Recruiting Tips
Dear Fellow Recruiters!
In order to be an active member in the New Evangelization you must know your culture.
When you encounter each individual prospect, be mindful of where they are at in their faith journey. This can be quite a challenge, but if you really pay attention, you can establish attunement with them and then extend an appropriate invite according to where they are at in their life.
When you say to them, “I would really love for you to join me on retreat at Malvern this year,” they might respond with “What’s a retreat?” In that case you could tell them “It’s an escape. It’s an escape from the busyness of your every day life.” That might be the best response, especially to someone who isn’t aware of a retreat experience.
You have very little time to explain the mystery and beauty that goes on here at Malvern. If you haven’t accomplished a clear explanation in ten seconds, chances are you will lose them if you continue to ramble. For certain people “an escape” just might hook them in.
When inviting someone who is more active in their faith, a different approach might be, “Come on retreat to experience a profoundly personal encounter with Christ in the silence of the hills at Malvern.” Or you might say “lay all of your life’s concerns, problems and worries at the feet of Christ.” This type of invite might resonate with someone who is more active in their faith but has not been to Malvern.
Again, the key is to know your culture. Be educated on the different issues people are having with the Catholic faith today. If you would like to learn more about the challenges Catholicism faces in the future and how you can be prepared to spread the faith I strongly recommend you follow Fr. Robert Barron’s blog at: www.wordonfire.org.
Prosit!
Patrick Benner
Patrick K. Benner
Recruitment Manager
Malvern Retreat House
PO Box 315
Malvern, PA 19355-2705
