid the groundwork for a cohesive and integrated framework that sharpened how parishes could communicate effectively, form disciples, and engage in evangelization.

This approach revolves around four core initiatives, all designed to work together at the parish level:

• Tilma Parish – A Digital Infrastructure for Ministry
• Behold – Human & Spiritual Formation at Scale
• Proclaim – Parish Transformation for Evangelization
• Resource Center – A Hub for Ministry Collaboration

Tilma Parish – A Digital Infrastructure for Ministry

A key challenge for many parishes was the lack of digital infrastructure to effectively communicate and minister to their people. The Archdiocese partnered with Tilma to provide a centralized but locally managed digital platform that empowers parishes with:

• Custom parish websites built with baked-in strategy and communications best practices.
• A networked CMS that allows the diocese to resource and support parishes while maintaining unity across the archdiocese.
• Integrated content tools designed to help parishes engage and accompany their people, rather than just post static information.

Built on the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, this system ensures that while the diocese provides the structure and strategy, parishes retain the ability to engage their local community in a way that feels personal and authentic.

Behold – Human & Spiritual Formation at Scale

Discipleship starts with formation, but many pastors and parish leaders struggle to find quality, accessible resources that meet the needs of their people. Behold was launched as a content platform to provide parishes with ready-to-use formation materials that help guide their communities in human and spiritual growth.

Through partnerships with content creators across North America, Behold curates, develops, and distributes formation journeys that address key themes such as:

• Hearing God’s voice
• Identity and purpose
• Marriage and parenting
• Healing and mental health

More than just a library of resources, Behold helps parishes foster discipleship pathways, leading people from initial curiosity to deep faith and community involvement.

Proclaim – Parish Transformation for Evangelization

The original vision for Proclaim was to equip everyday Catholics for mission—helping them share the Gospel in their daily lives. However, through early collaboration with the Archdiocese, a key realization emerged: most parishes weren’t yet ready to sustain a culture of evangelization.

In response, we worked hand in hand with diocesan leadership to develop the Parish Transformation Framework—a structured, step-by-step model for renewal. This framework ensures that parishes first build a strong foundation before launching into mission, focusing on:

• Prayer & Discernment – Aligning the parish with God’s direction before taking action.
• Mission & Values – Clarifying identity and purpose to drive renewal.
• Leadership & Operations – Strengthening the organizational and pastoral structure needed to sustain growth.
• Spiritual Gifts Discernment – Equipping individuals to serve in their God-given gifts.
• Accompaniment – Creating a culture where people are walked with, not just invited.
• Evangelizing the Community – Reaching disengaged and cultural Catholics.
• Evangelizing Beyond – Engaging those who are far from faith.

By integrating this transformation framework into parish renewal efforts, Proclaim evolved from an evangelization program into a comprehensive strategy for sustainable renewal—ensuring that when parishes step into mission, they do so with clarity and confidence.

Resource Center – A Hub for Ministry Collaboration

A key challenge for many dioceses is effectively communicating initiatives, campaigns, and resources across their parishes in a way that ensures alignment and engagement. To address this, we worked closely with the Archdiocese of Vancouver to develop a Resource Center, providing a centralized hub for ministry offices to distribute campaigns, formation materials, and strategic initiatives to their parishes.

This system allows the Archdiocese to:

• Streamline campaign and asset distribution, ensuring every parish has access to the right materials.
• Maintain consistent messaging and alignment across ministries and diocesan offices.
• Facilitate collaboration between diocesan leadership and local parish teams.
• Provide accessible tools that equip parishes to engage their communities effectively.

By consolidating resources in one place, we helped parishes focus on ministry rather than logistics, ensuring they have the tools needed to serve their people well.
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The Impact: A Diocese Resourcing Parishes for the Future

Through this executive-level collaboration and evolving approach, the Archdiocese of Vancouver has equipped parishes with the tools, formation, and strategy needed to accompany people well and build a culture of mission.

✅ Digital infrastructure now enables parishes to engage their communities effectively.
✅ Formation resources provide ready-made discipleship pathways for pastors and parish leaders.
✅ Strategic frameworks ensure that renewal is ordered, sustainable, and mission-driven.

What started as individual initiatives has grown into a cohesive, parish-centered approach to renewal, refined over time and tailored to the unique needs of Catholic communities.

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