Using the Detroit Model of Evangelization in your Family

Show Notes

In anticipation of the Feast of St. John Paul II, which coincides with the upcoming Sunday, Rakhi and Nicole highlight this great saint’s works, especially his love for the youth and evangelization. On this episode, they walk through the Detroit Model of Evangelization, first defined in Unleash the Gospel, and share how it can be implemented as a way to share the Gospel with our children and beyond.

This episode of Beyond Sunday is brought to you by Assumption University in Windsor, Ontario — one of Canada’s most historic Catholic institutes of higher learning tracing its origins to 1857. Learn more about their online Graduate Diploma in Catholic Studies by going to assumptionu.ca or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

(01:10) Nicole and Rakhi discuss some of their favorite fall things and introduce the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel reading and the feast of St. John Paul II. Rakhi talks about how she first encountered the Polish saint prior to her conversion to Catholicism.

(04:20) They talk about St. John Paul II’s love for the youth and the need to call forth the youth today to live into the life of the Church. They highlight his Theology of the Body and emphasis of the New Evangelization and they discuss the Detroit model of evangelization first defined in Unleash the Gospel. Talking through this model — attract, encounter, grow, witness — they share how we can incorporate it into their evangelization to our children.

(11:09) They highlight the need to share the joy and act welcoming as we live our lives of faith in order to attract others to it.

(16:19) Nicole and Rakhi go on to discuss the “encounter” phase of the Detroit model of evangelization and to seek to recognize the different ways the Lord may desire to encounter our children, by paying attention to their differences. They highlight the importance of attending Mass every Sunday as a primary way of facilitating encounters with Christ for our children and encountering him for ourselves, and discuss other places of encounter.

(19:36) They discuss mountaintop experiences and different spiritualities and preferences that we can invite people into as we share the Gospel.

(21:59) They note how important Scripture is for the “grow” phase of the Detroit model of evangelization and emphasize how 52 Sundays is a great resource for families seeking to incorporate Scripture into their daily lives. They also highlight how apologetics becomes important as our children grow older and begin to better understand how our beliefs are often contrary to what the world teaches.

(25:55) Rakhi discusses the importance of prayer and how to prioritize prayer in the “grow” phase.

(27:58) They move on to discuss the “witness” phase of this model and what it means to be sent forth as joyful missionary disciples, sharing the joy of a life with Christ with the world. They speak from their own experiences on how they do this and offer encouragement to listeners to do the same, especially with their children.