Episode 069 – Rediscovering Synodality with Bob McCarty

  • 60 min

Episode 069 – Rediscovering Synodality with Bob McCarty

The Church Podcast

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In this episode of The Church Podcast, Christopher sits down with Bob McCarty, longtime Catholic ministry consultant, author, and former Executive Director of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM).

Bob spent 10 years in parish and school youth ministry in Philadelphia, 14 years leading the youth office for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and 19 years as Executive Director of NFCYM before stepping away in 2016 — a move he calls his "recalibration" rather than a retirement. Since then he's worked as a ministry consultant (he prefers "animator") and co-authored Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics.

Together, Christopher and Bob unpack what synodality actually means, why it's less a new program than a name for practices ministry leaders have used for years, and what synodal leadership looks like in contrast to clericalism. They talk through concrete examples — from parish-wide listening groups to a single question at the family dinner table — and get into the virtues, and the chaos, that synodal leadership requires.

This conversation is a grounded, practical look at how pastoral leaders, and anyone in ministry, can build a habit of deep listening into decisions large and small.

In This Episode

• What synodality means and how it shifted who participates in a synod — from bishops only to every baptized disciple
• Why synodality isn't a new program, but a name for practices — reflective listening, deep sharing, prayerful discernment — ministry has long used without calling them that
• How Bob's pastorate ran a synodal process with roughly 400 people across 20 groups, and how those conversations extended into topics like the Gaza war, immigration, and funeral planning
• The difference between clericalism and synodal leadership, and Bob's concept of "pedestal leadership" and why it lets people off the hook
• Three images for pastoral leadership: keeper of the vision, orchestrator of gifts, and mobilizer of the village
• The virtues synodal leadership calls for — humility, vulnerability, and trust — anchored sacramentally in baptism
• Practical ways to move people from "spectator to participant," including Bob's idea of "simultaneous individual experiences" and simple parish and family practices
• Bob's one synodal practice to start tomorrow: before any decision, ask "who else should be part of this conversation?"

About Bob McCarty

Bob McCarty has spent his entire professional career in service to the Catholic Church, including 19 years as Executive Director of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). Since 2016 he has worked as a ministry consultant and formation leader, and is co-author of Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics, a widely cited study on why young Catholics disaffiliate from the Church.

Resources Mentioned

• Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics
• Church Refugees

Connect with Bob

• Email: BobMcCarty@Verizon.net

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