When we first approached the reality that our book was going to really be published I found myself becoming sheepish and shy about it all. Perhaps the prospect of a lot of attention scared me, or maybe it was the idea of seeming prideful or egotistical that was painful. Whatever the reason, I didn’t want […]
Category: Communication
As we argued in Rebuilt one of the, if not the main problem in parishes today is culture. Culture is a system of beliefs that guide a community’s behaviors, shapes their priorities, and ultimately determines the allocation of resources. More than ever these days we hear culture discussed in the secular community, especially when it […]
Everybody is talking about Evangelization and Discipleship these days. There are also no dearth of people willing to tell us how to do it (sometimes carrying a hefty price tag for doing so). Then there are the people who are successfully doing it. As I travel the country speaking to parishes and diocese, I have […]
All this week we have been in Denver for the first ever Amazing Parish Conference, and it was, well, amazing. The brain child of several Catholic lay leaders including, most notably, best selling author and business consultant Patrick Lencioni, the basic idea was to bring together parishes from across the country to share ideas and […]
I’ve mentioned before that there was a Protestant Church here in our community (our very vibrant community) that recently closed. The congregation got too small to sustain the place and they agreed to close up shop and put the place up for sale. The thing about this particular church is that it sits on one […]
If you are leading a church, or anything really, it is a good idea to reflect on the characteristics you want to cultivate as a leader. Here are some I am thinking about currently, in no particular order. #1 Authenticity Good, bad, right, wrong, successful or otherwise, whatever kind of leader you are going […]
If you are a church leader probably you have given thought to your mission and vision, perhaps a lot of thought. And that’s great, you should. Perhaps you’ve even gone ahead and given flesh to those bones with specific strategies and goals to fulfill your mission and vision. But there’s another piece that still needs […]
A leader is anyone who has followers. As any kind of church minister or volunteer minister you are a leader. The question is, are you a leader worth following? Do people actually want to follow you and go where you are going, under your leadership and direction? Here are three questions to ask yourself: #1 […]
This week we were at the beautiful University of Notre Dame to speak to a gathering there, including church leaders from every part of the country. We began our presentation the way we always begin: with a qualifier. We claim only to know what works when it comes to growing a healthy church in Timonium, […]
Unchurched: It’s Worse Than You Think As part of our book promotion we have been invited to every part of the country and we hear the same story over and over again everywhere. Church in America, Catholic and Protestant, is in decline. People are leaving in astonishing and astounding numbers. For all the wishful thinking […]
