Every Person Deserves an Amazing Parish Almost exactly thirty days ago, I began this new role as the Executive Director of The Amazing Parish. In that time, I have received one question more than any other. “What is an Amazing Parish?” It is a good question and an...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Strategy Takes Courage One of the biggest differences between leading a parish during the age of Christendom vs. Apostolic Mission is strategy. In the old days of Christendom, parishes were largely the same, operating like...
What Are We Assuming? I love a saying that I heard recently. “What is assumed is often what is most important.” The idea is that in so many situations in life, we erringly assume that something is understood or true, and we are left wondering why our plans...
The War on Mediocrity Mediocrity is one of those words that seems relatively innocuous but gets people’s attention. I suppose there is something particularly stinging about the prospect of being called mediocre. There are those who say that the opposite of love is not...
Parishes Are Not Jobs Programs A friend of mine, the pastor of a large Evangelical church, once said something that made a huge impression on me. “No one should work at a church because they need the job.” Think about that. If someone is working in your parish...
Pastors Need Teams It’s not debatable. And yet, it’s not accepted by all pastors, which leads to unnecessary suffering for parishioners, Church employees, and pastors themselves. So let’s take a quick look at the reasons why a pastor must have a real, trusted team...
The True Meaning of Patience The true definition of a word is important. That’s especially true when the word is a virtue, because using the improper definition can lead us to choose our actions, or even justify them. Take for instance, the virtue of being meek. I’ve...
More than 7 years ago when we started this movement, we called it the Amazing Parish program because we believed that was the key to bringing more people to Jesus in the world. And we still do. But the world has changed considerably since then, and if we were to...
Evangelizing Over the Holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas are a time when so many of us are with family members whom we don’t see often. This might be less prevalent in the Covid Era, but it will be true nonetheless. And even if you are a priest or work in a parish,...
Taking a Team Approach to Christmas As you prepare for Christmas liturgies at your parsh, it might be a good time to put your commitment to teamwork to the test. What I mean is that during particularly busy times, and Christmas is certainly one of them for people who...