A PASTOR’S FIRST STEPS

When a priest becomes a pastor, leadership takes on a whole new meaning to him.

 

As pastor, he is now the spiritual leader and executive authority of the parish. Many pastors would agree that there are a lot of practical realities of leadership that they didn’t learn in seminary. Here are some free resources a pastor can use to better understand his role as leader.

Courage Article

To understand the courage it takes to be a pastor, read Pat Lencioni’s article “The Courage of an American Pastor”.

The Better Pastor Book

For a healthy perspective on leading a parish, read Pat's book The Better Pastor.

Pastor Self-Assessment

To assess your strengths and areas for development, take the Pastor Self-Assessment.

Leadership Team Webinar

To understand the benefits of surrounding yourself with a leadership team, watch the webinar Who Should Be Your Parish Leadership Team.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS

Amazing Parish exists to revitalize the Church by equipping her pastors and leaders with the training, resources and support they need to create vibrant and thriving parishes. Although every parish is unique, we’ve found that there are three common “building blocks” that form the foundation of an amazing parish.

A Culture of Prayer

Team members regularly pray together and invite God into their discussions and decisions.

A Culture of Healthy Teamwork

Team members commit to and practice the Five Behaviors of a Team.

A Culture of Active Discipleship

Team members actively engage and invest in the faith lives of each other and others.

A REAL LEADERSHIP TEAM

No pastor, not even the best one, can run a parish on his own. With fewer priests, more demands from parishioners in a complicated society and a faster pace of life, he can’t do it alone. Every pastor needs a leadership team, a special group of people who are collectively committed to helping him make the parish amazing and bring more people to Christ and his Church.

Before you begin to form a parish leadership team, watch this video.

Click the button below for additional information on forming your parish leadership team.

THE BETTER PASTOR
by Patrick Lencioni

“As he approached the door to the sacristy, Fr. Daniel Connor had no idea that his parish— and his priesthood—was about to be changed forever.”

The Better Pastor is a fictional yet realistic story, lovingly written for all those priests in the world who are not only spiritual shepherds but also leaders of the organizations we call parishes.

Being the pastor of a Catholic parish is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. Whether they are responsible for a small rural parish, medium-sized urban one, or large suburban mega-parish, all pastors have one thing in common: they can’t do it alone. Unfortunately, many wonderful priests find that becoming a pastor can be overwhelming and lonely, and can even diminish the joy of their vocation. This is a tragedy, and an unnecessary one.

In his first book intended specifically for clergy, Patrick Lencioni tells the story of a priest who is challenged to think differently about his “job.” As he does in his other leadership fables written for the secular world, Lencioni quickly cuts to the heart of the challenge faced by leaders, and he provokes them to embrace simple but powerful concepts that can change the way they work and serve the people God has put in their lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patrick Lencioni is a New York Times best-selling author and president of the Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping organizations become healthier and more effective. He is a lifelong Catholic who, after more than twenty years in business, decided to spend more of his time and energy serving the Church. He is a cofounder of The Amazing Parish Movement, committed to helping pastors and their teams improve organizationally and spiritually. He has worked with a host of parishes, schools, and dioceses, and has consulted to a wide variety of Catholic apostolates. Pat lives in California with his wife and four sons.

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