Do you feel a weight of responsibility in bringing people to spiritual maturity?   If we're going to lead effectively, it's essential that we lean into the power of the Holy Spirit.   This week, Ron is joined by Fr. Patrick Gilmurray to explore the dynamic role of being a pastor and the journey toward achieving spiritual maturity within a parish.   Fr. Patrick emphasizes the power of shared leadership and community. He gives insights into how his congregation was galvanized by innovative initiatives like the Alpha course and the celebration of a Pentecost mission. This concept has since become a cornerstone for their parish as they embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in renewal.   This episode offers valuable insights for priests and leaders seeking to create impactful change in their communities with the help of the Holy Spirit.

How do we create a safe and welcoming space for non-Christians to explore questions of faith?   As cultural shifts pull people away from traditional church settings, new strategies and understanding are vital for reaching a secular, post-Christian demographic.   This week's guest is Ger Jones, senior pastor of Vintage Church in Los Angeles. This church has between 400 and 500 guests attending Alpha each session!   Ron and Ger dive into the transformed landscape of evangelization in today's society and discuss how Alpha has become a powerful tool for reaching people who may be skeptical or have had negative experiences with Christianity. Ger emphasizes the need for intentional leadership and a new mindset regarding evangelization to bring more people to Jesus.   This thoughtful conversation offers a wealth of insights for church leaders and laypeople alike who are striving to connect authentically with those outside the faith.   Don't miss this inspiring conversation on effective evangelization strategies.

Innovation always comes with risks. It's no different in ministry!   In this episode, Fr. Sammie is back to join Ron for a heartfelt conversation about the challenges and triumphs of taking bold paths in ministry.   Listeners will gain an intimate look into the world of church leadership, where risk-taking, humility, and a relentless pursuit of the mission come together to define the landscape of church innovation and disciple-making.   Fr. Sammie shares his experiences leading a parish through transformative periods, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and the willingness to fail in pursuit of greater outcomes. He touches on the necessity of shifting from merely professional church workers to true discipleship.   This episode provides deep insights into how embracing discomfort has led to significant growth within St. John the Evangelist's church community and will challenge you to believe for the same within your own context!

As a missional leader, you've been given a significant responsibility. How you steward that responsibility makes all the difference in terms of your effectiveness.   In this podcast, Ron Huntley delves into the critical aspects of leadership within the church community, specifically addressing the challenges that missional priests, teams, and bishops face. This episode gives a dynamic perspective to creating momentum and achieving a transformative impact in your parish and the broader community.   Ron emphasizes the importance of four pivotal components he likens to the "wheels on the bus" of your church: the health of your team, your organizational structure, the quality of your meetings, and your parish culture.   Neglecting any of these aspects can lead to stalled progress or even the downfall of your church's mission.   This episode is rich with actionable insights and strategies to galvanize missional priests, teams, and bishops to create a flourishing, purpose-driven community. __ Download a Free Resource on 'The 4 Wheels of the Bus': https://mcusercontent.com/1b75ddf939e5c84ab1b75a90c/files/c9719b4e-acbe-1711-6bc7-2412e3ce17ef/Dynamic_Leadership.pdf

What role does social media play in the world of evangelization?   This week's guest, Khalil Hattar, believes that the media can profoundly impact modern evangelism and its potential for Catholic faith communities.   Khalil serves as P.A. for Administration at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana, a parish that has made a continued commitment to growing the impact of its online media and communications.   With the world increasingly shifting online, Khalil and Ron discuss the significance of establishing a digital presence to connect with individuals beyond the church walls.   This episode offers simple yet effective insights for parishes looking to venture into the realm of digital evangelism. It underscores an imperative call to action for both clergy and laity to embrace and expand their church's digital frontiers. If you want to deepen your understanding of how faith and digital media intertwine in the modern world, this episode is worth a listen.   __ See more from St. John the Evangelist: SJE Website: https://stjohnparish.org SJE Plus: https://sjeplus.org YouTube: https://youtube.com/@SaintJohnParish Instagram: https://instagram.com/saintjohnparish

Have you considered bringing on a parish coach to help facilitate renewal?   Maybe you've been hesitant because you weren't sure if the timing was right, or you wonder what you'll actually gain from the experience.   In this week's episode, Ron and Lorraine are discussing the important role that coaching can play in supporting priests and bishops. We believe immensely in the value that coaching can bring, and in this conversation, we unpack what this process looks like to help you consider if it might be worth exploring for your own parish.   If you're interested in learning more about parish coaching, we'd love to connect with you and see how we might be able to help. Reach out to us at https://huntleyleadership.com, and let's start the conversation!

Raising up missionary leaders to carry the Church's mission forward is essential! Effective leadership formation can be challenging, and is often overlooked.   This week's guest is working to change that reality by creating an intentional space for missionary leadership formation.   Fr Chris Ryan MGL has a Ph.D. in theology and a heart for ensuring our ecclesial organizations are fruitful in helping others fall in love with Jesus and equip them for mission. Fr Chris founded the Areté Centre For Missionary Leadership to form people as leaders in the Church’s evangelising mission.   Fr. Chris believes that a huge priority for the Church ought to be the formation of leaders who are passionate about Jesus Christ and his mission.   Listen and learn their approach, and be inspired about how you could implement something similar in your area!

Is there a relationship between the leadership styles of bishops and the health of dioceses? And how do we even go about measuring the health of a diocese?   This week's guest, Fr. Daniel Brandenburg, loves Jesus and loves the Catholic Church. Inspired by those loves, he has dedicated a significant amount of time to researching the topic of diocesan health.   Through qualitative and quantitative studies, Fr. Daniel has come to the conclusion that there is a profound connection between the leadership styles of bishops and the health of dioceses.   In this episode, we're exploring some of Fr. Daniel's research and unpacking what sort of impact it can have on our dioceses today! You won't want to miss this conversation.   Read Fr. Daniel's dissertation here: https://bit.ly/fr-daniel-dissertation

If you work with other people, your ability to facilitate effective 1-on-1 meetings is incredibly important! These meetings are often the best opportunity you have to invest in the individuals on your leadership team, and they should happen regularly.   On this week's podcast, we'll address some of the key components of effective meetings and explore some of the challenges that people often encounter.   Ron shares insights on how to structure your one-on-one meetings, evaluate their effectiveness, and ensure that they are worthwhile and fun for the team members involved!

Feeling God's call to ministry can be exciting! But what happens when you feel that your time in your ministry role is coming to an end?   Discerning whether to stay in ministry or step down is an important exercise. In ministry, we're called to be on mission. If we're going to be effective in achieving that mission, it's essential that the right people are in the right roles. If someone is in a role that's not a good fit, we have to be willing to make a change!   Stepping out of a ministry role can often be confusing and can leave people feeling lost or hurt. But staying too long can lead to a painful exit. Whether the role isn't a good fit due to the person's abilities or simply because the culture and personality aren't aligned, navigating these transitional periods can be incredibly tough on both the person leaving and the employer.   On this week's podcast, Ron is sharing his perspective on how these transitions out of ministry can be handled with care from both the employer's and the employee's perspectives. This episode will equip you to have honest conversations and navigate the transition in a healthy way for everyone involved.

When you think of the RCIA process, what comes to mind?   Do you see it as simply a liturgical process? Do you believe that it can have a significant evangelical impact? This week's podcast guest believes that it can!   Fr. Chris Ryan has a Ph.D. in theology and wrote his doctoral dissertation on the RCIA's ability to help evangelize young people.   On this week's episode, Ron and Fr. Chris unpack the missionary reality of the RCIA process and explore what it can look like when implemented within a parish that's alive!   The wells of our Roman Catholic faith are incredibly deep, and there's so much to learn. This conversation is worth a listen!   About Fr. Chris: Fr. Chris Ryan is the parish priest of St Declan’s Parish Penshurst, Our Lady of Fatima Parish Peakhurst, and St Joseph's Oatley in the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia. Fr. Chris' PhD examines the RCIA as a resource for youth ministry in our secular age. He is a co-author of Preaching on Purpose: A Divine Renovation Handbook for Communicating the Gospel Today. Since 2019, Fr Chris has been the Director of the Arete Centre for Missionary Leadership, which forms lay people as leaders in evangelisation and parish renewal.

The church is meant to be on mission! Every parish is called by God to reach new people and make disciples. Sometimes, that mission feels easy to talk about conceptually yet tough to make a reality. But thanks be to God, there are incredible leaders who have developed tools and resources to equip churches to be more effective in their mission. This week's episode is part 2 of a two-week conversation where Ron is exploring a concept from Rick Warren's book, 'The Purpose Driven Church.' Between last week's episode and this week, we're unpacking the '5 Systems for a Missional Parish.' Ron shares important insights and experiences as he unpacks the final three of the five systems! If you haven't had a chance to listen to Part 1 yet, you'll want to listen to that and then come back to this episode. Check out episode 157 of the podcast here: https://youtu.be/MJU1nnrj0a0 Buy The Purpose Driven Church here: https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Driven-Church-Every-Gods/dp/0310201063

What does it take to make a parish fruitful?   How do we implement tools that help us achieve the mission we're called to?   In this week's episode, Ron is exploring a concept from Rick Warren's book, 'The Purpose Driven Church.' This is the first episode of a two-part conversation that unpacks the '5 Systems for a Missional Parish.'   Ron shares some of the struggles and wins that he's observed as these systems have been implemented in different parish contexts, and he dives deep into the first two of the five systems.   Next week's episode will explore the remaining three systems, so if you find this valuable, be sure to tune in next week for Part 2! Visit our website ⇥ https://huntleyleadership.com Buy The Purpose Driven Church here: https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Driven-Church-Every-Gods/dp/0310201063

Fr. Rob Galea has a ministry that reaches millions of people a year. Fr. Rob is an innovator, pioneer and evangelist who has encountered Jesus in a profound way. In this episode, Ron & Fr. Rob are unpacking what it looks like to hear God's voice and to be obedient to His call on your life. We dive into Fr. Rob's own story of hearing God's voice and finding his calling and explore some of the amazing work that Fr. Rob is doing as Executive Director of FRG Ministry, a Catholic non-profit global media and outreach Apostolate that is building a community of all ages, guiding them to the love and hope of Jesus Christ. Fr Rob is an evangelist at heart and uses all he has and does to let anyone who would listen know their worth, dignity and purpose in life. You won't want to miss this powerful conversation! Want to connect with Fr. Rob or get additional resources from FRG Ministry? Visit https://frrobgalea.com or https://FRGministry.com.

In this episode, Ron engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Tom Corcoran, co-author of the transformative book, "Rebuilt Faith: A Handbook for Skeptical Catholics."   📚 About the Book: Do you find yourself questioning the existence of God or wrestling with doubts about your faith? Perhaps you've been hurt by the Church or are struggling with its teachings. "Rebuilt Faith" by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran offers five simple steps to deepen your connection with God and rediscover the essence of your Catholic faith.   ⛪️ Key Steps in Rebuilt Faith: 1. Serve - Serve others and develop a servant’s heart; 2. Give - Giving reflects the character of God; 3. Engage in Christian community - We need friends of faith to become more like Jesus; 4. Practice prayer and the sacraments - By praying consistently and continually taking part in the sacraments, you will better connect with God; 5. Share your faith - Having a heart for people who do not know Jesus and helping them in their faith journey will strengthen your own faith.   Join us as we explore how these steps can revolutionize your relationship with God. Learn how embracing your Catholic faith can bring about a sense of purpose, connectedness, and community, allowing you to strengthen both your personal connection with God as well as the entire Body of Christ around you.   ➡️ Want to connect with Tom and the Rebuilt Parish team? Visit their website here: https://rebuiltparish.com ➡️ Get more resources from Ave Maria Press: https://avemariapress.com

The role of a father is significant. For better or worse, a father's impact leaves a mark.   Today's episode is all about fatherhood! We're exploring the impact that absent fathers can have on men and families and unpacking what it looks like to support men on their journey of fatherhood.   Jonathan Lewis and Jeff Watson are co-founders of Fathers for Fathers. This incredible organization seeks to counter fatherlessness and family alienation and see men renew their spirits and heal for the generational well-being of children.   This episode will encourage and challenge you, especially those of you who are fathers, to step into who God has created you to be.   Want to dive deeper with Jeff and Jonathan at Fathers for Fathers? Check out additional resources on their website: https://fathersforfathersusa.org/.

How do we empower the next generation of leaders within the church for missional impact?   This week's podcast is a conversation between Christian Huntley and Shino Kurian. Christian met Shino at World Youth Day in Portugal this past summer on mission with Catholic Christian Outreach, and he was immediately inspired by Shino's leadership capacity as well as his faith.   In this episode, we're unpacking what it's like to be 24-year-olds with missionary hearts in today's church. Christian and Shino share what's on their hearts as they look forward with expectancy on the next ten years and what gets them excited as young leaders in this era of the church.   If you want to invest in young leaders in your community, this conversation will provide incredible perspectives on how to do that effectively!   Want to connect with Shino? Find him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinokurian/.

Staffing a church can be challenging! We're often balancing limited budgets with a need for high-capacity leaders. We need leaders with faith and a high commitment who can share the vision for what God is calling us to accomplish. One way that this can be achieved is through high-capacity volunteer staff. These are people who have a heart to see the mission move forward, and who have the time and passion to help bring that vision to life! On this podcast, Ron is speaking with Colleen Owen, an incredible leader within her parish community. Colleen has been involved in various ministries and roles over the years, and since her retirement from the public school system in February 2023, she has joined the team at Holy Trinity Parish as an unpaid staff member. This conversation dives into what these volunteer staff positions can look like, and what it takes to effectively facilitate these types of roles! Want to connect with Colleen and Holy Trinity? Visit their website here: https://holytrinityns.ca/

What does it mean to "make disciples"? And how do you do it within the context of the local parish?   On this episode, we're speaking with Jim Jansen, author of a book titled, "A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish." In this book, Jim seeks to provide a clear path of discipleship and to equip you with the tools to create a tangible action plan for building that path.   This podcast conversation will share insights to equip you as leaders, along with your team, to have a practical, clear plan for making missionary disciples in your own parish context.   Want to learn more or get the book? Check out https://clearpathbook.com/.

Communication is an essential part of leadership. In the parishes we coach, one of the most common concerns that leaders raise is the issue of poor communication.   If we don't get communication right, it's incredibly difficult to be effective in any other aspect of the work we're doing.   On this week's podcast, Ron is unpacking six reasons that people are often unable to get communication right. Maybe you're struggling with one, or several, of these barriers to effective communication. This podcast will give you tangible tips to communicate in a more impactful way within your church or ministry.