Guidelines also fog the issue of leadership. They state that councils are consultative, underlining the fact that councils are not the final decision-makers. Then, in almost the next breath, they state that councils should reach decisions by consensus. Members make all the difference, but diocesan guidelines are frequently unclear about their selection. Most guidelines state that council members are to be representative.
Guidelines frequently make a hash of member recruitment.
Then you ought to know why and what you can do about it. The Ambiguities of Vatican II Last summer, I visited New York's archdiocesan chancery office. There I met Father Robert J. Aufieri, Director of the Office for Parish Councils. I was very interested to see how Father Aufieri and his staff support councils in 413 parishes by means of workshops and visits. Their handbook is a mainstream effort, upbeat, readable, and popular in tone.