Summer has always been a time when we’re tempted to hit the pause button in our ministries, thinking everyone needs a well-deserved break. But what if this laid-back season is the perfect opportunity for something truly transformative in our spiritual communities ..read more

"Being annoyed is a concoction based on expectations and the stories we tell ourselves." - Seth Godin, Inverting the Index  If you're annoyed with your parents, ask yourself: What expectations do I have of the parents in my ministry? What narrative have I created about their lives? Too often, we confuse the primary source of formation with the only source of formation. It's easy to believe when annoyed with parents that "Parents are lazy," "They don't get it," or "Parents don't care." When we tell ourselves these stories, we risk becoming the savior of family woes. Instead of engaging ..read more

While the age at which young people receive Confirmation is frequently debated, it's time to shift our focus from mere numbers to meaningful engagement in their spiritual growth ..read more

Do people know why your ministry matters? As Simon Sinek says ..read more

Leading the faithful is both rewarding and exhausting. There will be times when you face opposition and take on complicated challenges. It's in those moments when you find people you can trust to journey with you through those difficult moments. Ideally, those people would be coworkers and volunteers ready to serve alongside you, but that's not always the case. Sometimes, we struggle to trust that anyone really cares about the parish or the ministry as much as we do. And when there is a lack of trust, it can kill any vision that God has placed in the hearts of the faithful. Stephen Covey wrot ..read more

When you work from the parish campus, does the door to your office stay open or closed? I'll close it when I have a sensitive call to make, or want to focus on a project. But, if I'm being honest there are times when I'm just hoping to avoid people ..read more

Recruiting volunteers isn't a big secret. If we want people to accept our invitation, we need a clear vision and clarity around their roles. However, these efforts are meaningless without a willingness to establish personal relationships ..read more

I recently asked a friend, what was one of her biggest pet peeves in ministry, and she said, "It's when people make ministry the excuse behind why their value is diminished." Her comment gave me pause because I've realized over the years how much I've heard people say: "I don't need to get paid a lot because I'm in ministry." "I work odd and long hours because I'm in ministry." "We're not going to have the resources we need because we're in ministry." Serving in ministry involves sacrifice, and there are limitations; however, it is not at the expense of our integrity and value as ministry l ..read more

As we approached the fall, we faced a shortage of volunteers, which was unfortunate given the increasing number of children and teens participating. We did not want to close registration early or turn away families, so we consulted with our pastor. Fortunately, we planned several weekends to make pitches from the pulpit and invited people to open houses and coffee conversations, which successfully yielded new volunteers. The last-minute scramble for people to serve was a red flag for us. After securing enough volunteers, we stepped back and recognized a shortage of willing participants in our ..read more

In 2016, at the National Conference for Catholic Youth Ministers in San Jose, California, I had the pleasure of meeting John Rinaldo. Our paths crossed thanks to social media and a shared interest in podcasting—I had co-hosted the Rebuilt Podcast, which John appreciated. At that time, I was navigating a challenging period in my career, having just departed from my parish of 12 years and in the early stages of forming Marathon Youth Ministry. My future seemed uncertain. It was during this pivotal moment that John proposed an exciting idea: “You want to do a podcast together?” Without hesitatio ..read more