5 Ways to Turn Your Ministry Into a Movement

5 Ways to Turn Your Ministry Into a Movement

Author: Damascus September 30, 2026 Duration: 50:35

Most ministries never become movements. They run programs, hope people show up and burn out

their leaders along the way. Dan DeMatte, co-founder and executive director of Damascus, has

spent 25 years building one that didn't. Today it has three campuses, thousands of young people

and hundreds of missionaries every year.

In this Behind the Mission teaching, Dan walks through the five things every spiritual entrepreneur

has to do to launch a movement: start with Jesus, create and cast a vision, build a team, provide

excellent service and form missionaries instead of consumers. Along the way: why mediocre

passion gets mediocre results, the worst church invitation ever given, the youth-group Sundays that

built Damascus, and a parish-mission story about a father who invited his son one more time.

If you lead anything for God, from a youth group to a parish ministry to a brand-new apostolate,

send this to your team. Subscribe for more. The Damascus Podcast: raising up missionaries to take

encounter to mission.


Hosted by Dan, Brad, and Aaron from the Damascus Catholic Mission Campus, Beyond Damascus is a conversation built on a simple idea: that a genuine encounter with faith should naturally lead you out into the world. This isn't about abstract theory. Each episode focuses on the tangible, sometimes messy work of integrating belief into the ordinary rhythm of your days. You'll hear the hosts draw from their own experiences-the obstacles faced, the joys pursued, the lessons learned the hard way-to offer practical perspectives on what an abundant Christian life actually looks like from Monday to Sunday. The discussion always circles back to actionable steps, providing listeners with real substance to consider and apply. Tune in for weekly dialogues that are less about having all the answers and more about navigating the journey together, exploring how spirituality fuels a more intentional and meaningful daily existence. This podcast lives in the space where personal growth meets purposeful action.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

The Damascus Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Power of Encouragement – Ryan O'Hara (Ep. 4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:04
Ryan O HarRyan O’Hara is a national Catholic speaker, consultant, and podcaster. With 25+ years of ministry experience with college students and young adults, he is passionate about seeing Catholics center their lives on…
Fr. Boniface Hicks on Uniting the Church (Ep. 3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:59
Fr. Boniface Hicks is a Benedictine monk of St. Vincent Archabbey, a Catholic priest, the Director of Spiritual Formation at St. Vincent Seminary, and the Director of the Institute for Ministry Formation (IMF) at St. Vin…
The Problem of Indifference – Pete Burak (Ep. 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:22
Pete Burak is the vice president of Renewal Ministries, which is dedicated to Catholic renewal and evangelization around the world. He is a frequent speaker on discipleship and evangelization, the co-director of Pine Hil…
Sisters of Life on the Joy of Evangelization (Ep. 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:47
Sister Mary Grace and Sister Avelina Joseph are Sisters of Life, a religious community in love with Love – Love incarnate, crucified, and RISEN – and in love with life – every human life. In this episode, Sister Mary Gra…
How do I know if I’m being too busy for God? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:33
Beyond Damascus: The show where encounter meets mission. On this podcast, Dan, Brad, and Aaron will give you practical tips on how to live out your faith every day. We'll get into actionable steps of what it means to hav…
Can I still be holy if I don’t feel ‘on fire’ anymore? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:48
Beyond Damascus: The show where encounter meets mission. On this podcast, Dan, Brad, and Aaron will give you practical tips on how to live out your faith every day. We'll get into actionable steps of what it means to hav…