Want to win over souls? Start with love

A version of this story originally appeared in the Fall 2026 edition of The True Voice magazine. Copies of the magazine can be found at parishes across the archdiocese.

Michelle Zuhlke jokes that she and her husband, Dillan, “raise pigs, corn and kids,” on their farm near Creighton, Nebraska. Those who know her, however, will tell you that the work she is doing sowing the seeds of faith is changing lives.

The mother of five children, ages 2-12, has spent most of her adult life helping others grow closer to Christ. She is a frequent guest speaker for the Archdiocese of Omaha’s Mentorship Program, gives talks at retreats and events sponsored by Catholic organizations and is a certified mindset coach with Metanoia Catholic.

While Zuhlke has plenty of experience in evangelization, she said we are all called to spread the Good News and accompany one another on our faith journeys.

“The Lord has given us the command, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations.’ Every single one of us baptized Christians is called to do that,” she said.

And while it may be a little uncomfortable at times, Zuhlke adds that it can also be very natural if it starts with “just loving the person in front of you.”

Michelle Zulke is pictured at her family’s farm near Creighton. ERVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

She got her first taste of how important a faith-centered relationship is to evangelization while involved in the Newman Center as a student at Wayne State College. It was a fellow student who showed Zuhlke what true discipleship meant.

“I know she cared,” Zuhlke said. “I wasn’t just another number to win over. She truly cared for me as a friend and invested in my life and then shared her faith. And that was just such a beautiful witness for me and helped in my own faith life. She showed me what that could look like.”

Zuhlke participates in a small group discussion. ERVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Jen Steffensmeier, the leadership formation specialist for the Archdiocese of Omaha, met Zuhlke when Zuhlke was a youth ministry leader at the family’s home parish, St. Ludger in Creighton. Steffensmeier, who oversees the archdiocesan Mentorship Program, recognized Zuhlke’s gifts and saw their fruits, so she asked whether she would be interested in mentoring people in the program. After acting as a mentor, Zuhlke decided to enroll in the program herself.

Steffensmeier said Zuhlke has worked hard to learn how to listen to people and ask the kinds of questions that allow her to take the conversation to a deeper level.

“She asks people questions that make them really think about their faith journey,” Steffensmeier said. “And then when they ask questions or when they show interest, she tries to share what her own experience has been and then point them in the direction of more information to help them take the next step.”

Kendra Meuret met Zuhlke about 10 years ago when both of their families were members of St. Ignatius Parish in Brunswick. They were part of a small group of young moms who met to encounter God and grow in their faith.

At the time, Meuret would have told you that Zuhlke was a really good friend. Looking back, Meuret realized that Zuhlke, as her friend, wanted more for her and her family.

“I didn’t notice it at the time because it was never awkward,” Meuret said. “Our relationship was true and authentic, but she started to take those steps of like inviting our family over for a meal after Mass, inviting me and the kids to come over for a play date. Just normal everyday things that meant a lot.”

Zuhlke and her family pose with the school bus they purchased “just for fun.” They use it to travel to religious destinations, camping and to the fair. ERVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Meuret said there was a lot of prayer in the relationship, with Zuhlke encouraging and teaching her. “She was the one who got me to go to Confession after not having gone in quite a few years,” Meuret said.

Meuret said she wouldn’t be where she is today in her faith life if it wasn’t for Zuhlke. She is not alone. Meuret said Zuhlke is “deeply invested in every single person that she encounters both inside the church and outside the church.”

Zuhlke knows that for many Catholics, evangelization means knocking on doors or approaching total strangers.

While evangelization sometimes involves talking to someone you don’t know, Zuhlke said that “in most cases, evangelization is simply the Lord asking us to deeply invest in a few people and really get to know them and love them and build a relationship with them.”

She adds that the stronger your own relationship with the Lord, the harder it becomes not to evangelize.

“Catholics hear this evangelization word and get really scared because they have ideas of what it means and it’s just not as scary,” she said. “A lot of people are probably already doing it without realizing it.”

ERVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

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