Church Leadership

Church Leadership: A Challenge, An Opportunity, A Gift

2006, 72 pages, $19.95

Whenever the faithful gather today it seems that the subject of church leadership quickly arises in the conversation. Not infrequently one hears the call for a more empowering leadership on the part of pastors and bishops so that laity will participate more fully and invest themselves more completely in the success of the faith community. Theology professor and writer, Rev. Michael J. Himes provides foundation leaders with a lively interchange on the notions of power and authority, the crisis of imagination within the church, and the need for more discussion on the meaning of the sacrament of baptism.

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Effective Religious Leadership In An Age of Change

2003, 56 pages, $19.95

Edited proceedings from a conference discussing ways to broaden the participation of laity in church governance and leadership in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse crisis. National experts explain how laity can become more involved in creating a climate of positive change.

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Priesthood in a Time of Change and Challenge

2006, 52 pages, $19.95

Relentless news coverage of the church in the wake of clergy scandals compounded by a drastic decline in the number of priestly ordinations over the past quarter century are putting enormous burdens on average priests. Nationwide, Catholicism remains one of the fastest growing faith communities in the U.S. But how will a smaller and older clergy keep pace with increased pastoral and administrative demands? A group of highly respected scholars and pastoral leaders exchange candid opinions on the priesthood within the coming years.

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Structures for Leadership: Are They Working?

2004, 59 pages, $10.95

Nearly forty years after the Vatican II Council, the church is still seeking the right formula for engaging lay members in its institutional life. These conference proceedings offer an array of opinion on how effective the church has been in fostering a sense of shared responsibility for its life. Speakers include journalists, researchers, scholars, and prominent lay Catholics who caution the church that without more vigorous efforts to activate the laity a slide into nominal Catholicism may be in the offing.

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The Spiritual Ground of Leadership

2004, 18 pages, $6.95

Our times beckon good leaders to step forward, especially lay leaders. Sister Kathleen Cannon, OP, Associate Dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame and a teacher on lay service and lay power in the church, offers a reflection on the spiritual foundation of Christian life, leadership, and speaking with authority.

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The Trusted Leader

2003, 58 pages, $19.95

What constitutes virtuous and responsible leadership? Scandals have undermined public confidence not only in business, the media, government and the charitable sector but the church as well. The causes are often traced to the failure of leadership. Leaders who dispense with ethical decision making, work by expediency, self- survival, and short term fain, rather than deeply-rooted principle, are not building great organization but rather paving the way for their undoing. This conference discusses the erosion of trust in the nation’s leadership and the importance of ethical formation, the practice of virtue and the value of accountability among leaders including clergy and laity. Participants include the president of the U.S. bishops, former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, writers, scholars and foundation leaders.

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Women of Faith: A Conference on Participation and Leadership

2005, 69 pages, $14.95

Women serve as diocesan chancellors, seminary faculty, Catholic school superintendents, diocesan directors of liturgy and worship, pastoral planners, catechetical leaders and in many other areas of leadership. Yet, despite a trend toward the inclusion of women in leadership positions, there is abundant evidence of the church culture that is far from welcoming of the gifts and talents of women. Only 16 percent of today’s Vatican employees, professional and clerical, are female, for example. These conference proceedings include the viewpoints of women of the highest responsibilities as church employees sharing their experience and wisdom on the work ahead to build a church that lives what it believes about the dignity and equality of all of its members.

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