Following is another article of mine that appears in this weekend’s edition of The Catholic Post.
A local priest and author Father Charles Klamut, chaplain of St. John’s Newman Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign, has a new website called Pastoral Quotient: Disruptive Christian Leadership with the mission of “Equipping and inspiring Christian leaders for a smarter, more effective church.”
On Pastoral Quotient, Fr. Klamut posts thought-provoking blog posts like, “Five Leadership Lessons from Gandalf.” He also has a new e-book out called, What Does Discipleship Look Like?
In What Does Discipleship Look Like? Fr. Klamut offers a challenge for Catholic leaders, and really, any Christian, who wants to share the faith in an intentional and eternally effective way. In a way, he’s “throwing down the gauntlet” to create real, active disciples who will desire to share their faith, as well as understand that faith.
“The church is not a self-referential, self-protectionary tribe fostering its own interests,” writes Fr. Klamut. “The church is commissioned by Jesus and empowered by the Spirit to go forth, announcing God’s Kingdom victory to all people, especially those farthest away, lost on the margins and peripheries.”
What Does Discipleship Look Like? provides, under the framework of core values of teachability, responsibility and missionary discipleship, a starting point for leaders to consider being bold and creative in evangelization. This e-book is a quick read, but the ideas shared, and the helpful Scripture resources at the end, provide a lot of food for thought, prayer and action.
Also of interest:
*Father Charles is featured in this weekend’s issue of The Catholic Post as the “Meet a Reader.” That Q&A will post tomorrow. Check back for it, or sign up to receive e-mail updates at the upper right corner of any page here on Reading Catholic.
*Visit Father’s new website Pastoral Quotient here. My favorite recent article, as described above, is “Five Leadership Lessons from Gandalf” as I am a huge LOTR fan, as well. I also enjoyed “The Minister as Artist“–I haven’t seen the movie Babette’s Feast in years, but Father writes about it here; I think it’s time to go find it again.
*Last year, Father Charles’ writing was featured in America magazine in “That Man is Me,” writing about how the novel, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, gave life to his priestly vocation. It was much shared at the time and is well worth a read, or re-read.