17 Books Every Catholic Leader

Should Read
by Jonathan F. Sullivan

2015 Jonathan F. Sullivan

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Table of Contents

Introduction 7. The Church and New 15. Creativity, Inc.

Media 16. Jesus of Nazareth
The Books 8. Leadership on the Line 17. Evangelii Gaudium
1. Good to Great 9. Bad Religion
Join the Conversation
2. Heroic Leadership 10. Quiet
3. Getting Things Done 11. A Canticle for Leibowitz About the Author
4. Evangelical Catholicism 12. Redeeming Administration
5. The Sparrow 13. Forming Intentional
6. Autopsy of a Deceased Disciples
Church 14. Between Heaven and
Mirth
Introduction
 I know very few leaders
who are uninterested in reading.
Ongoing formation is a
foundational principle in Catholic
teaching. We are not content to
remain at an adolescent faith,
ceasing our growth at Confir-
mation (or sooner!). Rather, we
engage in life-long formation and
education as adults, deepening
our relationship with Jesus Christ
so as to conform our lives more
closely to the Paschal Mystery.
And yet, how many Catholic
leaders lay or ordained stop
to consider formation as a leader
to be an ongoing and integral part
- Michael Hyatt
of their spiritual and religious
formation?
We know that we are called to
grow in holiness through our
particular vocations; shouldnt
our growth as leaders help us to
grow as disciples of Jesus?
This short ebook lists 17 books
that can help shape the
imagination of leaders in the
Church both our broader
vision for the mission of the
Church and how we understand
the more mundane day-to-day
tasks of administration.
I have tried to select a variety of
books. They include two fiction
books; one papal document; a
book by a Protestant minister; a
book by a former Jesuit novice;
and a book by a computer
animator. It does not include the
Bible or Catechism of the Catholic
Church. (We can take those for
granted!)
But, taken as a whole, these
books will help Church leaders
fulfill their calling to assist the
Body of Christ to grow in holiness.
Happy reading!
The Books

HarperBusiness (2001); 300 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Purchase Good to Great and
the Social Sectors
Watch Collins Discuss First
Who, Then What
Good to Great: Why Some Companies
Make the Leap...and Others Don't
by Jim Collins
Good to Great is a perennial
entry on lists of top business
books, and for good reason. Jim
Collins and his team of re-
searchers spent years examining
the characteristics of companies
that made the transition from
being merely good to being
leaders in their respective
industries.
The factors that Collins
identified hiring, training, and
retaining the right people;
identifying and building on core
organizational strengths; and
working for small, incremental
growth are factors that can
also be used to build up great
parishes, Catholic schools, and
other ministries.
I love Good to Greats reliance
on solid research and data
demonstrating that what we think
are the characteristics of great
organizations especially the
idea of a dynamic genius in charge
are rarely effective in promoting
real success.
Collins wrote a short follow-up,
Good to Great in the Social
Sectors, in 2005 it treats the
Good to Great concept in the
context of non-profit organ-
izations. But the original book
contains all the foundational
themes of Collins work.

Heroic Leadership: Best Practices
from a 450-Year-Old Company That
Changed the World
by Chris Lowney
Chris Lowney has a unique
background among business
authors. A former Jesuit sem-
inarian, Lowney went on to
become a managing director of J.P.
Morgan & Co in New York, Tokyo,
Singapore and London.
He brings these two worlds
together in Heroic Leadership in
which he looks to the early history
of the Jesuits for leadership
lessons.
Lowney focuses on the Jesuits
sense of nuestro modo de
proceder loosely translated as
our way of doing things
arguing that the early Jesuits were
successful not because they
Loyola Press (2005); 336 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Read Lowneys Article on the
Examen Prayer for Managers
Read a Q&A with Lowney
about Pope Francis
executed a preexisting plan, but
because they shared a common
set of values and beliefs that
helped them adapt in new cultures
and situations.
Lowney mines these values
self-awareness, ingenuity, love,
and heroism to illumine that
work of organizational leadership.
I love Lowneys use of stories of
great Jesuit figures to illustrate the
principles of leadership; his
knowledge and love of the Society
of Jesus is palpable throughout the
book. Heroic Leadership is an easy
read that will inspire and
encourage to leaders of any
stripe.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-
Free Productivity (Revised Edition)
by David Allen
Every leader I talk to wishes
they had more time to devote to
the good work that comes across
their desk. One of the challenges
of the modern workplace is
identifying and executing the most
important tasks before us on a
given day.
First published in 2002, Getting
Things Done offers a simple,
proven method for clearing our to-
do lists and getting tasks
completed.
Allens basic thesis is that our
brains are horrible places to store
reminders and task lists. We need
to get that information out of our
heads and into systems that will
give it back to us when and
where we need it.
One of the things I love about
GTD is that it is tool-agnostic. You
can implement Allens system on
Windows, iOS, Linux, Android, or
with good old-fashioned paper
and pencil. The tech isnt as
important as the process.
I also love GTD because you Penguin (2015); 352 pages
can benefit from implementing
even a little bit of the system. Its Purchase on Amazon
not all-or-nothing; putting just Listen to Merlin Mann
10% of the methodology into
Interview Allen
practice will generate results,
meaning that its OK to ease Visit Allens Website
into the GTD philosophy and
process over time.
 Evangelical Catholicism: Deep
Reform in the 21st-Century Church
by George Weigel
George Weigels Evangelical
Catholicism seeks to define a new
way of being Catholic in the 21st
century through a return to the
missionary roots of the early
Church.
The first part of the book
follows the history of evangelical
Catholicism (beginning in the late
Basic Books (2013); 320 pages 19th century with the teachings
of Pope Leo XIII and extending
Purchase on Amazon through the Second Vatican
Read a Review of the Book Council to the modern day) and
from Christianity Today outlines its basic characteristics.
The second part of the book
Watch Weigel on EWTN then takes these themes and
Bookmark applies them to a variety of
structures within the Church,
including the episcopacy and
priesthood, the liturgy, and the
Churchs advocacy efforts. Weigel
suggests ways in which these
structures might be reformed in
light of a greater evangelical zeal.
I love the challenging vision of
a robust, lived Catholicism
presented by Weigel a faith not
of theologians or philosophers,
but of evangelical disciples. And
while I dont agree with all of his
specific recommendations, they
represent a positive, proactive
attempt to wrestle with how the
Catholic faith will adapt in a time
of increasing relativism and
spiritual confusion.

The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
One of two fiction books on
this list, Russells tale envisions
humanitys first contact with
another planet and the Jesuit
priest called to lead a mission to
this new world.
The Sparrow deals with themes
of vocation, suffering, and
community in a way that will
speak to anyone who has worked
in the Church. Russell doesnt shy
away from the challenging aspects
of following Gods call, and some
parts of the book are difficult for
their raw emotion.
The science fiction elements of
the book are slight; the real focus
is on the inner depth Russell
Villard (1996); 408 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Read an Interview with Russell
About the Book
Read a Spoiler-Filled Reflection
on the Book
(herself a Jewish convert from
agnosticism) gives to the
characters, all of whom have
strong (if vastly different) relation-
ships to God and the Church. The
interplay between their perspec-
tives and the relationships that
grow as a result are part of the
books charm.
The Sparrow is a triumphant
tale of faith in the midst of
personal trial. Leaders enduring
the long night of the soul will
identify with Fr. Emilio Sandoz,
whose own torturous pursuit of
Gods call leaves him, like so many
saints, broken and totally
dependent on the Lords mercy.
Autopsy of a Deceased Church:
12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive
by Thom S. Rainer
This is the only book on this list
written by a Protestant minister,
but it contains important insights
for cultivating and maintaining a
healthy parish community in the
21st century.
Thom Rainer, a Baptist minister
and president and CEO of LifeWay
Christian Resources, spoke with
representatives from twelve
Baptist churches which had shut
their doors.
The common themes he
discovered in the tales of these
deceased churches serve as a
cautionary tale to anyone
concerned with the state of
congregational life. Indeed, the
maladies he identifies will sound
familiar to Catholic pastors and
parish ministers.
Fortunately Dr. Rainer
includes tips for halting and even
reversing the decline of a local
church that, while aimed at a
Protestant audience, are easily
adapted to a Catholic context.
Dr. Rainer does not mince B&H Books (2014); 112 pages
words. He advocates for drastic
changes in drastic circumstances, Purchase on Amazon
something many communities Read My Full Review
will resist. But he is not
concerned with comfort; he is Listen to Rainer Discuss the
concerned with churches that Book
communicate the Gospel joyfully
and effectively.
 Church and New Media: Blogging
Converts, Online Activists, and
Bishops Who Tweet
edited by Brandon Vogt
In this deceptively slim book
Brandon Vogt assembles a
treasure trove of essays from
some of the most venerable
Catholic bloggers and social
media figures. Fr. Robert Barron,
Jennifer Fulwiler, Mark Shea, Lisa
Hendey, and more offer their
invaluable experience and
Our Sunday Visitor (2011); insights about how the Church
208 pages engages in new digital
communication tools.
Purchase on Amazon The book is less of a how to
Read My Full Review than it is a why should you; it
wont teach you how to set up a
Visit the Books Website Facebook page, but it will inspire
you to take the plunge into new
media.
Each essay in the book tackles
new media from a particular
perspective, so that whether you
are a parish DRE, a diocesan
bishop, or a faith-filled stay-at-
home-mom, there will be
something that speaks to your
situation.
The Church and New Media is
an important contribution to the
ongoing conversation about how
the Church utilizes new
technologies to continue her work
in the world. I look forward to
seeing what the next generation
of online Catholic leaders, inspired
by the books contributors, brings
to the table.

Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive
through the Dangers of Leading
by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy
Leadership on the Line is one of
the first leadership books I ever
read and one that has stayed with
me over the years.
I was especially impressed with
the authors distinction between
technical work, which involves
applying known solutions to
problems, and adaptive work,
which is the task of helping people
with problems learn how to solve
them. Discerning which type of
work is applicable to the present
situation is one of the most
important roles of leaders in
organizations.
The authors also offer practical
advice on surviving the perils of
Harvard Business School Press
(2002); 252 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Watch Linsky Discuss
Adaptive Leadership
Read an Excerpt from the Book
leadership, such as avoiding being
the indispensable man and
instead handing work back to
people when they are best
equipped to do it.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the
book ends with a beautiful
reflection on an encounter Heifetz,
a Jew, had with the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and its implications for
leadership.
Leadership on the Line is a
book I have returned to numerous
times during my career, and it is
one I am sure will help other
Christian leaders to successfully
avoid leaderships dangers and
pitfalls.
Bad Religion: How We Became a
Nation of Heretics
by Ross Douthat
In Bad Religion Ross Douthat
seeks to counter the argument
that religion is bad for American
culture and public life. His thesis is
that it is actually the wrong type of
religion that is detrimental in
particular modes of faith that
condone self-indulgence, debauch
-ery, and rampant consumerism.
Douthat, a commentator and
columnist for the New York Times,
offers a history of the crisis of faith
in America before diagnosing the
countrys spiritual milieu. He takes
particular aim at the prosperity
gospel, therapeutic moral deism,
the Christianization of the
American myth, and the Oprah-
fication of Christianity as
peculiarly American heresies. And
while the book is short on
prescriptions for routing these
aberrations out of the culture, it
is nonetheless a valuable first
step in discerning solutions.
What is clear is that Douthat
believes traditional orthodox
Christianity still has much to offer Free Press (2012); 352 pages
a culture adopting alternative
spiritualties detrimental to the Purchase on Amazon
public good. Catholic leaders who Watch Fr. Robert Barron
are looking for an insightful, clear Comment on Bad Religion
look at the spiritual forces
battling orthodox Christian faith Read a Dialog Between
will want to read and reflect on Douthat and Will Saletan
Bad Religion.
 Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a
World That Cant Stop Talking
by Susan Cain

Its probably not a stretch to Most helpful, however, is the

say that many people working in final section detailing how
the Church are introverts. As introverts can succeed in the work
leaders, understanding why environment and how organi-
introverts act as they do can help zations can benefit from their gifts.
us to lead them in our ministries. Quiet has helped me
Susan Cains bestselling book understand my own introversion,
Quiet is a great first step in including my physical and
cracking the introvert code and psychological reactions in certain
Crown (2012); 352 pages unlocking their (often hidden) situations. As a result Ive been
potential. better prepared when my
Purchase on Amazon The book begins by correcting introversion threatens to
Read My Full Review many assumptions made about overwhelm me in my work and
introverts, including the cultural with my family.
Watch Cains TED Talk myth of the superiority of Even if youre not an introvert,
The Power of Introverts extroverts. Cain then explores Quiet is an insightful read that will
some of the possible neuro- help you understand the introverts
logical causes of introversion. in your life.

A Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The other work of fiction on
this list, A Canticle for Leibowitz
chronicles 1200 years in the life of
the monks of the Albertian Order
of Leibowitz who are attempting
to preserve the worlds knowledge
after a nuclear war turns the
population against science and
rational inquiry.
The book highlights the
perennial struggle between
sciences pursuit of fact, the states
pursuit of power, and faiths
search for truth. This is especially
evident in the second part, during
which a philosopher is at odds
with the Order over access to their
collection of knowledge, and in
J. B. Lippincott & Co. (1960);
368 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Read My Full Review
Read a Commentary on the
Book from io9
the third part in which the state
sanctions euthanasia camps for
radiation victims. How the monks
deal with these threats to their
mission says a great deal about
how and why the Church pursues
knowledge and truth.
Millers tale is particularly
instructive in light of the New
Evangelization and the Churchs
efforts to re-evangelize a culture
that has turned its back on the
faith.
Although it was met with
mixed reaction upon its release, A
Canticle for Leibowitz went on to
win a Hugo Award and is now
considered a modern classic.
Redeeming Administration: 12
Spiritual Habits for Catholic Leaders
by Ann M. Garrido
Administration is a fairly
thankless job. Creating (and
sticking to) budgets, organizing
meetings, formulating schedules
these behind the scenes tasks
arent are visible or as valued as
more ministerial actions in the
Church.
And yet, if we are called to
pursue holiness regardless of our
vocation, shouldnt leaders use
their roles to deepen their
relationship with Christ?
Careful thinking about the
spirituality of administration is just
one of the gifts Ann Garrido offers
in Redeeming Administration. She
identifies and reflects on 12
different habits administration
calls us to. Among the list are
both the expected (trust,
integrity, breadth of vision) and
the surprising (humor, agape,
embracing death). For each habit
she also identifies a spiritual
companion from the Churchs
history who embodies that
particular aspect of admin- Ave Maria Press (2013); 192 pages
istration.
I greatly appreciate Garridos Purchase on Amazon
expanded vision of Watch Garridos Webinar The
administration in ministry and Spirituality of Administration
her honesty in both the joys and
challenges it brings. Redeeming Read Garridos Article More
Administration will hold a special Than a Desk Job
place on any leaders bookshelf.
 Forming Intentional Disciples: The
Path to Knowing and Following Jesus
by Sherry A. Weddell

Sherry Weddells Forming Weddell doesnt pull any

Intentional Disciples is a punches in her analysis, and
foundational text for
understanding the evangelizing
and catechizing mission of the
Church. She deftly lays out the
current challenges facing the
Church dropping rates of Mass
attendance, fewer people
Our Sunday Visitor (2012); identifying with religious faith,
224 pages and baptized Catholics
abandoning the Church for
Purchase on Amazon evangelical communities and
Read My Full Review demonstrates how a failure to
attend to the ways in which
Watch an Interview with disciples are shepherded in their
Weddell relationship with Jesus has led us
to this point.
readers may be turned off by the
depressing litany of statistics and
stories in their early chapters.
Fortunately she also attends to
concrete ways in which parishes
and pastoral leaders can reverse
this trend by facilitating
evangelizing encounters with
Christ.
Forming Intentional Disciples
has changed the conversation
about the Churchs mission, giving
Catholic leaders a common
language and structure for under-
standing the why and how of
making disciples.

Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy,
Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart
of the Spiritual Life
by Fr. James Martin, SJ
Church work can, from the
outside, appear to be dour and
humorless. For a variety of reasons
Catholics have a reputation for
clinging to the faith out of fear or
guilt rather than in response to the
joy of the Gospel.
Between Heaven and Mirth
demonstrates that, from its
inception, humor has been an
important element of the Christian
faith. From Jesus parables to the
humor of the saints, Fr. Martin
provides ample data to disprove
the characterization of the Church
as a joyless monolith.
What's more, the book is
funny. Fr. Martin sprinkles jokes
HarperOne (2011); 272 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Read My Full Review
Watch Stephen Colbert
Interview Fr. Martin
and humor from the saints
liberally throughout the text,
including stories about St. John
XXIII; Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ;
Dorothy Day; and various Jesuit
saints.
Fr. Martin is especially
interested in showing how humor
and joy are integral to the work of
evangelization. It is a joyful
witness that best attracts others to
the faith, for joy reveals our faith
in God.
Between Heaven and Mirth is a
useful antidote for those times
when we get too wrapped up in
our work and begin to take
ourselves too seriously.
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the
Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way
of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmull
The wild success of Pixar
Animation seems almost
preordained. Since 1995s Toy
Story they have enjoyed a string of
box office hits gaining a reputation
for quality and consistency.
In Creativity, Inc. the president
of Pixar, Ed Catmull, offers a
fascinating behind-the-scenes look
at the history and struggles of the
premier computer animation
studio.
But the book is more than just
a memoir. Woven throughout the
historical narrative Catmull offers
his own insights and instruction on
how Pixar became such a
successful company.
Catmull is brutally honest
about his successes and his
failures his leadership lessons
are born of experiences both
good and bad.
Catmull is especially insistent
on the need for trust, honesty,
and candid feedback as
benchmarks of organizational
culture. Directors are expected to Random House (2014); 368 pages
ask for and give notes
throughout the creation of a film Purchase on Amazon
in a dogged pursuit of Read the Excerpt Inside the
improvement. Pixar Braintrust
Whether you are a Pixar fan
or looking for an insiders Watch Catmulls Talk Keep
leadership perspective, Creativity, Your Crises Small
Inc. is a fun, engaging read.
 Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism
in the Jordan to the Transfiguration
by Pope Benedict XVI

If the mission of the Church is condemnatory, Benedict is a

Doubleday (2007); 374 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Watch a Panel Discussion on
the Book Series
Read John L. Allens Analysis of
the Book
to help all people enter into a
relationship with Jesus Christ,
then we need to know who Jesus
is and what he taught.
Benedict XVIs three-volume
Jesus of Nazareth series is the
best introduction I know to the
Jesus Christ of the Gospels. Far
from a lofty theological treatise,
Jesus of Nazareth is, in the Holy
Fathers own words, an
expression of my person-
al search for the face of the
Lord.
That search takes many forms,
including dialogue with other
views of Jesus. Far from
gracious conversationalist, using
the work of others to break open
the Gospels and reveal the
multifaceted nature of Christ.
That nature, of course, is both
human and divine a fact
Benedict never loses sight of. The
portrait he paints is intensely
incarnational without devolving
into platitudes or treacly devotion.
It is Catholic in the best sense of
the word.
While the whole series is worth
taking the time to read, I
recommend starting with the first
volume which deals with Jesus
ministry and teaching.

Evangelii Gaudium
(The Joy of the Gospel)
by Pope Francis
This is the only papal
document on the list not to
disparage the others, but because
of the far-reaching and compre-
hensive vision offered by Pope
Francis of a Church journeying to
the periphery in order to bring
Christs love to all.
Published in the wake of the
Synod on the New Evangelization
for the Transmission of the
Christian Faith, Evangelii Gaudium
calls the faithful to be missionary
disciples who will proclaim the
Gospel across the world, in all
places and situations.
The Holy Father isnt unaware
of the challenges to the New
USCCB (2013); 152 pages
Purchase on Amazon
Read Evangelii Gaudium
Watch Fr. Robert Barron Com-
ment on Evangelii Gaudium
Evangelization. He lays out the
obstacles both external and
internal and then encourages
Christians to work beyond them
through inspiring kerygmatic
preaching, living in solidarity with
the poor, and renewing our own
walk with Jesus.
Pope Francis has good advice
for parish leaders, urging them (in
his memorable phrase) to smell
of the sheep.
In Evangelii Gaudium Pope
Francis offers his marching
orders to the Church in the 21st
century. May it inspire all Catholic
leaders to proclaim the Gospel
boldly and with joy at all times.
Join the Conversation

I can be reached at:

Web Site: www.JonathanFSullivan.com

Twitter: @sullijo
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sullijo
Instagram: sullijo
LibraryThing: www.librarything.com/profile/sullijo
About the Author

Jonathan F. Sullivan (www.JonathanFSullivan.com) currently serves as

the director of catechetical services for the Diocese of Springfield in
Illinois. He is a national speaker and the author of Sunday Prayer for
Catechists 2014-2015 (Liturgy Training Publications).

Jonathan received his BA in theology and pastoral ministry from Quincy

University and his MA from Aquinas Institute of Theology. He has made
numerous presentations over the years on such topics as the use of
technology in ministry, management in an ecclesial context, and the
Catholic understanding of the Bible. His webinars on catechesis and
social media were featured in the book The Church and New Media.

Jonathan lives in central Illinois with his wife and seven children.