Good Leaders, Good Shepherds

It’s been my custom as a pastor to let parishioners know when I am out of the parish.  I could be away for vacation, or retreat, or a continuing education workshop.  The Diocese of Pittsburgh (and universal church law) allows all diocesan priests to annually take four weeks of vacation (three weekends), five days for retreat (mandated by universal church law) and five days for continuing education (optional).

This past week I was away from my parishes for three days attending the “Good Leaders, Good Shepherds” program.  This national program is based outside of Philadelphia.  It has as its goal to give priests skills to improve their pastoral leadership of the parishes or communities they have responsibility for.  GLGS was created by lay Catholics, for Catholic priests.  GLGS has been so well received that the program has grown in less than ten years to serve in 1/3 of the dioceses of the U.S.  There are plans to expand to the Caribbean, and to English-speaking countries around the world.

GLGS came into the Diocese of Pittsburgh two years ago at the invitation of Bishop David Zubik.  The first cohort was a group of 28 priests.  Several of these priests made a presentation at our triennial clergy convocation last September at the Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia.  They were so enthusiastic about GLGS that I was persuaded to sign up.  (Priest are never enthusiastic.  I knew the program had to be good.)  Our cohort has 30 priests.

The core of the program is that we priests need to lead in the manner of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  Much of the content of the program comes from excellent business practices.  These include such techniques as writing a mission statement, goal-setting, SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), DISCposition, phase of performance analysis, and sound time management.  GLGS recognizes that the seminary teaches men to be priests, but not to be pastors.  Most of us who are pastors learned whatever leadership skills we have “on the job.”  Some well, some not so well.  GLGS intends to give us the practical skills in leadership which are so necessary for every pastor today.

Our first several workshops focused on leadership of self.  This week’s three day module concentrated on leadership in the one-to-one context.  Next year we’ll move to leadership in team-building, in organizations (like a parish) and in building strategic alliances. The entire program comprises 30 workshop days over two years.  Cost of the program is split between the diocese and the priests. 

Bishop Zubik is one of five national moderators of GLGS.  He felt so strongly about the value of this program for his priests that he is taking the workshops himself, along with six of his episcopal vicars.  It helps that there is little travel, as the “learning leaders” of GLGS come to us.  We meet at the Gilmary Retreat Center, near Pittsburgh International Airport. 

One of the many blessings about the workshops is priestly camaraderie.  I am getting to know priests from other parts of the diocese, and especially younger guys with whom I’ve not come into contact.

GLGS prides itself on practicing the best of adult learning techniques.  No long lectures here.  We move from a ten minute introduction by our learning leader, to small group discussion, to personally writing in our large notebook, to large group discussion, to role-playing, even watching a movie and then dissecting it.  We repeat, and repeat, and repeat the core concepts.  We also are able to apply the particular ideas we learned in our module yesterday with our staff and pastoral situation today. 

Good Leaders, Good Shepherds is an excellent program for us pastors, and soon-to-be pastors.   I am very glad to be part of it.  I hope in time that my parishioners and pastoral co-workers feel the same way.