A key contributor to the weakness in financial and ministry sustainability in Catholic parishes is the over reliance on the  annual budget. Sometimes this is bolstered with statements to "have faith, God will provide", but usually the statements are actually a form of anxiety and conflict avoidance.

In the past 5 years, I have been advocating for 5 + years of comprehensive financial modeling and two year budgets with annual refinements. The financial model must account for household…

This past Friday the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace released  the educational aid Vocation of the Business Leader (Business%20Leader%20Vocation.pdf).  While targeted at the world of business, we might seek to explore how the principles adhere…

Do you know why people are leaving your parish?

Speaking to the Leadership Roundtable in 2008, Mr Larry Bossidy, retired Chairman & CEO of

Honeywell International suggested that parishes conduct exit interviews to find out.

The first [suggestion] is to establish a parish committee for the retention of Catholics. In other words, when people drop out of the Church, do exit interviews to find out why they are leaving. There are a number of common reasons why…

Even in the post-Vatican II era of collaborative ministry, bishops only entrust parishes to ordained pastors.  Such pastors rely on professional staffs and competent volunteers, as well as on pastoral and finance council members.  But none of them have more than what Canon Law calls a "consultative vote."  The buck stops with the pastor.  He alone can make legal decisions on behalf of the parish, and the good pastor must be a prudent leader as well as a good shepherd.

All the more…

Jeff Parrott has a fascinating article in US Catholic, Where 20,000 or 30,000 are gathered: Life in a Catholic megaparish,

Leadership Roundtable member Sr. Katarina Schuth is quoted in the article:

“She says tomorrow’s priests and lay leaders must be prepared to deal with the…

Ross Douthat writing on Religion and the Social Crisis recently in the New York Times raised the important question of how we attract "the best and brightest" into Church ministry.:

"Institutions are only as strong as their personnel, and the major religious bodies in the United States have struggled mightily since the 1960s to attract large numbers of…

Catholic leaders recognize that for Catholic schools to flourish, we must be more successful in attracting Latino families to enroll their children and have to find ways to ensure Catholic education is affordable to these families.

This was one of the topics featured at the Leadership Roundtable's 2011 conference at Georgetown University focusing on FROM ASPIRATIONS TO ACTION: Solutions…

The Catholic Standards for Excellence call for full implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth.

10 Years after the sexual abuse crisis erupted in the Catholic Church, U.S. Catholic is conducting a…

Message of Pope Benedict XVI for Lent 2012. "Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works." (Heb 10:24)

"The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in…

The largest diocese in Canada is in transition and at it's helm is new Cardinal, Thomas Collins.  The Toronto Star explores the…

It has been common to distinguish between "pastoral" and "parish" councils since the publication in 1983 of the Code of Canon Law, which recommended parish pastoral councils.  Today we prefer the superior "pastoral" council to the old "parish" council, which …

An editorial in the February 27, 2012 issue of America magazine calls for transparency, accountability and national standards for financial stewardship at all levels of the Catholic Church:

"To be proper stewards of the financial resources they have been given, church officials must adopt transparent and fiscally responsible practices at all levels. A national…

The Leadership Roundtable is proud to co-sponsor the National Symposium on Lay Ecclesial Ministry which has met at Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN in 2007 and 2011.

Over 40 Catholic organizations and…

A great five-minute video from the St. Thomas More Newman Center at Ohio State University. 

Will put a smile on your face and give you great hope for the future

Visit EsteemLeadership.org for more…

I have been invited to participate in a conversation on Monday about collaboration in ministry.  I am usually not stuck for things to say (as some of you know!) and have some experience and opinions on collaboration which I will share with the group. One aspect I will bring to the discussion is that social networking technologies have made broader consultation and collaboration easier, so I thought I would test out that theory by putting out this Weekend Question topic to…

I came across this explanation of a little known tax credit that many parishes and dicoese' may find helpful. I have known the author, Harold Parsons, for many years and talked to him to make sure I understood the implications of what he was saying. It is a little known item in the PPACA that does not usually grab the attention of parish or diocesan administrators.

It points to the importance of accessing professionals who know the Catholic Church and her structures and how the Church…

Dale Roach provides us with 12 characteristics of effective leaders and also suggests that every successful team needs an effective leader:

Effective leadership has certain, basic, visionary, characteristics.…

In this, "Catholic Schools Week", Michael Sean Winter at Distinctively Catholic, reports on the White House recognition of Champions of Change in Catholic Schools. Their inspiring stories begin at the 22:37 minute mark of the video.

The Leadership Roundtable has worked with many of these champions and the Catholic institutions they represent as we…

John Allen is the highly respected Vatican Correspondent for CNN and the National Catholic Reporter.  When he addressed the Leadership Roundtable in June 2010 on Accountability in a World Church, he noted:

"If the Catholic Church in the twenty-first century becomes more accountable, collaborative, and transparent, it will be because the argument for doing…

"Enrollment in Chicago’s Catholic elementary schools is up for the second straight year — the first time that’s happened since 1965, officials said Friday".  Read the full article here.

The news follows the recent announcement by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to close or merge 49 Catholic Schools.  Read Blue Ribbon Commission strategic plan…