The Catholic Leadership Puzzle Podcast

About The Catholic Leadership Puzzle Podcast

Discussion about the integration of Leadership, Faith, and personal development for leaders and how to create an environment within communities that save souls, make saints and transform the world thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com (https://thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Building Communities that Save Souls, Make Saints and Transform the World

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Oct 2022

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

62 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   A Clear Path to Everyday Evangelization with Jim Jansen

   How can a busy parish move from a calendar full of activities to a shared mission of making disciples? That is the question that Christina Semmens and Jim Jansen focus upon in the midst of an extremely practical conversation about relationships, clarity, and teamwork that all are necessary to make parish renewal possible. Jim Jansen is the author of the book, A Clear Path, in it, he explains four essential parts of a discipleship pathway: relational outreach, conversion moments, faith formation, and equipping people for mission. In this conversation, Jim and Christina explore why parishes often stall between helping people grow in faith and preparing them to share it—and how simple, personal mentoring can bridge that gap. The conversation also addresses rebuilding trust between dioceses and parishes, recognizing complementary gifts, sharing responsibility with the pastor, and discerning when a longstanding ministry has run its course. Jim also shares what the process of growing fruit has taught him about work, rest, patience, and trusting God with the harvest. The conversation closes with encouragement to prepare parish communities to welcome, accompany, and integrate people who are seeking Christ. Key Takeaways - A shared mission gives parish activity direction. Knowing why a ministry exists—and how it contributes to making disciples—helps leaders collaborate and reduces competing demands on parishioners. - Renewal begins with relationships. Diocesan and parish leaders build trust by showing up, listening, learning people’s circumstances, and offering practical help. - A clear path includes four connected elements. Help people connect with the community, encounter Jesus and respond to him, grow in discipleship, and become equipped for their own mission. - Formation needs to lead to mission. Learning about the faith matters, but parishioners also need help sharing it with friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. - Mentoring can be simple: tell, show, try, do. Explain a skill and its purpose, model it, provide supported practice, and help someone grow able to do it themselves. - Strong teams bring complementary gifts. A shared vision, trust, and personal maturity allow people with different strengths to serve together. One leader cannot supply every gift. - Discern both growth and pruning. Ask Jesus what a ministry needs now. Sometimes the faithful next step is to grow a small, fruitful initiative; sometimes it is to give tired volunteers permission to stop. - Make room for the next leader. Teaching others and communicating a planned transition can open space for people who would otherwise hesitate to step forward. - Respect the seasons. Fruitfulness requires timely work, rest, and trust. Jim’s orchard offers a reminder that spiritual growth cannot be rushed. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome: Jim Jansen and the work of parish renewal 03:49 — A shared “why” and a clear direction for evangelization 07:28 — Building trust between diocesan leaders and parishes 10:24 — Knowing your people and connecting parish ministries 14:17 — The four parts of a discipleship pathway 19:41 — Connecting the call to holiness with the call to mission 22:22 — Practical mentorship: tell, show, try, do 25:06 — Patient evangelization and the strength of working together 28:58 — Shared responsibility, trust, and complementary gifts 33:55 — When a longstanding ministry needs to change or end 38:10 — Fatigue, delegation, and making room for new leaders 41:37 — What an orchard teaches about work, rest, and trust 44:26 — Signs of hope for the Church and missionary renewal 48:33 — Preparing to welcome and accompany people seeking Christ 49:44 — Connect with Jim and explore his resources Resources Connect with Jim Everyday Evangelization (https://everydayevangelization.org/) — Jim’s main website with access to his book, podcast, consulting work, and conversation-booking options. A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish (https://everydayevangelization.org/clear-path/) — Jim’s book The EquipCast (https://everydayevangelization.org/equipcast/)— Jim’s podcast, Anchor Consulting (https://everydayevangelization.org/anchor-consulting/) — Jim’s consulting work Alpha for Catholics (https://alphausa.org/catholic/) ChristLife (https://christlife.org/) FORMED (https://formed.org/) Gallup CliftonStrengths (https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/home.aspx) Working Genius — The Table Group (https://www.tablegroup.com/workinggenius/) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/take-the-mbti-instrument/) Suggested Resolutions 1. Map your parish’s pathway. Identify where people connect, encounter Jesus, grow as disciples, and become equipped for mission. Choose one gap to bring to prayer and discussion with your leadership team. 2. Listen across ministry boundaries. Meet with one fellow ministry leader to learn whom they serve, what they need, and how your efforts could support one another. 3. Mentor one person in one skill. Use “tell, show, try, do” to help someone practice a small act of leadership or sharing faith. 4. Discern your current season. Ask the Lord whether you are being invited to persevere, teach someone else, make room for a successor, or let an activity come to a peaceful close. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com/subscribe (https://thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Solving the Parish Puzzle is now available as an Audiobook on Audible!

   Wonderful news! After several months of work, my latest book, Solving the Parish Puzzle, One Person, One Disciple, and One Leader at a Time (https://www.amazon.com/Solving-Parish-Puzzle-Person-Disciple/dp/B0HKL94VF4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=IYUZPDX4AZVO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tm2QvL5VkB46Zk9_mMNqj9cxHt5UbUUgkplEs6mahR8-0UnDdFhNCya6_wGYhqpTjithtZ4Y_L-1DQJmm4uy7LuunFX4z276eydsNijrFIEKgH3eebRj0qMcgqu_TdYX.er6EttvjVNCf2Z6sI8BVNEBil2fdplpnyjKqaFAG6MQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=christina+semmens&qid=1791386347&sprefix=semmens+%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-2), is now available as an audiobook on Audible! Just like the book itself, the audiobook allows me to personally guide you through the concepts of the book, and share why so many parish renewal efforts are falling short despite good intentions, dedicated leaders and numerous programs. Solving the Parish Puzzle, One Person, One Disciple, and One Leader at a Time (https://www.amazon.com/Solving-Parish-Puzzle-Person-Disciple/dp/B0HKL94VF4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=IYUZPDX4AZVO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tm2QvL5VkB46Zk9_mMNqj9cxHt5UbUUgkplEs6mahR8-0UnDdFhNCya6_wGYhqpTjithtZ4Y_L-1DQJmm4uy7LuunFX4z276eydsNijrFIEKgH3eebRj0qMcgqu_TdYX.er6EttvjVNCf2Z6sI8BVNEBil2fdplpnyjKqaFAG6MQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=christina+semmens&qid=1791386347&sprefix=semmens+%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-2) presents a clear, practical, and deeply Catholic framework to help you build healthy, mission-driven parish communities that are focused on saving souls, making saints, and transforming the world. From more than three and a half decades of ministry experience, leadership formation, and evangelization practice, I outlined the twelve essential practices, or puzzle pieces that each parish needs to be attentive and seek to have in place within the community. I also tried to move beyond theory by giving a repeatable, relational, and prayer rooted approach to leadership and discipleship that all work together to not only create a community of communities that we’re longing for. But it’s not just create to create one, but to sustain it in a community where people are known by name, accompanied with care, and empowered to live out their baptismal call to the fullest. This book is written for anybody, but especially if you’re serving as a ministry leader, on parish staff, or ordained clergy. Bottom line, if you are trying to renew a parish community, this book is for you. So I hope that you’ll go and check it the Solving the Parish Puzzle (https://www.amazon.com/Solving-Parish-Puzzle-Person-Disciple/dp/B0HKL94VF4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=26OQPSIY0PA69&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tm2QvL5VkB46Zk9_mMNqj9cxHt5UbUUgkplEs6mahR8-0UnDdFhNCya6_wGYhqpTjithtZ4Y_L-1DQJmm4uy7LuunFX4z276eydsNijrFIEKgH3eebRj0qMcgqu_TdYX.er6EttvjVNCf2Z6sI8BVNEBil2fdplpnyjKqaFAG6MQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=christina+semmens&qid=1791404504&sprefix=semmens%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-2) audiobook (https://www.amazon.com/Solving-Parish-Puzzle-Person-Disciple/dp/B0HKL94VF4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=26OQPSIY0PA69&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tm2QvL5VkB46Zk9_mMNqj9cxHt5UbUUgkplEs6mahR8-0UnDdFhNCya6_wGYhqpTjithtZ4Y_L-1DQJmm4uy7LuunFX4z276eydsNijrFIEKgH3eebRj0qMcgqu_TdYX.er6EttvjVNCf2Z6sI8BVNEBil2fdplpnyjKqaFAG6MQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=christina+semmens&qid=1791404504&sprefix=semmens%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-2). Finally, feel free to reach out to me if you got questions or if you would like for me to come work with your team. You can sign up at my website for a free consultation on the link at christinasemmens.com (https://calendly.com/christinasemmens/20minconsult). That consultation would just be a conversation where we can sit, talk, and determine how I might be able to help you. I hope to connect with you soon. In the interim, I hope you enjoy the audiobook version of Solving the Parish Puzzle: One Person, One Disciple, One Leader at a Time. (https://www.amazon.com/Solving-Parish-Puzzle-Person-Disciple/dp/B0HKL94VF4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=26OQPSIY0PA69&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tm2QvL5VkB46Zk9_mMNqj9cxHt5UbUUgkplEs6mahR8-0UnDdFhNCya6_wGYhqpTjithtZ4Y_L-1DQJmm4uy7LuunFX4z276eydsNijrFIEKgH3eebRj0qMcgqu_TdYX.er6EttvjVNCf2Z6sI8BVNEBil2fdplpnyjKqaFAG6MQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=christina+semmens&qid=1791404504&sprefix=semmens%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-2) The Catholic Leadership Puzzle is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com/subscribe (https://thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   26 Sept 2026

   Pope Leo XIV and Pastoral Initiatives

   This has been a glorious week in the life of the Church—the addition of a new American Blessed—Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen—and Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France. Both of those momentous occasions might have overshadowed an absolutely brilliant address that Pope Leo gave to the Diocese of Rome at Saint John Lateran Basilica (http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/september/documents/20260918-apertura-anno-pastorale.html) to mark the beginning of the new pastoral year. The city of Rome and its people is actually the primary responsibility for Pope Leo to shepherd. He also is responsible for shepherding the worldwide universal Church—and this responsibility is what we usually associate with the Pope, but he is first and foremost, bishop of Rome, and this address was directed primarily at those within the Rome diocese, however, what Pope Leo tells them are words that all of us need to hear and respond. In fact, when I read this address, I actually joked that Pope Leo must have read my book, Solving the Parish Puzzle, because the ideas are so similar! But the reality is that the Pope’s address actually reaffirms that the book I wrote truly is of the Holy Spirit because they are a reflection of what the Holy Father is asking us to be attentive within our parishes. The work I do within The Catholic Leadership Puzzle—of writing, speaking, giving retreats and coming alongside pastors, leadership teams, and ministry groups in assisting them in implementing the ideas found within my book are all with the hope that by being attentive to the work of the Holy Spirit, we may save souls, make saints, and transform the world. If you would like to learn more about how I might be able to help you and your ministry do what Pope Leo speaks about, then reach out and let’s talk (https://calendly.com/christinasemmens/clp-consult)! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com/subscribe (https://thecatholicleadershippuzzle.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

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