<![CDATA[Free Range Priest: Ask Father Cathie]]>https://www.freerangepriest.org/s/ask-father-cathiehttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0dsZ!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa549ecd5-4596-4e6a-8221-144fbaeb1ad2_604x604.pngFree Range Priest: Ask Father Cathiehttps://www.freerangepriest.org/s/ask-father-cathieSubstackTue, 10 Nov 2026 17:02:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reimagining ministry is overwhelming! Why is there still so much 'stuff'? ]]>https://www.freerangepriest.org/p/reimagining-ministry-is-overwhelminghttps://www.freerangepriest.org/p/reimagining-ministry-is-overwhelmingTue, 10 Nov 2026 14:26:44 GMT


This month’s question:

I am inspired by your ministry, but also wonder whether being a Free Range Priest is doable or sustainable for most clergy, especially those who aren’t entrepreneurially inclined.

You say that part of what bothers you about full-time parish ministry is all the administrative stuff you had to do that took you away from ministry.

I V…

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]]><![CDATA[Can I provide pastoral care to former parishioners?]]>https://www.freerangepriest.org/p/ask-father-cathie-can-i-provide-pastoralhttps://www.freerangepriest.org/p/ask-father-cathie-can-i-provide-pastoralThu, 08 Oct 2026 20:37:31 GMT

Ask Fr. Cathie: Am I ‘sneakily sacramenting’?

A subscriber wrote that she interned at a church, left on good terms, and stayed in the same small town. The new senior pastor isn’t great at visitations or bringing communion to shut-ins — and after one shut-in waited weeks with nothing but excuses, she asked our viewer instead. She brought communion. Did sh…

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]]><![CDATA[Why - and *how* - you should move your ‘website’ to your Substack publication]]>https://www.freerangepriest.org/p/substack-for-ministry-ask-fr-cathiehttps://www.freerangepriest.org/p/substack-for-ministry-ask-fr-cathieWed, 02 Sep 2026 19:08:38 GMT
This past month I’ve had a lot of questions about how to organize your own ministry using Substack.

If you know me at all, you know that I very much think that churches and ministries should ditch your church website, which means I think it is time for churches and other ministries to give up the standard issue static website.

Why? There are church reaso…

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]]><![CDATA[Should I take a $2,500 annul stipend for a chaplain job?]]>https://www.freerangepriest.org/p/ask-father-cathiehttps://www.freerangepriest.org/p/ask-father-cathieWed, 03 Jun 2026 18:00:06 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Can we be friends with our parishioners?]]>https://www.freerangepriest.org/p/ask-father-cathie-can-we-be-friendshttps://www.freerangepriest.org/p/ask-father-cathie-can-we-be-friendsWed, 06 May 2026 17:02:52 GMT

It’s the first episode of Ask Fr. Cathie, and I got a great question!

Can we be real friends with members of our congregations if we are their pastor, especially in tiny communities where roles overlap all the time?

Here’s what I said:

  1. Christianity is about ‘nearness’. It’s about who is my neighbor - and how close they come.

    That’s what we do in Christian c…

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]]><![CDATA["How do I get them to change" is not the question to ask.]]>https://www.freerangepriest.org/p/how-do-i-get-them-to-change-is-nothttps://www.freerangepriest.org/p/how-do-i-get-them-to-change-is-notWed, 08 Apr 2026 10:43:39 GMT

It was a great party.

Laughing, dancing, eating good food (and a little wine), catching up.

Then a friend of a friend - someone I’d met only once - grabbed me and said,
‘You’ve got to help my congregation’.

I immediately sat down. (My husband was not thrilled.)


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