Thursday Jan 22, 2026
143| Ron Huntley on the Road to Renewal: Real Stories From Leaders Who Refused to Give Up
Ron Huntley from Huntley Leadership returns to the Rebuilt Parish podcast to share the heart behind his new book, The Road to Renewal. Ron and Melissa talk about why renewal stories matter right now, why the problems facing the Church are often the same across the world, and what it takes to build leadership teams that actually move a parish forward. You will hear practical frameworks, honest behind the scenes moments, and a clear reminder that renewal is impossible without a real dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Key Takeaways
- How this book began as a prompting in prayer while Ron was on vacation, and why he let go of a different book he had planned to write
- Why a multi author book helps dismantle the objection: “That works there, but not here”
- Why “feeling it” is often the spark that launches renewal, and how Nativity’s story helped set the tone
- Why prayer is not a box to check, but a culture of reliance on the Holy Spirit
- Ron’s coaching framework for the five phases of missional momentum, including the reality of the “danger zone”
- What healthy leadership looks like: honesty, emotional maturity, shared responsibility, and healthy conflict
- A behind the scenes leadership meeting story that turned into a surprising witness to visiting priests
- Why pastors should not walk the road alone, and what changes when shared leadership becomes real
- Why self awareness tools and gift based teams matter for ministry alignment
- A frank conversation about diocesan culture and the call to be peacemakers, not critics
Links and Resources
- Huntley Leadership: HuntleyLeadership.com
- Ron Huntley’s new book, Road to Renewal: https://a.co/d/1yorrO6
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Introducing The Road to Renewal
01:00 Why This Book, Why Now
02:20 The Church’s Pioneers and the Power of Shared Stories
04:25 Collaboration Over Competition
06:15 Leadership Is Ownership
07:45 Recognizing Gifts and Divine Providence
09:40 Why the Book Begins With Feeling It
12:00 Repetition, Perspective, and Shared Themes
14:00 The Same Problems Everywhere
15:25 Prayer First and the Work of the Holy Spirit
19:00 Putting the Pen Down
20:30 Discouragement and Holy Expectation
21:00 The Five Phases of Missional Momentum
26:20 Helping Other Parishes After Renewal
29:20 Niceness, Greatness, and Truth
30:35 What Actually Moves the Needle
34:30 The Leadership Meeting That Went Sideways
38:00 Defining Leadership in the Parish
42:30 Why Pastors Should Not Walk Alone
44:35 Building Teams With Different Gifts
50:15 Where to Get the Book
51:30 Closing and Gratitude
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Parish renewal, Catholic leadership, parish leadership teams, Rebuilt Parish, Ron Huntley, Huntley Leadership, The Road to Renewal, Divine Renovation, Acts XXIX, Father Michael White, Tom Corcoran, leadership development, church coaching, pastoral leadership, diocesan renewal, evangelization, discipleship, Holy Spirit, prayer and discernment, Alpha Catholic, small groups, stewardship, finance council, spiritual gifts, charisms, CliftonStrengths, Working Genius, APES assessment, Alan Hirsch, high performance teams, healthy conflict, team culture, missional momentum, sustainable fruitfulness, intentional generosity, collaboration over competition, discouragement in ministry, vision and ownership
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