6 days ago
174| Get Out of the Boat: Fr. Michael White on Courageous Parish Leadership
What happens when parish leaders stop letting the headwinds define what is possible?
In this special conference replay, Fr. Michael White opens the 2025 Rebuilt Conference with a powerful message for pastors, parish staff, and volunteer leaders who know firsthand how challenging parish ministry can be.
Reflecting on Matthew 14 and Peter walking on water, Fr. Michael names the very real headwinds facing parishes today: discouragement, changing attendance patterns, difficult parish cultures, limited resources, fear, criticism, and the exhaustion that can come with trying to lead change. But he also offers an important reminder: sometimes resistance does not mean you are headed in the wrong direction. The disciples encountered the storm precisely because they were going where Jesus had sent them.
Fr. Michael challenges leaders to take courage, keep their eyes fixed on Christ, and make room to imagine what God might want to do next. Parish renewal requires wisdom and prayer, but it also requires a willingness to take risks, try new things, learn when they do not work, and get out of the boat.
And on the other side of that courage can be life change.
As we look ahead to the 2027 Rebuilt Conference: Go Forward, May 3–4 at Church of the Nativity, this message is a timely reminder that the winds may be strong, but the Lord is stronger. The question is not simply what challenges are facing your parish. It is: Can you imagine what God wants to do on the other side of them?
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You can also explore Jesus, the Rich Young Man, and the Meaning of Life with a free first chapter and practical resources designed to help your whole parish reflect, discuss, and grow together. https://download.rebuiltparish.com/richyoungman
Key Talking Points
- Why parish ministry can feel like fighting constant headwinds
- The difference between experiencing fear and choosing to live in fear
- Why resistance does not necessarily mean you are outside God’s will
- Taking courage when the challenges feel bigger than you
- How prayer, wisdom, and bold action work together
- Why parish leaders need imagination and creativity
- Getting out of the boat instead of protecting the status quo
- Seeing unsuccessful ideas as opportunities to learn
- The Four Strategic Anchors of a healthy parish
- Imagining the life change waiting on the other side
Timestamps
00:03 — Looking Back at the 2025 Rebuilt Conference
03:09 — Leading the Parish Through the Headwinds
05:31 — Inspire the Mind, Encourage the Heart, Equip the Hands
10:15 — Jesus Sends the Disciples Into the Storm
12:51 — The Headwinds Facing Parish Leaders
14:59 — Jesus Meets Us in the Storm
17:25 — Take Courage, Do Not Be Afraid
21:35 — Peter Gets Out of the Boat
24:00 — God Wants Your Ideas and Imagination
26:17 — Keep Your Focus on Jesus
29:36 — Choosing Faith Over the Status Quo
31:37 — Failure Is Not Final
33:56 — The Four Strategic Anchors
35:08 — What Is on the Other Side?
36:24 — Can You Imagine?
37:33 — Closing Prayer
Looking Ahead: Rebuilt Conference 2027
The Rebuilt Conference returns to Church of the Nativity May 3–4, 2027 with the theme Go Forward, inspired by Exodus 14.
This is a conference for parishes, by parishes, designed to give pastors and parish leaders practical tools, encouragement, and a renewed vision for what God can do through the local parish.
Come early on Sunday, May 2 to experience Mass at Nativity, tour the campus, and see ministries in action before the conference begins.
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