PART III:
Paladin Handbook
Advanced Guidelines
The Primary Purpose
The primary purpose of an SCC is to form and continually nurture disciples of Jesus Christ. Our fellowship, discussions, prayer, and mutual support all serve this goal—to help us mature as living, growing disciples.
The many important purposes of the SCC must never overshadow its primary purpose. The SCC is a social group; however, as crucial as this is, it must not compete with the primary purpose of forming disciples. Likewise, many people will value the SCC as a support group where they can meet various personal needs; however, this cannot take precedence over its primary purpose. Indeed, an SCC must be a place where we generously meet the needs of others—especially and primarily the need to progress on the Journey to God.
We must stay alert and prioritize the primary purpose as we form, run, and multiply Paladin SCCs.
Forming SCCs
Every new SCC begins in prayer—discerning who to invite, where to meet, and how to serve the Lord together.
SCCs should initiate their efforts with a grassroots approach. A leader either recruits their core team or inherits one from the multiplication (splitting) of a group. The core team consists of at least three people, one being an assistant leader. The core team usually includes people who are already close to the leader—such as family members or close friends. This core team decides when and where the group will meet and then starts recruiting additional members. They will invite people they know, though not necessarily well. Once the SCC apostolate is well established, people will enquire about the group independently, often through an SCC coordinator or pastor.
SCC leaders are not recruited like lectors or Eucharistic ministers. We cannot select leaders primarily based on their agreeability rather than qualifications, nor can we randomly assign people to a core team. This is not as effective. We must recruit only leaders who are living, growing disciples, and allow them to build their own core team.
We recommend that the first SCC of a parish be an exploratory SCC, mainly made up of potential leaders who understand or at least appreciate the SCC vision. We also suggest including the pastor if possible. During the first few years, they should identify what works and what doesn’t, refining the core principles outlined here for SCCs based in their parish.
When the group has covered the core discussion topics, reached full capacity, and has more people lined up to join, it should pursue the multiplication process (See Chapter 8: Basic Guidelines: Multiplication).
Specialized SCCs
Specialized SCCs can also be beneficial. A men’s SCC or women’s SCC can provide specific advantages. SCCs focused on fathers or mothers are also effective. Even creating an SCC based on ethnicity or shared backgrounds is acceptable, though it could complicate growth and diversity. These groups should remain flexible and willing to adapt over time, as the true purpose of SCC is to reach out, expand, and multiply.
SCCs can effectively replace traditional religious classes and other church groups while offering much more. The SCC approach, as an alternative to conventional youth groups and Confirmation classes, has proven highly effective (see The Art of Forming Young Disciples by Everett Fritz). RCIA groups run as SCCs and encouraged to continue as SCCs after Easter would be incredibly effective, especially since everyone needs a next step on their Journey to God!
Selecting Leaders
Paramount to forming Paladin SCCs is the careful selection of living, growing disciples to serve as leaders. Since faith is “caught rather than taught,” it’s crucial to have at least one living, growing disciple in the group—the leader must be one! They must participate in the sacraments, be committed to Church teaching, have a deep prayer life, and actively seek ongoing conversion.
Leadership is sacred stewardship. The right leader shapes not only the group’s tone but its fruitfulness. When recruiting leaders, please consider the following statements carefully:
- A leader’s humility is more important than his confidence and speaking skills.
- A leader’s prayer life outweighs leadership experience.
- A leader’s faithful knowledge is more valuable than his formal schooling.
- A leader’s enthusiasm matters more than his influence or connections within the parish.
- A leader will preferably gain experience as an assistant leader before taking on the leadership of an SCC. This is recommended but not required.
Ultimately, leaders must assess their own qualifications. Those considering a leadership role should prayerfully read “Chapter 10: Paladin Leaders” to guide their discernment. Potential leaders should not take lightly the authority and responsibility they accept as SCC leaders; however, they can be confident that most faithful disciples can rise to the occasion by God’s grace.
Leader Authority
Once leadership is embraced, we must empower these living, growing disciples to lead their groups as they see fit within basic guidelines. While leaders should consider the group’s needs and preferences when selecting materials, they ultimately have the final say on the materials used and how they are adapted to meet those needs. While leaders should strive to accommodate all members regarding scheduling conflicts, they alone have the authority to modify the meeting schedule as necessary. While leaders should follow these guidelines and the guidance of the parish SCC coordinator (if applicable), they should also have the freedom to be creative and spontaneous. SCC leaders should not be forced to follow overly structured programs imposed from above or overly detailed SCC guidelines.
Maintaining Discipline
Closely related to the leader’s authority is their duty to maintain a healthy environment. Charity and truth must walk hand in hand. A leader’s duty to protect the group’s peace is an act of love, not control.
The leader must balance a welcoming atmosphere with a productive one, which means maintaining a measure of order.
The leader should address and discourage inappropriate behavior that affects the well-being of the SCC. Members who exploit others or seek to be the center of attention can cause serious harm to the group. Similarly, those who monopolize discussions, ramble on, or go off topic should be addressed. Often, simply redirecting the discussion is sufficient. Sometimes, a private conversation with the individual is necessary. These conversations should be handled with sensitivity and discretion while maintaining a firm and professional tone. The leader must prevent such behavior from persisting over the long term, as it can significantly harm the group. All options should be considered, though the leader should avoid acting impulsively. Leaders may, after prayer and consultation, ask a member to step away if their behavior consistently harms the group’s well-being.
Evangelical Outreach
SCC leaders maintain a welcoming, healthy environment that embraces anyone genuinely open to the community and its purpose. Outreach isn’t just about filling seats—it’s about extending Christ’s friendship. We invite people not to meetings, but into relationships that lead to Him. This includes “seekers,” those who are non-Catholics or are fallen-away Catholics seeking a deeper relationship with God and authentic Christian fellowship. However, no member is allowed to disrupt discussions, openly debate Catholic dogma, or disrespect our faith or members in any way. Questions are encouraged; however, we are not obligated to answer them to the person’s satisfaction during the discussion.
Paladin SCCs are a place for growth and fellowship, not debate.
The SCC evangelical outreach—especially for the core team—does not only target people we know or who sign up through the parish. We should actively reach out to individuals who are in special need of Christ and our group, including those we may not know well and who might even question God’s existence.
Faith is not required, but openness to faith is; come and see.
We should remain open to building meaningful friendships with those around us. As these bonds grow, we can invite them to visit the group, starting with a Clan Meal, and then extend an invitation to the next discussion series. Be a friend—bring your friend to your SCC and bring your friend to Christ!
A simple outreach approach:
- Pray for someone specific.
- Connect through genuine friendship.
- Invite them to a Clan Meal or a discussion series.
Ongoing outreach is vital; however, the SCC shouldn’t have people constantly coming and going from the group—a commitment is always required. Newcomers are welcome, but we kindly ask that they commit to attending all meetings for the current discussion series. For newcomers, this is the basic commitment: one discussion series at a time. Ideally, most newcomers will join at the foundation of a new group, rather than joining an established group.
SCC Coordinator
As the SCC apostolate grows, many new members are likely to join through referrals from the pastor or the parish grapevine. These individuals might not have received a direct invitation to join an SCC and will require a point of contact within the parish. An SCC coordinator would be essential in serving as a liaison to recruit new members and facilitate personal invitations from the SCC.
Additionally, the SCC coordinator would support the SCC leaders by advising them on approach, vision, materials, and problem-solving, as well as forming new groups. As more groups are established, the leaders should meet with the coordinator as a team to share insights and coordinate efforts. If the pastor supports SCCs and this SCC vision, involve him and seek his advice whenever possible. However, remember that this is a lay organization, not a parish ministry; SCC leaders make their own decisions within basic guidelines. While SCCs collaborate closely with parish life, they remain primarily lay-led communities rooted in personal discipleship. Running a youth group or RCIA class as an SCC is different, as those are parish ministries and the pastor has full authority over them.
If your parish already has someone coordinating or supporting small groups, work with them to ensure a smooth process. If your parish has three or more Paladin SCCs and no coordinator, the SCC leaders should recruit a coordinator, preferably from their ranks. As groups expand, someone must oversee their efforts!
Living the New Evangelization Together
The SCC coordinator and leaders focus on much more than just leading and multiplying groups. They see their work with SCCs as an integrated approach that brings the New Evangelization to all levels of the parish and broader community.
We cannot overstate the crucial role SCCs can play in the New Evangelization and the renewal of our families, extended families, small groups, and parishes. Nor can we overstate that SCCs are just part of the solution and only work effectively when properly implemented.
We must imbue our SCCs with the mind, heart, and spirit of the New Evangelization. Our families, extended families, SCCs, and parishes are essential to the New Evangelization. Likewise, the New Evangelization is crucial for strengthening these groups. It calls forth the Spirit of God, Who empowers everything.
The fire of the Spirit spreads through living, growing disciples within the supportive fellowship of an SCC.
This is the integrated solution we desperately need. It is precisely this traditional approach that we must incorporate into our Confirmation and RCIA programs, into our families, and into every setting where disciples are formed.
When disciples burn with the Spirit together, parishes come alive, families are renewed, and the Gospel spreads like wildfire.
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