From Franchise to Family

As I look around the landscape of Christianity today, I notice that many of the churches having the greatest impact tend to have this in common: there is a strong family dynamic present at their core. This has been a point of intrigue for me, and I’ve been exploring the value of a family-based model in the overall health and effectiveness of the church. In our Catholic parishes, we often use the language of family, but if we look at the specifics, I think it’s more accurate to say we function much more like franchises than families.

Leadership, CultureJim SchusterNovember 17, 2019culture, page 3

Understanding “This Cultural Moment”

We should not allow ourselves to give in to a doom-and-gloom perspective of where things stand today, nor should we embrace hyperbolic slogans that claim this to be the worst period in history. Not all churches are dying; many are thriving and growing. Once we cast off the narrative of inevitable decline, there is every reason to believe that we may be standing on the edge of the next great awakening.

Leadership, Evangelization, CultureJim SchusterOctober 13, 2019post-christianity, culture, page 3

Against the Charge of Evangelical "Emotionalism"

Catholic culture leans heavily towards traditionally left-brain traits that value fact, analysis, and structure. By contrast, large segments of the Evangelical world that have embraced more right-brain, relational approaches to ministry are seeing significantly better results in the areas of evangelism and discipleship. Despite the evidence, many Catholics remain resistant to the idea of adopting Evangelical approaches or learning from their methods.