ABOUT THE CENTER

The Center for Church Management serves Christian churches in the United States and throughout the world through education and research. The Center develops and delivers education programs and scholarly insight contextualized for congregational leaders, addressing the areas of administration, professional financial management, human resource management and more.

Educational Programs

The center provides educational programs emphasizing the practical, everyday management issues that church managers at all levels face. These offerings include:

• An innovative Master of Science in Church Management Program delivered in a convenient, part-time online format
• A webinar series that leads to the awarding of a Certificate in Church management by the Villanova School of Business
• Customized on-site programs offered in individual dioceses for clergy, parish business managers or other personnel with administrative responsibilities.

Scholarship and Research

Through its university affiliation, the center is committed to both scholarly and applied research. Programs include a working paper series, reports based on funded research, the sponsorship of scholarly conferences and publications. The center is a proud recipient of two grants from the Lilly Endowment’s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges for Pastoral Leaders, specifically to further scholarship, research and education to build financial literacy for ministers.

History

In 2004, the Villanova School of Business established the Center for the Study of Church Management—the first of its kind in the nation. Under the direction of Professor Chuck Zech, PhD Professor Emeritus, the center began outreach to serve the Catholic Church through a specific focus on the administrative and management operations in churches, dioceses and apostolates across the nation.