This was the third arrival in 2010 when the pastoral union Biggetal and the parish Venden were united in the parish church of St Severinus to form the new pastoral union “Wander Land”. Since then, the union of Catholic parishes corresponds to the political city of Wenden and combines six formerly independent parishes with eleven Catholic places of worship.

Wenden – Since then, the union of Catholic parishes corresponds to the political city of Wenden and combines six formerly independent parishes with eleven Catholic places of worship. Pastor Michael Kleinidum has been the head pastor of the Clergy Room since May 1, 2018. With a pastoral care team and several volunteer assistants, he is not only the supreme pastoral shepherd of the loyalists in his community – he is also responsible for the administration of an organization that has meanwhile been equated to a medium-sized company.

“Organizational structures in Catholic parishes have grown larger and larger over the years. Fewer believers and even fewer clergy meant that many parishes had to move together in the future and under one roof in order to survive. will be,” explains Petra Sapp. She is Deputy Managing Director of the Central Community Association in the Archdiocese of Paderborn and is also responsible for managing the field service/administrative management of the Administrative Service Provider for the parishes between Hamm and Siegen. Over the years the functions of church administration have become more and more complex, comprehensive and complex. For volunteers in key pastors and parish secretariats, as well as in church councils, this means working extra year after year,” says Petra Sapp.

As part of a “future process” in the Archdiocese of Paderborn, those responsible have developed an entirely new area of ​​responsibility in a joint effort: “with administrative management, the competences and functions of the principal clergy and the church council have been developed.” With the first being transferred to a third person who is full-time in a management function, the previous structures were relieved and thus the clergy had more time for pastoral work and also effectively volunteered to take on many tasks. Was relieved,” explains Petra Sap.

Florian Freundt became the first administrative manager in Wanderer Land

For Freudenberg’s Florian Freundt, it is precisely this “pioneer work” that makes him so attractive, among other things, to join full-time in the future as administrative manager of the pastoral area. “Through my work I have had the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the fact that the pastoral team can again focus more on pastoral work and that church councils are effectively relieved”, says the 29-year-old future father. Huh.

Already during his studies he laid the foundation for his new professional challenge, which he would officially take on July 1st to create a “Bachelor of Arts” by combining courses in Catholic Religious Studies and Economics. “It inspires me to be able to contribute my deep faith in God to the role of administrative management for the Clergy Room, as well as my professional experience as a salesman for Insurance and Finance and the Westfälische Provinzial Versicherung In Office Manager”, emphasizes Florian Freundt.

Get rid of administrative management and create independence

He is well aware that even the complex tasks of the new administrative management will be a great challenge for him: “In the first phase, it is certainly necessary to work out and work on a clear definition of the areas of responsibility with the clergy. , For the establishment of church councils and community association”, Freundt sets a clear, first intermediate goal. As for administrative management, he seeks to relieve pressure and create independence so that the clergy can re-focus on their real goals and volunteer work experiences a great deal of support, both in terms of material and time. “It is the only way that the Church Council will remain an economical electoral office as an important body for committed Catholics”, Freundt said.

“To do this, you must first get to know each other better, define tasks and gain trust through credible work,” explains Florian Freundt. He makes it clear that, as administrative director, he can relieve the Church Council from some of the day-to-day functions and prepare and support important processes and projects: “The supreme body is always the Church Council,” He insists. He sees his functions as a full-time administrative manager, with practical support, for example, in commensurate with the time-consuming supervision and construction work, and the introduction of new financial accounting and assistance in church council elections. Parish Council.

Pastor Michael Kleinidum hopes for “real relief”

“In the long run, I promise myself to eliminate some meeting dates. I hope that the constant attention of administrative management in many everyday things will take away some of the thinking and some of the worries that have left me solid pastoral. The development of caring and forward-looking accents can again make the interior more free”, says Michael Kleinidum, chief pastor in the Pastoral Room, Wanderer Land, on record.

They warmly welcome Florian Freundt to Wenden and immediately make a plan for the first few weeks: “Getting to know the diverse conditions in our rustic room, many volunteer workers, and different with different traditions and ways of working.” Think about different church councils. All of them are the first priorities that we have to set now,” explains Pastor Kleinidum.

This is also a sure thing for Florian Freundt: “In the church I can now work with people who have the same values ​​as me in their lives. We work together on the same big picture: one in today’s society. Living as a Christian community,” he emphasized. “For me, the church of the future is a church that belongs to all people individually and supports them in living the faith.” Church administration also plays an important supporting role. and looks forward to being able to contribute to it.