Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin believes the Catholic Church in Ireland should be run by management style committees made up of lay people and priests.However, the Church has denied it is proposing a direct debit system of collecting monthly dues, rather than the current collection plate and envelopes.
The archbishop has been holding a series of pastoral meetings around the capital and has said the Church needs to embrace new ideas to invigorate Catholics.
But a Church spokeswoman denied it was considering the direct debit system.
This system, which operates in some churches in America, was mooted as a possible means of collecting funds in light of the Charity Act.
But a Church spokeswoman said it wasn't investigating such a system.
Archbishop Martin discussed the creation of a diocesan pastoral council, which would be "composed of clergy and laity".
"The council could establish its own working committees which would involve a broader number of laity with special expertise and experience in specific areas," Archbishop Martin said.
Modern
"We also need a modern management council for the diocese."
He said the number of pastoral parish workers is expected to increase.
There have been 13 lay pastoral workers in parishes for over a year and there is currently an advertisement on the diocesan website recruiting for new pastoral workers.
There is also a proposal to develop groups of parishes of approximately 25,000 Catholics being served by a team of five priests.
The Church says it is looking at developing a "modern and forward-looking structure to ensure the Church offers the best possible service to people".
It involves priests working together as groups and providing a variety of ministries in a particular area.
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