Advancement office has new name, leader

Richard "Tink" Guthrie
Richard “Tink” Guthrie

By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer

There are two major changes this year in the Archdiocese of Louisville’s office that organizes the Catholic Services Appeal.

Richard “Tink” Guthrie is the office’s new leader and the office itself, formerly called the Office of Stewardship and Development, is now the Office of Mission Advancement.

In addition to stewardship and development activities, the new office also includes oversight of the archdiocese’s information systems.
Guthrie describes his new role as that of an ambassador.

“It’s all about going out and listening and learning how to serve the parishes and ministries,” Guthrie said in an interview at the Chancery last week.

It’s with this humble attitude that he leads an office of seven. Guthrie has a gentle demeanor, but beneath it lies his other qualities — he’s a ball of energy, passionate about his work and a self-described “meticulous planner.” And his approach to stewardship may not be what people expect, he said.

Instead of approaching it solely from the traditional “time, talent, treasure” perspective, he said, he approaches giving with a concept known as the “theology of abundance.”

The idea behind this philosophy, he said, is an “internal motivation to share from our abundance and blessings.”

“When we recognize the limitless blessings God places in our lives we are naturally compelled to be stewards of those blessings by responsibly sharing with others,” he explained.

Guthrie said that, because all Catholics make up the body of Christ, it’s important to note the distinction between the role of a steward and that of an owner.

Ownership, he explained, suggests something belongs to us. But stewardship suggests we are caretakers of something that belongs to someone else — in this case God.

And he added, “If there is not an abundance in your checkbook, that doesn’t mean you don’t have ways to give.” Serving on a parish committee is a generous gift of talent, he said.

Guthrie also readily acknowledged that his new position — which pairs information systems and development — may seem like an odd match. Most people, he said, don’t know how to reconcile data and ministry.

“People think data is impersonal and ministry is personal. There is this perception that it will lessen the personal impact or, worse yet, that data will drive the ministry,” he said.

He emphasized that data does not drive the ministry, but rather, data can allow ministry to be more intentional.

For instance, Guthrie described demographic data projects he conducted at several parishes, where he looked at the numbers of baptisms — a form of data gathering called sacramental trending.

“The number of baptisms can be an indicator of what may happen in schools in five years. It can help with school planning,” he said.

His previous work in the archdiocese — in the areas of long-range and strategic planning — prepared him well for his current position, Guthrie said.

“It allowed me to experience the inner workings of parishes, parish leaders, schools, archdiocesan ministries,” said Guthrie, whose previous projects included the Catholic elementary schools plan and the upcoming parish merger of St. Barnabas and St. Pius X churches.

Guthrie said he leads his team with an attitude of service. While he and his staff may not feed the hungry or cloth the poor directly, everything they do is ministry, he said.

“We aid all those ministries so they are able to do those things,” he said.

Guthrie has numerous ideas about how to advance his work. One, in particular, is to build more effective web platforms for parishes to use.

“It’s all about us being able to serve more parishes and schools,” he said.

A small- to medium-size parish may not have a dedicated development position, he noted, so the Office of Mission Advancement can provide critical support.

Guthrie and his wife, Lucia, attend the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky. They have four daughters: Carlee, 24; Payton, 22; Bethany, 20; and Laurel, 13.

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