News

It’s not easy to be a consistently committed Jesus-like S3 Leader – a servant, steward and shepherd. In fact, it’s impossible if we don’t work at it. One way to stay on the path is for us to conduct little self-exams regarding our motivations, our perspectives and our behaviors. Here are some questions to ask yourself about your motivations. As you consider them, ask yourself if you are doing them rarely, once in a while, frequently or consistently. In each case, if you aren’t consistent yet, try to move in that direction. If you conduct this self-exam on a regular basis, you can c...

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By Dick Kunnert Yeshua Fellow and Board Member (Editor’s note: Among the many ways he has served his parish and diocesan church over several decades, Dick was Victims’ Assistance Coordinator for the Rockford Diocese for many years.) After almost two decades of disclosures regarding the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests, the challenges of Catholic laity persist and grow. Among the key questions we are asking: How do we understand the personal and corporate failures of the Catholic Church in our times? How do we handle our thoughts and feelings that arise from the sense of betrayal, both...

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By Owen Phelps, Pd.D. Director, Yeshua Institute I’m not often tempted to pat myself on the back. At my age, I should know better. It would make my shoulder hurt. (Don’t ask me how I know that.) Nonetheless, if I’m ever tempted to try – again – another simple but painful experience should deliver me from the temptation. Despite more than a decade devoted to teaching people how to be Jesus-like S3 Leaders, when it comes to me being one myself, I’m not there … yet. How do I know? There is a famous prayer composed by St. Ignatius of Loyola called Suscipe (Latin for &ld...

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It’s important for parish leaders to be actively engaged in forming a dynamic parish, but it’s not enough. Leaders also have to engage their parishioners – and that’s the focus on the third in an 8-part series of free webinars offered by the Yeshua Institute. Pastoral leaders need to foster a culture of engagement in their parishes. And the key to doing that is to foster voluntary ways that enhance the engagement of parishioners. But Dan cautions that the task can actually be more difficult when leading from a position of authority. In this webinar you’ll learn how to avoid the pitfalls ...

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After 35 years as a leader in business, mostly in the cable TV industry, Terry St. Marie has some sound advice to people taking on new leadership positions. We can distill it down to just a handful of observations: Even after a lot of formal education and careful observation, when you begin leading others you have a lot more to learn. So first and foremost, never lose your desire to keep learning. Then learn how to make stress your friend. Do a lot of “people learning” because no two people are alike and you’ll lose more sleep over people problems than anything else – and find mentors t...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute A Jesus-like Leader is an S3 Leader – a Servant, Steward and Shepherd. But before we get caught up in some abstract concept of optimal leadership, let’s put the whole idea in a very concrete context. Do you make the development of those you lead a primary part of your mission as a leader? That question is a great litmus test of your sincere commitment to be a Jesus-like Leader – a true Servant, Steward and Shepherd. Parenting obvious The answer to this question for those in parenting leadership roles should be as easy as it is obvious. Of ...

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The vital leadership challenge of Engaging Hearts and Minds in Your Parish is the title of the second in an 8-part series of free webinars offered by the Yeshua Institute. In the series, Dr. Dan Ebener focuses on the insights of his newest book, Pastoral Leadership: Best Practices for Church Leaders, published by Paulist Press. The book is targeted to everyone involved in parish leadership at any level – from pastor to active volunteer. Ebener is author of four books and dozens of articles on leadership – and teaches in the Master of Organizational Leadership Program at St. Ambrose University in Davenport...

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The Yeshua Institute has released an 8-part series of free webinars with the theme Better Leaders, Better Parishes. The Yeshua Institute has offered several single webinars in the past six months, but the release of this collection of webinars marks the first time that the institute has offered a complete series of programs on a single topic. Presented by Dr. Dan Ebener, the series’ content is based on Dan’s new book, Pastoral Leadership: Best Practices for Church Leaders. “We’re really excited to make this series so accessible for people in parish ministry all over the world,” says D...

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There are four things you can do to build healthy relationships on the job – and to help yourself grow from being regarded as a taskmaster to being considered a genuine leader. The difference? When dealing with taskmasters, we’re inclined to focus on and achieve minimums. With a leader, we tend to commit ourselves to doing our best. Over the long haul that’s a huge difference – so large it could be the difference between success and failure, or profit and loss. Joel Garfinkle, author of seven books, says the four key drivers in building healthy leader relationships are: Enhance trust ...

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Learn how to manage – even master -- conflict in all of your relationships during a free webinar Monday, April 29, at 1 p.m. Central Time, provided by the Yeshua Institute. Keith Borchers, founder and president of Evangelium Consulting Group, will share his knowledge and experience about how to use spirituality and trust to turn conflict into an asset instead of a liability in every relationship and organization -- from a friendship to a family, from a parish to a multinational corporation. Stomach pains? “For many people, just the mention of the word conflict can cause stomach pains,” Keith says...

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