Catholic Ministry Professionals

Jon Konz and Thai Hua
  • 5.0 (8)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

If you work for the Catholic Church and want to put more people in the pews hit subscribe. Each week, we’re sharing tips and tricks to help you communicate more effectively, work more efficiently, and grow more intentionally as a professional Catholic minister. Become the leader your parish needs and build a thriving church community.

  1. 2D AGO

    147. Reach Them Before They Walk Through the Door w/ Isaac Summers

    Bulletins inform. Emails remind. But a magazine mailed to someone's home says — we thought about you. Jon Konz sits down with Isaac Summers of Decided Excellence Catholic Media to talk about how one apostolate is reaching the unchurched and unifying merged parishes. Real hospitality starts before they show up. Reclaim time for what matters. Download the free Time Audit at catholicministryprofessionals.com/timeaudit.

    46 min

  2. APR 17

    146. From Chasing to Leading: Accountability That Moves the Mission Forward

    Good people. Good intentions. But somewhere between this week's meeting and next — nothing happens. In this episode, Jon and Thai give you three things to fix that: clear expectations, a visible short list, and a predictable check-in rhythm that makes accountability feel like a team — not a trap. Structure doesn't replace love. It protects it. Reclaim time for what actually matters. Download the free Time Audit at catholicministryprofessionals.com/timeaudit.

    26 min

  3. APR 10

    145. Why Good Weeks Aren't Changing Your Parish Culture

    If your parish team is working hard, showing up, and doing the things — and nothing is shifting — that's not an effort problem. That's a drift problem. In this episode, Jon names it and gives you three moves to fix it. Name the Drift. Build a Weekly Missional Accountability Rhythm. Lead Like a Father. One question added to your weekly meeting does more than any attendance report ever will: did this week count for something or did we just get through it? Want help building a leadership rhythm that changes lives? Visit catholicministryprofessionals.com.

    16 min

  4. APR 1

    144. Decide Out Loud: How Parish Leaders Run Meetings That Move the Mission

    Most parish meetings end with conversation. Not decisions. That gap quietly drains your team. Jon gives you three things to fix that: Decide Out Loud. Name the Owner. Set the Date. One clear decision. One person responsible. One firm deadline. Write it down before anyone leaves. And if you think structure doesn't belong in volunteer ministry — Jon addresses that too. Vagueness doesn't protect your volunteers. It burns them out. Structure is an act of charity. Try it at your next meeting. One week. Every decision. See what changes. "When you raise the bar, people rise to meet it. They feel like what they're doing actually matters." – Key Takeaways Every decision needs three things before anyone leaves the room: a clear decision stated out loud, one named owner, and a firm deadline.If everybody owns it, nobody owns it — one person must be responsible or it won't get done.Volunteers don't need less structure. They need to know exactly what they're carrying and when it's due.Write the decision, owner, and deadline word for word before the meeting ends — a softened recap email undoes everything.Close every open loop by putting the follow-up on the next meeting's agenda before anyone walks out.

    15 min

  5. MAR 20

    143. Why Your Parish Isn’t Producing Vocations w/ Fr. Travis Crotty

    Most parishes say they want more vocations. But few are building the kind of culture where vocations can actually grow. In this episode, Jon sits down with Fr. Travis Crotty, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Sioux City, to unpack what’s really behind the decline in vocations and what parish leaders can do about it. They explore why the “vocations crisis” didn’t start today, what healthy vocation-producing parishes have in common, and why programs and posters aren’t the solution. The conversation gets practical. At the center of it all is one simple truth: vocations don’t come from strategies. They come from a lived, visible, joyful faith. If you want more vocations, you don’t start with recruitment. You start with culture. Key Takeaways Vocations grow where faith is lived, not just taught The real vocation gap began 30 years ago, not today Exposure to priestly life makes discernment possible Families create the seedbed through sacramental living and witness A personal invitation is one of the most effective catalysts Notable Quotes  “Everybody wants somebody else’s son or grandson to be a priest.” “A life lived in relationship with Jesus and his Church is better than a life lived without him.”

    47 min

  6. MAR 12

    142. Your Calendar Isn’t the Mission

    Many parish leaders feel controlled by their calendars. Meetings, interruptions, and constant demands leave little room for the most important work of ministry. If discipleship is truly a priority, it must show up in how leaders schedule their time. In this episode, Jon and Thai share three simple shifts that transform the parish calendar: reclaim each day with a short prayerful routine, protect one block of time each week, and evaluate recurring meetings to decide whether they should be condensed, cut, or improved. Key Takeaways Your calendar reveals what you truly prioritize in ministry. When the calendar dictates parish life, discipleship becomes optional. A daily rhythm of prayer and planning helps leaders act intentionally. Many meetings can be shortened, eliminated, or improved. Notable Quotes “The calendar, it's a tool; not the mission.” “When the calendar dictates the parish, discipleship becomes optional.” “The calendar mirrors back to you the things that you have prioritized.” “Decide not to have any more bad meetings.”

    33 min

  7. MAR 6

    141. Sheep Without a Shepherd: How Parishes Break Out of Survival Mode

    Many parishes aren’t growing, they’re just trying to survive, and survival mode becomes its own weekly rhythm: urgent issues dominate meetings, important decisions stall, and discipleship gets postponed. Ministry like this is exhausting – parishioners don’t know where to go and leaders feel like they can’t lead. Using Matthew 9:36 (“like sheep without a shepherd”), the episode calls leaders to move from reacting to shepherding. The practical path forward is simple: diagnose what hijacks your week, identify what must be protected, then pick one “stop-doing” move (stop, condense, or delegate) and replace it with scheduled margin for people, prayer, or planning. ————— Key takeaways Survival mode is predictable: urgent needs dominate, meetings get heavy, important decisions don’t get made, and discipleship gets pushed down the road. Survival mode isn’t just busy. It’s disorienting, leaving leaders reactive instead of shepherding. “Predictable urgency can be redesigned” when you add guards and boundaries instead of reacting to everything. If you can’t name your top priority in one sentence and your conversations are only logistics, you’re likely stuck in survival mode. One small boundary won’t break the parish, but it can break the survival loop.

    27 min

  8. FEB 20

    140. Discern. Decide. Shepherd. Clear priorities are better than motivation

    Most parish leaders are sincere, hardworking, and prayerful — yet still feel scattered and reactive. In this episode, Jon and Thai unpack why renewed energy isn’t the solution. Clear priorities are. They explore how compassion without direction leaves people disoriented — like sheep without a shepherd. Leadership clarity isn’t a buzzword; it’s an act of charity. This episode walks through a simple but demanding framework: Discern what God is doing in your heart. Decide what actually matters most right now. Shepherd your people clearly and consistently toward it. They also break down practical meeting rhythms that reduce chaos, increase accountability, and move teams from data-dumping to decision-making. If your parish feels busy but unfocused, this conversation offers a concrete path forward. KEY TAKEAWAYS  Motivation doesn’t fix misalignment. Clear priorities do. If everything feels urgent, you haven’t discerned what matters most. Vision must move from prayer into real decisions and behavior changes. Meetings should produce decisions, ownership, and follow-through. You don’t need permission to lead — you need conviction rooted in prayer. NOTABLE QUOTES  “When leaders don’t name their priorities, the parish is going to wander.” “If everything’s important, nothing is going to get done well.” “You don’t need permission to lead — but you do need conviction rooted in prayer.”

    39 min
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5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

If you work for the Catholic Church and want to put more people in the pews hit subscribe. Each week, we’re sharing tips and tricks to help you communicate more effectively, work more efficiently, and grow more intentionally as a professional Catholic minister. Become the leader your parish needs and build a thriving church community.

Information

  • Creator
    Jon Konz and Thai Hua
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    148
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jon Konz and Thai Hua
  • Show Website
    Catholic Ministry Professionals

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