After I had beenvolunteering in the Gulf Coast for a few months, my parents started to get nervous that I would spend the majority of my life as a full-time volunteer. One day I received an envelope in the mail from mytax-attorney father. I opened it up and did not find a letter or even a short note, buta soleclipping fromThe BostonGlobe about Boston College's plan to begina graduate program focusing on Church Ministry Administration - sort of an MBA withheart, as I understood it. It was really a very nice gesture by my dad since it was a small way to combine our varied interests - business and God.This weekend, The New York Timesreported on the Boston College program as well as similar programs that exist at schools like Notre Dame and Villanova. I think its a little too early to tell what kind of impact these programs will have on the future of the Church, but there clearly is a need for them. Says BC's Thomas H. Groome of the program:

This is not about turning the church into a business, or making sure its managed like any other institution in corporate America. Its about employing good business practices that enhance the mission of the church.

Marianne L. Tierney is a PhD student in theology at Boston College.

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