Start Here: For Parish & Diocesan Leaders | Burning Hearts Disciples

You already know that mission matters. You've read the documents, attended the conferences, prayed about it. Your team is willing. The conversations get animated.

And six months later, you're having the same conversation. 

The RCIA process informs but doesn't accompany. The pastoral council keeps revisiting the same conversations. Volunteers carry too much, staff carry more, and every new thing seems to land on people who are already tired and depleted.  

There's a growing sense that something deeper is missing – but the path forward isn't clear, and no one has time to figure it out alone.

If that's where you are, you're in the right place.

How We Work

Most parishes do not need another program.  Another video or speaker series.  Another conference that hands you a binder full of ideas and suggestions.  

They already have programs.  They have good people who are working hard. They have calendars that are full, staff members who are overworked, and the same small group of volunteers doing everything beacuse somebody has to.

But stopping long enough to ask whether all the activity is actually helping people encounter Jesus, respond to him, and learn to follow him? That's harder.  

That is exactly where we usually begin.  

We listen.  

What has been happening in your community?  What have you tried?  Where are you seeing fruit?  Where are people tired?  What do you know needs to change, but you haven't been able to move it?  What are you afraid might happen if you stop doing something you've always done?

Then, we pray and discern with you. 

We discern with you about what the Holy Spirit is already doing, where there is fruit, where there is resistance, and what he is may be asking of your community next.  

Sometimes that means clarifying how you proclaim the Gospel.  Sometimes it means identifying where your people are on their faith journeys and what they need to help them take the next step.  Sometimes it means looking honestly at what happens after events, small groups, or sacramental preparation: is anyone still walking with them?  

And sometimes it means starting with the leaders themselves – strengthening their own discipleship, helping them notice what God is doing, and supporting them as they discover the gifts and personal mission fields the Holy Spirit has entrusted to them.   

We do not know the answers before we meet you.  

Everything we do is rooted in clear Gospel proclamation, the art of accompaniment, the power of personal witness, and prayerful discernment.  We stay close enough to help you wrestle with where the Holy Spirit is encouraging your parish, school, or diocese to grow in those areas - with your people, constraints, history, wounds, and gifts.  

That's what accompaniment means to us. It's relational, intentional work that clarifies mission, bears fruit, and helps your leaders become less dependent on us over time.

Who We Work With

We work with Catholic clergy, parish and school leaders, diocesan staff, and teams who know something needs to change but are not interested in chasing the next ministry trend. This has ranged from walking with individual parish leaders who knows something in ministry needs to change  – to working with a pastors/principals and staffs to develop structures of accompaniment in their parish or school – to an entire dioceses building culture change that directly serves the mission of evangelization and discipleship.

Usually, they are already working hard.  They care deeply about the people they serve.  They have tried new programs, adjsuted structures, attended workshops and conferences, and have had more than a few conversations about how to make and multiply disciples. 

And what do we stop doing when our calendars are already full?

These are the kinds of questions we stay with, even when the answers take time.  

We work best with leaders who are willing to look honestly at what is happening in their community, pray about what the Holy Spirit may be asking of them, and make changes when the mission demands it.  

A few things worth knowing...

We're not a speaker bureau.

We do speak and lead retreats, but that's never the whole picture. A weekend event without follow-up rarely changes a culture.

We don't offer prepackaged curricula.

If you're looking for a boxed program you can implement without customization, we're probably not the right fit – and we'll tell you that honestly.

We do stay.  

We are here to walk with you while you discern what faithfulness to the mission requires with these people, in this community, in this season. 

Your Next Step

If anything on this page resonated – if you recognized your parish or your team in what you just read – the best next step is a conversation.  Sometimes that's a quick phone call. Sometimes it's a longer meeting with your leadership team. Either way, we start by listening.

Want to explore first? See what we offer →