What are we Assuming?
The War on Mediocrity
Parishes Are Not Jobs Programs
Pastors Need Teams
The True Meaning of Patience
The Heroic Pastor Movement
Evangelizing Over the Holidays
Taking a Team Approach to Christmas
The Culture of an Amazing Parish
A Case for Parish Consolidations
Only the Pastor Can Take the First Step
A Simple Christmas Idea
The Courage of an American Pastor
Paid Staff vs. Volunteers
Let’s Do Something
Evangelization and Discipleship in the “Workplace”
Parishes Loving Parishes
Amazing Parish Follow-up Checklist
Beautiful Simplicity at Mass
Pastors and Their Associates
The Dangerous Fear of Attrition
Pat Lencioni 2017 USCCB Convocation Keynote
Post Conference Video Message from Pat Lencioni
The Secret to Happy & Engaged Employees: Webinar Recording
Hat Tricks – Eliminating confusion around the many roles of a leader: Webinar Recording
Difficult Conversations Around Performance: Webinar Recording
The Hidden Roadblock of Leadership: Webinar Recording
The Simple Discipline of Evangelizing: Webinar Recording
The Heroic Pastors Our World Needs
Heroic Pastors: leading in uncertain times
Leadership & Courage: Essentials for Every Pastor
The Things Only a Pastor Can Do
What Every Catholic Pastor Needs to Hear Right Now
Emerge Stronger by Creating a New, Better, Normal
Taking Your Team to the Next Level
Amazing Parish Webinar: Why It’s Worth It
Three Tips to Move Your Parish Forward
Your Role as a Parish Leadership Team Member
Building and Spreading a Culture of Prayer and Discipleship in Your Office
Post-Conference Webinar: Four Tips for Moving Your Parish Forward
Who Should Be on Your Leadership Team
Circle of Concern & Circle of Influence
Three Common Mistakes That Prevent Progress
The Four Ingredients of an Amazing Homily
Amazing Parish Best Practices: Getting Clear About What Works
The Better Pastor: An Honest Look at the Challenges of Leading a Parish
Webinar: Hospitality During the Holidays and Beyond!
First Steps to Creating an Amazing Parish Webinar Recording
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.
Reviews for 'The Better Pastor'
Patrick Lencioni is a consummate storyteller and renowned leadership expert. The Better Pastor is a timely answer to prayer, and a resource for every priest!
Lencioni is one of the most sought after leadership experts of our time, and the most successful organizations in the world look to him for advice. Now he's putting his gifts at the service of the Church he loves so much. His advice is simple, focused, and accessible, just like our ministries should be.
In a humorous fable, Lencioni lays bare the challenge faced by every generation of priests: confronting pastoral realities that seminary training could neither anticipate nor address.
This book is a highly relevant story for today’s parish priest. It will serve as a catalyst to better help pastors successfully, faithfully, and happily live out their calling as good leaders and shepherds of our beloved parishes.
Parish life demands that we pastors steer the ship in unfamiliar and sometimes threatening waters. In The Better Pastor, Patrick Lencioni offers us a new way of seeing our role as shepherds, one that is challenging, encouraging, and hopeful in the same breath.