The Ecclesial Movements and New Communities as Instruments of Formation and Evangelization
Keywords:
ecclesial movements, new communities, integrated pastoral care, new evangelizationAbstract
Being aware of the crisis of the Church’s pastoral activity in the field of education, both in the European and the Croatian context, the author of the article indicates to new and unused opportunities that are yet to be identified, prudently evaluated and integrated into regular pastoral program of the local Church. For several decades, the Church has been affected by a phenomenon i.e. the emergence and rapid spread of numerous ecclesial movements and new communities that increasingly determine its mission in the modern world. The Holy Spirit gifts the people of God with the impressive richness and diversity of charisms through these movements and communities as well as through their extraordinary missionary zeal. Undoubtedly, the author emphasizes that despite their deficiencies, they represent a significant potential for the mission of the universal Church, and especially for its mission in the European de-Christianized context. The second part of the article deals with arguments that support the author’s assumptions about the movements and new communities as powerful centers for Christian formation where the bearers of a new evangelization were born and raised.