Hospitality is something we take very seriously at Divine Renovation. It’s a ministry that we always recommend investing heavily in but sometimes the view from the inside is different than the view from the outside. Melanie Smollen of Faith Perceptions joins us on this episode of Summer Shorts to discuss “mystery shopping” at churches. What Melanie and her group have seen at churches across the continent should make us take a serious look at hospitality, especially as it relates to those who do ...
Sep 03, 2019•10 min
This week on our Summer Shorts series we speak with someone who has had an enormous impact on our work at Divine Renovation. Brent Dolfo is a world-renowned leader in the field of pastoral leadership. This discussion with him about the early days of Divine Renovation, what he sees working and not working for pastors worldwide is wonderful. Brent offers a unique glimpse into the future of leadership and is a great place for pastors and lay people seek guidance and wisdom on missional leadership. ...
Aug 27, 2019•10 min
Most people know that we have invested heavily in Alpha at Divine Renovation. We do so because we have found it to be the most effective tool for evangelization. This week we call on our conversation with the National Director for Catholic Context at Alpha USA, Josh Danis. Josh shares his insights on the state of the church in the United States. We ask some very tough questions about the challenges that the Church is facing, in the US and beyond, and Josh does an incredible job of inspiring hope...
Aug 20, 2019•10 min
We get to talk to a large number of pastors on the podcast but it’s always interesting to hear the perspective of a few bishops. This week on Summer Shorts we talk with Bishop Thomas Dowd about some topics that most wouldn’t expect a Bishop to be talking about. Bishop Dowd speaks about social media, how he came to discern his calling, and what life is like for Bishops in Canada. This is a rare insight into church leadership that we think you’ll really enjoy.
Aug 13, 2019•10 min
We’re never going to move forward unless we start moving forward and this week on the podcast we talk with an organization helping churches make that happen. Tithe.ly builds custom applications for parishes that help them connect with their parishioners, support prayer life, and increase giving. In this Summer Short we learn more about how Tithe.ly uses technology as an evangelization tool and how that’s impacting churches worldwide. For those looking for a great way to connect with the people i...
Aug 06, 2019•10 min
Truly great leaders don’t create great followers, they raise up great, new leaders. This week on Summer Shorts we talk to Catholic Christian Outreach President Jeff Lockert about why lifting up leaders on campuses is so important and what it means for the future of the Catholic Church. Jeff’s working knowledge of mission and leadership, especially through Scripture, is unparalleled. This is a great conversation if you’re sending a child off to college anytime in the near of distant future. You w...
Jul 23, 2019•10 min
This week on Summer Shorts, we’re heading across the Atlantic. 2019 saw incredible growth and development in our UK parishes and an incredible experience of community at DR19UK. Leading up to the event, we were joined by Hannah Vaughan-Spruce to discuss the state of the Catholic Church in the UK. Through her work at Divine Renovation, she has seen lives changed and parishes renewed. We also talk about what she sees for the exciting future of Divine Renovation in the region. This is an incredibly...
Jul 16, 2019•10 min
This week on our Summer Shorts series we had our work cut out for us. How do you trim down so many incredible insights on leadership and relationships? Our team has taken the very best from our conversation with Brett Powell and created 10 minutes of thought-provoking, actionable conversation on Jesus and how we can balance ferocity and tenderness all while building into leadership. This is a can’t miss episode and if you want to know more about Brett and his work, check out www.brettpowell.org ...
Jul 09, 2019•10 min
This week we put on our Summer Shorts, a series of podcasts cut down to highlight the best discussions from our last season. These are a great way to catch up on old episodes or be reminded of some of the great insights that have happened around the podcast table. This time we're looking back at the Facebook Live event that launched our latest book Unlocking Your Parish. Enjoy and God Bless. Original Episode Description: Recorded earlier this week from our DR Facebook Live Q&A for the launch of ...
Jul 02, 2019•10 min
We’re so happy to have you join us for our last podcast episode of the season. Dan O’Rourke, Ron Huntley, and Father James Mallon sit down and reflect on the amazing guests and some of the highlights they’ve shared during this past season. The team focuses on the insights from our wonderful guests and take the time to delve into these topics a little bit deeper. Our guests this season helped us explore our three keys to parish renewal and we use this episode to explore some of these concepts fur...
Jun 25, 2019•51 min
On our second last podcast of the season we’re joined by someone that's been integral in the development of our ministry. Church Consultant Brent Dolfo joins Dan O’Rourke, Father James Mallon, and Rob Currie to discuss how to help people move forward and survive the difficult and important path of parish renewal. Director of the Leadership, Brent worked with Father Mallon in the early days of Divine Renovation and his insight into building up leaders through teams was very important to the forma...
Jun 18, 2019•49 min
This week on the podcast, Dan O’Rourke leads a conversation with Ron Huntley and Father James Mallon on the topic of leadership, especially as it relates to ministries within the parish. The team explains the surprising reasons that delegation might not always be the best thing for a parish team and how to make sure you’ve got the right people in the right places. The team also offers insights into how to help leaders take ownership of their ministry. Whether you’re a ministry lead trying to und...
Jun 11, 2019•39 min
This week Dan O'Rourke, Rob McDowell and Father Simon Lobo are joined by the founder of the Havard Virtuous Leadership Institute, Alexandre Havard. Alexandre's books, “Virtuous Leadership”, “Created for Greatness” and “From Temperament to Character” have been translated into 20 languages and he brings this wealth of knowledge to the podcast in a candid conversation around leadership through the lens of virtues. Alexandre helps us define the difference between a leader and a manager, explains why...
Jun 04, 2019•44 min
This week on the podcast, Dan O'Rourke is joined by Father James Mallon and Ron Huntley to take a closer look at leadership through the lens of virtues. They talk about why being told you're doing a bad job is a gift if you look at it the right way. If you want to know what driving a low to the ground car on a country road has to do with leadership, this is the episode for you. Whether you lead a business, a parish, or a family, this conversation is going to change your life.
May 28, 2019•34 min
This week on the podcast Dan, Rob, and Mike are joined by Steve Foran, author of "Surviving to Thriving: The Ten Laws of Grateful Leadership". Steve answers last week's question, "what is the opposite of gratitude", while helping the team understand the importance of gratitude. From personal stories of growth and development to successes in practice, Steve explains why gratitude is the key to successful leadership the world over and how we can all work to be a little more grateful. gratitudeatwo...
May 21, 2019•50 min
This week we're minding on our manners. Dan O’Rourke, Rob McDowell, and Mike Tanner take a few moments to talk gratitude. The team tries to recognize the things they are grateful for and explain why a focus on gratitude is so important? If you’ve ever held the door and had trouble holding your tongue when no one says thank you, this is a good conversation to listen to. Do you have an intentional gratitude practice or do you know what an intentional gratitude practice is? Thank you to everyone fo...
May 14, 2019•33 min
This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Jeff Lockert, the President of Catholic Christian Outreach, a university missionary organization. Jeff shares the story of how he discerned his calling with CCO and what it’s meant in his life. Jeff unpacks the reasons that university campuses are one of the most important places for us to undertake mission and why forming leaders at this stage in life is so key. The story that Jeff weaves of leadership, opportunity, and the future is something truly spe...
May 07, 2019•48 min
This week on the podcast Father James Mallon, Ron Huntley, and Mike Tanner do some idea pruning and planting around leadership. The team talks about the new logo and what each of the keys mean as it relates to parish renewal. They discuss icebergs, cornerstones, and trees in an effort to get to the root of their understanding of leadership principles and explain why you can't open a door with just one key. This conversation branches in some really interesting ways, so don't leaf without catching...
Apr 30, 2019•32 min
Why are rinks full and churches empty and does one have anything to do with the other? This week Ron Huntley, Mike Tanner and Matt Vaughan are joined by Andrew Pepper, a Hockey Ministries International Chaplain with the Halifax Mooseheads. Andrew shares the mission and the impact of HMI and digs into what he’s seen change in these young men through ministry. Whether you’re a hockey fan or an evangelization evangelist, game on.
Apr 23, 2019•52 min
This week on the podcast we get a little social. We’re joined by Mike Tanner, Communications and Digital Marketing Specialist for Divine Renovation. We dig into how parishes can use digital marketing as a means to move forward in mission. We also talk about the ways in which the church has directly been called by The Vatican to use things like social media to share the Good News. Stephanie Potter and Rob McDowell join Dan O’Rourke in the discussion with Mike, focusing on the positive impact that...
Apr 19, 2019•51 min
What's the good word? This week on the podcast we speak with Jeff Smith, President of The Word Among Us. We've worked with WAU on our last two books but the connection with Divine Renovation is so much deeper. Father James shares the impact The Word Among Us had on his faith formation and we talk about how we came to work with them. Jeff shares some insights on why they believe that they're just one of the resources available to help people connect with scripture and where they think we are righ...
Apr 16, 2019•42 min
Put your books away and tune in because this week it's all about the written word. This week on the podcast, Dan O'Rourke, Father James Mallon and Ron Huntley pick up The Good Book... and then a few others. The team talks about how we can use books to change the way people think and act, how they impact leadership, and why we write books through the ministry. They touch on the various ways that people learn, including the written word, as a way different kinds of learners can come to know Jesus....
Apr 09, 2019•36 min
This week on the podcast, Dan O'Rourke, Rob McDowell, and Mike Tanner are joined by the National Director for Catholic Context at Alpha USA, Josh Danis, Josh joins us to discuss the ways Alpha is being used in the USA and beyond to bring people to Jesus Christ during times of strife and challenge. Josh shares stories of changed parishes and changed lives through the experience of Alpha, how churches are using Alpha effectively in their communities and the need to push forward with evangelization...
Apr 02, 2019•39 min
This week on the podcast Dan O'Rourke is joined by Rob McDowell and Mike Tanner as they lean into the role of scripture in our everyday lives. The team discusses both traditional and modern means of engaging with the Bible and the reasons people can have for reading scripture. They talk about how we use scripture at the Divine Renovation office to move our ministry forward and introduce some ways in which you can work as a community to approach the word. Make sure you follow along with our Lente...
Mar 26, 2019•33 min
This week we're joined by Roxana Kreklo, National Director of Alpha for Prisons. Ron Huntley, Rob McDowell, and Mike Tanner sit down to talk with Roxana as she shares the story of how she came to offer Alpha in prisons. Roxana describes the incredible impact Alpha has on both those who are incarcerated and the communities they return to. The statistics on reoffending are staggering in Canada but the results that Alpha for Prisons have are even more astounding. Programs like this change the direc...
Mar 19, 2019•46 min
This week Ron Huntley, Rob McDowell, and Mike Tanner discuss the ins and outs of Alpha. We discuss the difference Alpha makes for both the churched and un-churched, why even “really good Catholics” can benefit from Alpha and why Alpha as a course is ok but Alpha as a culture is unbeatable. Whether your parish has been running Alpha for years, is just getting started, or are simply looking for the right tool for Evangelization, this episode of the podcast is a great jumping off point for the disc...
Mar 12, 2019•33 min
This week on the podcast it's all about feedback. Dan, Ron, and Fr James speak with Melanie Smollen of Faith Perceptions, an organization that provides "mystery guests" for parishes. Imagine what 10,000 mystery guests would have to say about churches in North America if they came to visit your parish and recorded what they experienced. This can be a challenging experience for churches to go through but it can also be an incredible opportunity for churches to move forward. This is a great discuss...
Mar 05, 2019•43 min
Go where absolutely no one knows your name. This week on the podcast the Divine Renovation Team sit down to talk about church hospitality. How to welcome new faces without ignoring familiar ones, how "church" language can create a barrier to entry, and ensuring that the parish understands who's responsible for creating a welcoming environment are all on the table. This is a great conversation for parishes looking to be more invitational in nature and ensure that those that come, come back....
Feb 26, 2019•31 min
This week on the podcast we speak with Darlene Bonang, Office Administrator at Saint Benedict Parish about what it means to work within an invitational parish. Darlene challenges our understanding of what she does as ministry and speaks about recognizing gifts, understanding people, and developing relationships in a large parish. Darlene was in on the ground floor of the development of Divine Renovation Ministry and her insights on leadership from her position and beyond are a map for priests lo...
Feb 12, 2019•58 min
This week we're joined on the podcast by Montreal's tweeting Bishop, Bishop Thomas Dowd. Bishop Dowd speaks with us about how he's used social media to engage with both those that believe and those that dissent. He discusses the need to have open and difficult conversations on a multitude of platforms, what leadership and community look like for a Bishop, and the importance of assessing and evaluating the success of programs within the Church. Bishop Dowd speaks on the need to provide the vision...
Feb 05, 2019•1 hr 6 min
