A seminal moment in the study of U.S. Catholic parish life came in the 1980s with the publication of a series of reports from the ground-breaking Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life. These reports are now badly outdated, as Catholic dioceses grapple with new challenges that didn't exist in the 80s. Topics that were not considered then, like greater Catholic mobility, increased cultural diversity, and structural re-organization as well as the rise of lay leadership, have attained new s...

The Church is not a business, but it does have a stewardship responsibility to ensure that all of its resources are used as effectively as possible to carry out God's work on earth. In the case of human resource assets, good stewardship involves assisting those engaged in ministry (whether clerical or lay) to achieve their greatest potential through the various components of performance management, including performance assessment. This unique collection brings together both scholars and p...

A practical, accessible guide to help church leaders through the steps needed to ensure an effective, accountable, and transparent financial process in a parish.