The professor founded and led the Center for Church Management at Villanova University, where he taught economics for years.
Charles Zech, a long-serving economics professor at Villanova University who founded and led the schoolʼs pioneering Church management institute, died on May 17. He was 79 years old.
His death was announced in an obituary that described him as a “doting father and husband” who “prioritized spending time with his family” even as he spearheaded a major ecclesial management initiative that has quickly become a significant component of the U.S. Church.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Zech attended the University of St. Thomas and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Notre Dame. He began teaching at Villanova Universityʼs School of Business in 1974 and would remain there until his retirement in 2018.
Villanova launched the Center for Church Management in 2004 with Zech at the helm. On its website the center says it offers “education programs and scholarly insight contextualized for congregational leaders, addressing the areas of administration, professional financial management, human resource management, and more.”
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