Leadership formation is a critical factor in the future of the Catholic health care ministry, especially as we consider that lay people, more often than not, are now running our organizations. For today's leaders to embrace and promote that same sense of mission and ministry that came naturally for the founders of Catholic health care, colleagues throughout the ministry need to continue discerning the evolution of leadership formation for their organizations.
The formation of lay leaders is not a new topic, but it's not a static one, either. Insights about and approaches to leadership formation continue to advance and improve. And this special section explores some of the "next moves" in formation. Article topics include an examination of how formation in the workplace actually happens; the idea that Catholic universities can assist in the formation of Catholic health care leaders; a roundtable discussion on lay sponsor formation; how well-formed health care leaders can keep Catholic identity alive; and how one system uses a disciplined process rooted in Christian spirituality and theology to form its leaders.