Course Introduction

Many Catholic leaders in the church find themselves wounded and disheartened. Is this God’s plan for parishes and parish leaders? 

No! Yet, it can be dangerous to be professionally religious, i.e. someone who works full time for the church. 

Does this sound familiar? A person starts ministry with hope and zeal. Slowly over time, he or she ends up being bogged down by fighting fires at the parish, running into personnel issues, and operating in silos. The mission for souls seems to be impossible and the minister resorts to operating from a place of depletion and discouragement. Is there a remedy to this cycle of parish strife? 

Father John Riccardo proposes another way. As a former pastor, and now a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit and the founder and executive director of ACTS XXIX, Father Riccardo knows the struggle of parish life and wants to join you in forging a path for your parish. 

Through three simple principles that are adaptable to any situation, Fr. Riccardo gives a clear path forward for any parish leader who is feeling the weight of being a minister and administrator. 

Our hope through this course is to renew your parish by pouring into you—the parish leader—so that you can truly believe that “You were born for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14 

What You Gain

In this new 3-hour course, Fr. John Riccardo personally guides you through:

1. Three fundamental convictions that emphasize the importance of parish leadership and why it can be so difficult today
2. Understanding the current landscape and how that impacts you as a parish leader and your parish
3. How to have hope amidst all the challenges of parish life
4. How to communicate the Kerygma and why it is absolutely vital to your parish staff and parishioners to know and be able to communicate
5. How to go from a staff –> to a team –> to a family
6. How to allow God to be the architect of your parish
7. Reacquiring a Biblical worldview