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The Institute for Ministry Formation Offers New Course in Pastoral Leadership

For anyone in leadership or preparing for future leadership: pastors, parish administrators, ministry leaders, deacons, seminarians, lay ministers or pastoral associates!

In the spring semester (Jan-May, 2025), the Institute for Ministry Formation is offering a course in pastoral leadership. Through weekly online meetings, reading and online interaction, we will explore the challenges, joys and practical skills involved in leadership in a Catholic context. Topics include:

  • Theological vision of leadership originating in the Trinity and the call to mission.
  • The Parish: What is a parish? Parish life and parish roles and responsibilities.
  • The leadership trinity: Lead/Manage/Serve
  • The formation of a leadership team and team building
  • Personalization of leadership through assessment of personal gifts: e.g. using Clifton Strengths
  • Pastoral planning processes
  • Communication and crucial conversations, personnel management and hiring and firing
  • EOS

Father Boniface Hicks will be conducting the course together with Mr. John Hans and the course will be enhanced with guest lectures from other business leaders.

With nearly 40 years of domestic and international expertise, John Hans is a transformational C-Suite leader and empowering advisor who delivers superior business results through the lens of putting people and purpose first. He leverages broad experience in supply chain, sales, IT, and P&L leadership and has a proven track record of executing comprehensive change by implementing processes, governance, and structural strategies that drive sustainable growth. John brought this expertise into the service of the Church in 2018 as he began working with multiple pastors and parish leadership teams in doing pastoral planning. John teamed up with the Institute for Ministry Formation in 2020 and together they formed the STEP4ward program which has served several parishes and Catholic organizations in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Cleveland and Allentown with processes of personal coaching, leadership team development and pastoral planning.

For more details see:

https://imf.saintvincentseminary.edu/course/pastoral-leadership-imth-775/

If you are at all interested, please sign up on our interest form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_csx6BV_7QwZj_hhR1HuIkbtvx4KPjQoarUtfDFeA6WxP6g/viewform