“As for Me and my House, We Will Serve the Lord: Strengthening Parishes from the Inside Out,” was the theme for the annual diocesan information summit. Two hundred people from the Diocese of Rapid City turned out for Pastoral Ministry Days in Rapid City, March 4 and 5. It was sponsored by the diocesan Office of Pastoral Ministries and Faith Formation.

The keynote speaker was Joel Stepanek, Chief Operating Officer of the National Eucharistic Congress. He used his varied work experience to promote better interpersonal relationships among office staff and when utilizing volunteers.

One of his first models was the parable of sowing seeds in Mt 13: “On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. (He said) ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.’”

He asked the participants to figure out which type of soil was in their parishes. He said soil is the culture around churches. People work hard to find the right programs for their parish. When ideas fail, they don’t always know if it is the seed (program) or the soil (culture). “We have all experienced culture because we live in it. Culture is all around us. It is the stew in which we marinate, and we are part of many different cultures at once. … When we understand that, we can influence that,” he said.

He told participants, “Look at who needs to be served, what do they need, how will you do that? How are resources used, and are team members clear on their roles?”

The formula Stepanek introduced for parish work was 1) honesty – confronting the truth; 2) humility — imitating Christ, and 3) radical candor — where the two come together, which is needed to find out what is and is not working and why.

Discussing power in organizations, he said it is not always about titles. “Be generous with praise. Find five things to praise daily — look for good things.” He added this is most important today in a culture where we are all shown how bad we are consistently.

He observed a church staff where the secretary and janitor wielded the most power. He concluded that people who take a genuine interest or make an emotional investment in their co-workers are more likely to be listened to.

Stepanek discussed church staff who hoard their knowledge and experience and shun vulnerability and humility. He said to live authentically and used a Venn diagram to show the many sides to us: 1) who God says I am; 2) who I say I am; and 3) how I want others to see me. “Where they intersect is integrity,” he said.

Every good leader invests in the people around them, he said. “Mentorship allows us to give all our accumulated experience to others. At the end of my life, I need to die empty. I want to approach the gate with nothing. Then others can take all those building blocks and create something even greater.

“I work in ministry. I have neither silver nor gold to give you, but what I do have, I give to you,” concluded Stepanek.

Click here to watch all the sessions.