Planning Groups

The Future Strategies Committee has served as the steering committee for the strategic discernment of the Jesuit Conference Board.

Future Strategies Committee

The board appointed several commissions and task forces to develop recommendations for the discernment.

Assistancy Strategies Commission

The Assistancy Strategies Commission comprised twenty-seven individuals, lay and Jesuit, nominated by the provincials to perform two key functions in the planning process:

1.    Help prepare for the design and development phase by proposing to the Jesuit Conference board specific directions for the strategic discernment.

2.    Develop and initial draft of high level strategies.

As a result of the work by this commission, the Jesuit Conference board published the following report on March 10, 2005 and invited conversation and input on the directions proposed.

Strategic Directions: First Draft [click here to download]

Future Strategies Committee

In May, 2007, the Future Strategies submitted to the board the following update of strategic directions, providing a synthetic overview and context for the strategic directions and recommendations of the reports found below.

Renewed Way of Proceeding [click here to download]

Ministries Commission

The Ministries Commission comprised seven individuals, lay and Jesuit, who were asked by the Jesuit Conference board to develop a set of recommendations to enact Our Response to the Call of Christ in Jesuit ministries and build capacity for deeper and more effective response in the future.

As a result of the work of this commission and the ongoing deliberations of the Jesuit Conference board, the Futures Strategies Committee of the board submitted the following report on May 20, 2007 for consideration by the board.

Ministries Report [click here to download]

Partnerships Commission

The Partnerships Commission comprised eight individuals, lay and Jesuit, who were asked by the Jesuit Conference board develop a set of recommendations to support and deepen partnership in ministry and build capacity for partnering in the future.

The Partnerships Commission submitted the following report on May 20, 2007 for consideration by the board.

Partnership Report [click here to download]

Jesuit Life Commission

The Jesuit Life Commission comprised ten Jesuits, one from each U.S. province.  The Commission was asked by the Jesuit Conference board to develop a set of recommendations regarding the renewal of Jesuit life in the United States.

The Jesuit Life Commission submitted the following report on May 20, 2007 for consideration by the board.

Jesuit Life Report [click here to download]

The Governance Commission

The Governance Commission was composed of the members of the Future Strategies Committee.  This Commission was charged with developing recommendations for the reconfiguration of the Assistancy and the restructuring of its governance.

In the spring of 2007, the Commission worked with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) to conduct a survey of Jesuits and a sampling of lay colleagues on attitudes toward various reconfiguration directions.  CARA submitted the following report to the Jesuit Conference board on June 1, 2007.

CARA Report [click here to download]

Task Forces for 2007-2008

Task forces have been appointed by the Jesuit Conference board in the following areas and have been asked to submit recommendations by May 2008:

The work of these Commissions will be updated periodically on the website.