Making it Personal with Bishop William Joensen

LESS programs equals MORE growth in a Parish? - Jim Jansen on Renewing Parish Life - 11/22/2025

Episode Summary

Bishop William Joensen welcomes Jim Jansen, Director of Parish Support for the Archdiocese of Omaha and author of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. Together they explore how parishes can rediscover their evangelical identity, form intentional disciples, simplify ministry, and create a culture where evangelization is natural, expected, and Spirit-led.

Episode Notes

In this week’s episode of Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen, Bishop Joensen and Jeanne Thill sit down with Jim Jansen, parish leader, speaker, and author of A Clear Path. Drawing on years of experience in parish renewal and campus ministry, Jim shares insights on how parishes can move beyond activity overload and focus on what truly forms disciples.

In this conversation, they discuss:

The evolving mission of the Church and the renewed call to make missionary disciples

The impact of Jim’s work in the Archdiocese of Omaha and the leadership of Archbishop McGovern

How personal encounter with Christ led Jim into ministry

The relationship between conversion, prayer, parish culture, and mission

Why programs alone don’t form disciples—and how simplifying parish life actually produces greater fruit

The challenging but necessary process of discerning what to keep, prune, or refocus in parish ministry

Encouragement for parishes of all sizes: every community can begin the journey

Jim also shares resources available through his book and website, including tools to help leaders build a parish culture centered on evangelization, discipleship, and intentional mission.

Learn more:
ClearPathBook.com (supporting resources and ordering information)

 

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