We know the unique support and care that is needed when exploring the Catholic Faith as a minister from another tradition – we’ve been there too. That’s why providing confidential one-on-one pastoral care for those exploring the Catholic Faith from a Protestant ministerial background is at the heart of our mission.
CONNECT WITH OUR PASTORAL CARE TEAM
Since 1993, the Coming Home Network has been helping men and women from all kinds of Protestant ministry backgrounds who have felt God calling them to the Catholic Faith. From pastors and associate pastors, to missionaries, music ministers, and academics, we know what it’s like to be on this journey because we have been there ourselves. If you’re working in any kind of ministry, and your prayer and discernment have led you to deeper questions about the Catholic Church, please reach out to us!
HEAR FROM OUR MEMBERS
When Ken Hensley and Kenny Burchard were Protestant pastors, they believed and taught what many Christians profess: the doctrine of sola Scriptura, which holds that the Bible alone is the sole and sufficient rule of faith. In this series, they unpack the basic conditions and consequences of sola Scriptura, and share the ways that each of them began to question its workability, its historicity, and whether or not it was even a biblically sound doctrine. WATCH VIDEO
“When I was ready to come into full communion with the Catholic Church, I knew it would be a good exercise to put on paper what I was doing and why—a letter to send to friends, family, former parishioners, and a few others.It was a long and excruciating exercise to get my letter down to this length. I had so much to say! But it was a good exercise.”
Read Lucas Koach’s full letter HERE.
When Jeremy Rivera was serving a non-denominational congregation, he wanted to share Christ with as many people as possible and grow his church’s membership. But it bothered him when evangelization was discussed in marketing terms, and when the survival of his congregation was seen as being dependent upon the right staff makeup and business plan. He shares how that experience caused him to reconsider, at the foundational level, the nature of the Church that Christ meant to establish. WATCH VIDEO
We realize that seekers, especially those in ministerial or leadership positions in non-Catholic traditions, can encounter many difficulties when their search for truth leads to the Catholic Church. Their family and friends may not understand this search. Their livelihood may be in jeopardy, and the path forward may be uncertain.
We believe it’s important for men and women who are discerning this process to be able to share this journey with others who are asking the same questions. We have a special online discussion group specifically for people like you, as well as in-person retreats to help you connect with others who are asking the same questions you are.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
“One Sunday many years ago I was standing in my pulpit preparing to preach. As I stood there ready to read the Scripture text from the recently approved Common Lectionary, it struck me that within a fifteen-mile radius of my pulpit were literally 20-30 other churches with similar pulpits manned by similarly ordained men and women all ready to read the same text. We all believed that the Bible was sufficient for leading us into all truth and that we were each responsible before God for what we preached, and we were each teaching different, even contradictory things. Which of us was right?” (Read More)
ABOUT MARCUS GRODI
A FEW GREAT STORIES
What happens when a Protestant pastor feels a new call on his heart from God, to lay down his ministry and become a Catholic? Ken Hensley shares what that looked like in his own life when he was serving as a Baptist pastor, and how he works today with dozens of men and women in similar situations through The Coming Home Network. >> WATCH VIDEO
Fr. Randy Sly’s first real turn toward God happened when he was serving in the Navy in Vietnam, and became acutely aware of his own mortality. As he sought to follow Christ, he found himself called to ministry, first as a Wesleyan Methodist pastor, and then in the Charismatic Episcopal Church, where he eventually became a bishop. He shares how his search for a faith that was historical, evangelical, and spirit-filled eventually led him to the doors of the Catholic Church. >>WATCH VIDEO
As an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Sharon Ripley felt a profound call to speak the word of God to the people of God. When she left that ministry to enter the Catholic Church, she wondered what might happen to that gift and that desire. Sharon discusses how she has found a new passion for proclaiming the Scriptures during the Liturgy of the Word at Mass as a lector at her parish. >>WATCH VIDEO
When Everett Franklin was serving in Iraq as a Church of God Army chaplain, he had an encounter with a Catholic soldier that caused him to question how seriously he had been taking the Lord’s Supper. He shares how he continued to wrestle with what Jesus commanded his apostles to do in remembrance of Him, and a moment in prayer when God gave him clarity on all of it. >> WATCH VIDEO
“I can say this—in turning to the Catholic Church I do not turn to something foreign and alien to Anglicans or Evangelicals. I turned, rather, to the Catholic Church in order to become more fully what I already was. I have been raised to expect joyfully the activity of the Holy Spirit in my life; I expect Him all the more. I have come to understand the beauty of the English liturgy, the patterns that are formed through Common Prayer, the primacy of Scripture, and salvation through Christ alone apart from my own efforts; I believe in those all the more.”
Read Fr. Rennier’s full story HERE.
Dr. MaryJo Burchard came from a long line of missionaries and pastors, and was serving as a missionary in Okinawa with YWAM when she met her husband, and the two went into ministry together. While working on a doctorate in Ecclesiastical Leadership from Regent University, she began to study historic Church leaders like Benedict of Nursia and Francis of Assisi, and started to realize that she didn’t have to constantly reinvent “church,” but rather, join The Church. >> WATCH VIDEO
A Brand New Resource
for Clergy Converts!
The Coming Home Network recently published the first edition of Opus Evangelistae, a journal of mutual encouragement by and for Protestant clergy converts to the Catholic Church on the continuing call to preach the Gospel. This journal is a new initiative aimed at offering further encouragement, fellowship, and support for clergy converts and their families as they continue the journey of prayer, personal conversion, and vocational discernment now as Catholics.
Join the network today as a Clergy Convert to receive future copies of this beautiful resource designed just for you!
Financial & Career Considerations
for Clergy on the Journey
Many non-Catholic clergy struggle with career and financial matters as part of their journey toward the Church. While individual circumstances vary widely, we have created, for members of the CHNetwork, an e-booklet to help you begin discerning and planning the steps ahead. We hope the practical tips and suggestions contained in this e-booklet encourage you along the path of discernment. We also have connections with Financial and Career Counselors who want to help former clergy review their resumes and discern how they can best use their gifts and continue supporting their families.
