The Church is a living thing. It’s a body, not a building. When we talk about a healthy church, it’s important we make that distinction because often our plan for growing healthy churches is aimed more at the latter than the former. And they are very different in practice. Think of some healthy churches and […]
This past week at Nativity we preached a tough message, at least for most Catholics: Giving. And not just giving, but we dared to call it by its biblical name: Tithing. Everybody knows churches, like any organization, need money and resources to function, but for any number of reasons, giving and tithing have become a […]
Matter 15 Conference is now less than a month away. Whether you are looking for tools for widening your evangelistic reach to the unchurched, or new ways to deepen the faith of disciples already in your pews, this is a conference for everyone involved in parish leadership. In fact, there’s no other conference out there […]
The tug of day-to-day church culture will always be away from Evangelization and Discipleship and toward simple maintenance. Why? Because it’s easier and church people will always try and drive the culture that direction. In maintenance mode parishioners don’t do any of the work and get all the attention, so why wouldn’t they lean that […]
Two of the most highly contagious things in the world are 1) a smile, and 2) a yawn. Depending on where you go, you’ll find both of them in our churches. One thing about Pope Francis is that he is always smiling. More than his provocative wisdom, what really keeps people engaged is his contagious […]
Things are certainly abuzz around the Catholic Church in America these days. With less than a week until Pope Francis’ historic first visit to the United States, some heavy theological debates on the table, and a whirlwind year of intense political change and debate, it’s hard to stay focused on our parish ministry. On the […]
There are many reasons why people never come to church. But there are others who try coming and, based on their experience, decide not to come back. Here’s a list of some of the most common reasons and responses given by first-time guests. They may sound superficial to the committed churchgoer, but they matter to […]
Suddenly, everyone in churchworld is talking about Evangelization. You want to know why? Several reasons. First, because everyone else is talking about it. Second, because it seems like a nice idea. Third, because the Pope and the bishops are all talking about it. Fourth, hopefully, because Jesus told us to do it. Fifth, probably because […]
In our travels we meet lots and lots of parish leaders. We have talked to pastors, parish life directors, faith formation directors, youth ministers, parish administrators. They have come from every kind of parish in every kind of demographic. And because of the types of events we typically speak at, most all of the parishes […]
After several years of planning, in the spring of 2014 we announced plans for a new 1500 seat sanctuary. To finance the project we also at that time launched a campaign. Far from an old fashion fundraiser, the “Vision” campaign, as we came to call it, was presented as a spiritual exercise. No one was […]
