Church Renewal has been Fueled by Entrepreneurial Leaders

Posted: 10/05/2021 | Innovation

John Cannon – SENT Ventures

Now more than ever, as crises of scandal, division, empty churches, and financial strain mount, the Catholic Church has no choice but to innovate. But how? 

To better envision the future, I studied the past. I poured through the lives of dozens of Church renewal leaders, from St. Benedict and St. Ignatius to Dorothy Day and Chiara Lubich. Patterns emerged. I began to see these leaders as not just holy men and women, but as entrepreneurs addressing human and spiritual needs in the world. By understanding the characteristics of these leaders, we are empowered to support and develop similar leaders today.

I found that great Catholic renewal leaders throughout history found ways to integrate their intimate spiritual lives with an intense focus on addressing the needs around them. In business school and later leading a management consultant practice, I saw how the dynamism of entrepreneurship transformed even dying institutions and industries. I remember when my entrepreneurship professor emphatically closed the first lesson: “successful entrepreneurs identify a need and then relentlessly address it.” Like scrappy entrepreneurs, great Catholic renewal leaders find innovative ways to address pressing human and spiritual needs because it must be done and they know God will help them.

Here are seven of the common characteristics I identified in these “Entrepreneurs of the Spirit” who helped renew the Church throughout history:

  1. Holiness you can’t fake – Maintain vibrant daily prayer and love for Christ in the sacraments
  2. Address human needs in their midst – Start with real human needs around you, not lofty boardroom plans
  3. Radical trust in God and others – Surrender the work to God and invite others to participate in the mission
  4. Faithful to Church teaching and authority – Be docile to Church teaching, which leads to humility and an obedient heart
  5. Often outside of Church hierarchy – The Holy Spirit inspires people in unexpected places and times, not necessarily those in positions of Church authority
  6. Rooted in gospel-centered community – Prioritize intentional community and family to remain grounded and echo how Jesus called the 12
  7. Deeply connected with their place and time – Read the “signs of the times” by meeting people where they are and harnessing institutions suited to the situation

Just as Entrepreneurs of the Spirit contributed to renewal and vitality in the Church before, they will do so again today. Compelled by this observation, I started an organization called SENT to support and develop Catholic entrepreneurial leaders through business coaching, community, and spiritual formation. In 2020, SENT had the privilege of collaborating with the OSV Institute to design and run the Accelerator for OSV Challenge finalists. In the entrepreneurial Catholic leaders we serve today, I see that the same patterns of fruitfulness continue. Regardless of whether or not you start a formal organization, when you seek God first and address the needs of those God has placed in your midst, new life emerges. So, how will you bring new life to the Church and world?


For more information about how SENT fuels Catholic entrepreneurial leaders, visit sentventures.com.

John Cannon is the founder of SENT Ventures, a social venture that fuels Catholic entrepreneurial leaders seeking to renew the Church. Prior to founding SENT, he spent seven years in formation as a Carmelite friar, worked in investment banking and led a management consulting practice. He holds degrees from Harvard Business School, Oxford, Notre Dame, and Franciscan and resides in Washington, D.C.

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