Some social commentators have derided the downfall of commitment in our society, especially among young people. They point to lower rates of marriage (and higher rates of divorce) along with other social tendencies. In our fast-paced, ever-changing culture, remembering the value of commitment is increasingly important. We’re in the fifth week of a series of […]
Category: Leadership
Over the past few weeks we have been using this space to reflect on the values we rely on in serving our mission as a parish. This week “Excellence.” Excellence in the church can be hard to define. Some parishioners measure the excellence of a homily by its length (the shorter the better). Still others […]
Change is inevitable, even in the Church. Technology moves at cyber speed, families are on the move more than ever before, and the culture around us seems to be more unrecognizable every day. In the face of all this challenging change, it is especially important to be grounded in deliberate values. That’s why we are […]
We’re not that smart. We don’t know what to do in every situation and we definitely don’t have all the answers. That’s why, at Nativity, we try to make things as simple as possible, relying on some core values that shape our culture, determine our decisions, and guide our steps. Every organization operates on some […]
I have become convinced that there is a class of people, at least in Catholic culture, who truly believe their spiritual gift is complaint, and that their contribution to the body of Christ is criticism. Self-proclaimed liturgists, theologians, and canon lawers who take it upon themselves to police the rest of us who are actually […]
We spent some time this week reflecting on our staff culture. Culture, as we write in Rebuilt, is the potent brew of what an organization believes, what it does, and how it operates. It encompasses traditions, values, norms, behaviors. Author and management consultant, Peter Drucker, writes simply: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It affects everything. […]
All of us, in our different ways, have struggled, and continue to struggle with the alarming and terrible news, currently coming at us on a daily basis regarding the larger Church community. My own statement, posted below, sums up much of my initial reaction, but more needs to be said. The blockbuster denunciation of the […]
The terrible news out of Pennsylvania this week brought revelations that our own former Archbishop was found by a Grand Jury to be criminally negligent. This, following revelations earlier this summer of multiple, credible charges of child abuse by the former Archbishop of Washington. Nativity stands in unity with Archbishop Lori and his official statement. […]
Here at Nativity, we’re currently immersed in one of our sacred summer rituals: housecleaning and reorganization. Over the years, we have worked to reduce the amount of storage onsite and move seasonal and long term storage off site. Each summer, we unpack these areas, reassess their contents, and get rid of anything that is outdated, […]
Culture is the blend of beliefs, customs, values, and vision as demonstrated in behavior and direction. Culture is, quite literally, who your church is. Most every church leader I know wants to shape a compelling culture that is, among other things, welcoming, accessible, attractive, inviting, engaging. At least, that’s what they say. But, it isn’t […]
