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Disciple Maker Index Results
St. Gerard Church Survey Time Frame: February 9 – March 1, 2020
Total Number of Surveys Taken: 956
Dear St. Gerard Parishioners,
You may recall that in early February 2020 I invited all St. Gerard Parishioners to
participate in a survey called the Disciple Maker Index. Put together by the
Catholic Leadership Institute, all parishes in the Diocese of Lansing were asked to
take the survey. I am pleased that 956 St. Gerard Parishioners participated.
This survey has been taken by over 1000 parishes across the country giving us a
great wealth of information to compare our parish results. There is infinite data we
could share, but in short, St. Gerard Parish is ahead of the average in nearly every
category. This report will highlight some of strengths of our parish as well as
identifying areas where we can improve. Using this data, we plan to continue to
grow. We want to build on our reputation as a place where people feel welcomed
and receive opportunities to grow in their faith. We also want our people to
become ever more effective in inviting others to our parish.
Finally, I want to thank all of you who are so instrumental in making St. Gerard a
place where, through our worship and service, people can come and encounter
Jesus.
Fr. John P. Klein
Pastor
The 3 charts that follow are what the Catholic Leadership Institute call the Big 3
Outcome Questions. For all 3, St. Gerard scored well when compared to the
national and diocesan average. Located below each graph are the parish, diocesan
and national average.
The national average is based on all parishes that have taken this survey across the country (more than 1,000
parishes). The diocesan average is based on the 76 parishes in our diocese that took the survey.
Would Recommend Parish to a Friend
Based on Strongly Agree and Agree Responses
St. Gerard: 93% Diocesan Average: 90% National Average: 88%
My Parish Helps Me Grow Spiritually as a Catholic
My Parish Teaches Me How To Share My Personal Witness Story
Based on Strongly Agree and Agree Responses
St. Gerard: 86% Diocesan Average: 84% National Average: 81%
Based on Strongly Agree and Agree Responses
St. Gerard: 50% Diocesan Average: 49% National Average: 46%
Looking Forward for St. Gerard Parish
In light of Covid-19, we are not in full control of when and how our parish can go forward using
the data from the survey to inform our direction. What is clear is that we will not rest on our
laurels. We intend to grow in those areas where the survey indicates the need. Using the
Disciple Maker Index and continuing some of the areas of focus already identified by the parish
staff, we have a plan that we believe will help us move forward as a parish where people can
grow closer to the Lord and grow in community with one another.
What follows are some of the things we are already committed to focus on: 1. Reboot, Renew and Reach Out: This fall we are launching an initiative called Reboot,
Renew and Reach Out. The first is Reboot. We are kicking off our journey by bringing in
world renowned speaker and author, Chris Stefanick. This is a chance to hit a hard reset on
where you are, reexamine your life, and prioritize your faith. This will inspire, motivate and
challenge you to grow closer to God.
The second part is Renew. After we Reboot, we will invite everyone to recommit to our faith
and take steps to grow in deeper relationship with Jesus. To guide us in our commitment,
we will be launching a series entitled The 99. This series will not only give us a community
to help deepen our faith, but empower us all to spread the love of Jesus to the people in our
lives.
The third part is to Reach Out. Having recommitted to our faith, we will be encouraged to
Reach Out in faith to connect people to the Lord Jesus. We will also respond to the Gospel
by reaching out in service to others.
We are excited to begin this process starting this Fall.
2. Future Planning: Our parish staff will be working over the summer to plan for coming
years, looking specifically at how we can continue to improve our efforts for those coming
to St. Gerard. This will expound upon the Reboot, Renew and Reach Out initiative and look
at all aspects of parish life.
3. Preaching: Although we scored well on preaching, we know preaching has a huge impact
on church goers as they encounter the Word of God. The Priests and Deacons at St. Gerard
have already been participating in a quarterly review of their preaching. They have now
committed to additional training to help better serve the people of St. Gerard. The training
will be facilitated by Fr. Mike Schmitz.
4. Communication: One of the biggest areas where churches can fall behind is in the area of
communication. We are making better communication a priority. We have launched our
new email and text messaging platform Evangelus (which is a work in progress). We are
also updating our Website, and improving our presence on social media, specifically
Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. We will soon be launching an effort to rebuild and
update our parish census.
5. Sharing Personal Witness Stories: The third graph, even though we are higher than the
diocesan and national average, shows us a lot of room to grow. We believe that the Reboot,
Renew and Reach Out Initiative will help us in this area. Every aspect of this initiative will
be foundational in helping us share our personal stories of faith and help us better witness
to the gospel in our everyday life.
6. Welcoming Community: Though we scored very high as a welcoming community, we
know how important this aspect of church life is. With that in mind we will continue to
make this area a priority.
The Disciple Maker Index Survey 2015
The Disciple Maker Index Survey 2015
Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation,
Evangelii Gaudium, (Joy of the Gospel), says,
“In virtue of their Baptism, all members of the people of God have become missionary disciples. All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization.” ¶120
What this is saying is that each and every one of us is
called to be a missionary disciple. With this in mind, our
parish was asked to be part of an archdiocesan pilot
project, in conjunction with the Catholic Leadership
Institute (CLI), that would help us guide our
parishioners to become better evangelizers and disciples.
This project has two parts. The first part is a group of
eight parishioners that meets once a month with
representatives from the Catholic Leadership Institute
(CLI) to pray, discuss and begin to understand the
components of evangelization. For the past three months
a member of the team has written a short
reflection of the journey for the bulletin.
The second component is the Disciple
Maker Index (DMI) study. As you might
remember, back in Lent, ICD parishioners were invited
to take part in a national study of Catholic parishes
organized by the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI).
Close to 1600 of our parishioners completed the survey
– a 33 percent response rate of those emailed compared
to a national response rate of 9%. Such a high ICD
participation rate is one more sign of the vibrancy of our
parish. The DMI assessed parish effectiveness in
forming disciples who can form more disciples.
Members of the parish staff, Parish Council, Finance
committee and strategic plan committees joined in a
working session with the Catholic Leadership
Institute (CLI) month. They interpreted the results of
the survey and began creating an action plan based on
our strengths and the areas of opportunity.
Catholic Parish Study Survey Snapshot
47% of respondents rated “strongly agree”
that they would be likely to recommend ICD
to a friend and an additional 38% “agree”
with this statement.
46% of respondents rated “strongly agree”
that they would be likely to recommend our
pastor to a friend and an additional 38%
“agree” with this statement.
Parishioners Likelihood to Recommend Pastor
Survey Item: I would recommend my Pastor
to a friend.
Parishioners Likelihood to Recommend Parish
Survey Item: I would recommend my Parish
to a friend.
- PARISH STUDY SUMMARY
‘Likelihood to Recommend Pastor’ is the top driver for ‘Likelihood to Recommend Parish’ and ‘The Parish Helps Me Grow Spiritually’
Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) calls those who rate “strongly agree”, Promoters of the Catholic Faith and those who rate lower than “agree”, Detractors. Let us work and try hard to
improve our parish so more parishioners will rate “strongly agree” and increase active Promoters of the Faith, i.e., Missionary Disciples.
The first Key Strength is in the area of
RECONCILIATION (CONFESSION).
18 % of those responding to the survey attend Reconciliation at least once every three months, while an additional 55% attend once or twice a year.
Increasing the percentage of those that attend Reconciliation at least quarterly to 22% is the goal in the next two years.
After looking at the data, the group
recognized two Key Strengths (compared to national/archdiocesan baseline data)
The second key strength in the area of
COMMUNICATION.
48% of respondents rated “strongly agree” with the statement “The parish helps me connect with a local Catholic community by making information about the parish easy for me to find (via bulletin, web, email)” An additional 45% “agree” with this statement.
Increasing the percentage of respondents who “strongly agree” to 53% is the goal in the next two years.
Although our parish community is built upon the solid rock of our past, we look with hope to the future. The information from this survey will be helpful when creating the strategic plan for the parish. Let us join together to pray for our future that our community will remain and grow as a school of discipleship for those who believe.
Catholic devotions (i.e. rosary, novenas, and special feast days) are an effective introduction to the practice of the Catholic faith. One of the opportunities for growth was the frequency of the respondents to
PARTICIPATE INDIVIDUALLY IN CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS.
While 52% responded that they participate at least quarterly in these devotions, there were 48% with less frequent participation.
Increasing to 56% those who individually participate quarterly is the goal in the next two years.
Another area of opportunity for the parish is the statement that the parish helps me grow
spiritually by OFFERING VIBRANT AND ENGAGING SUNDAY MASSES. Vibrant and engaging Sunday Masses are a driver for the likelihood to recommend the parish.
22% of respondents to this statement rated “strongly agree” and an additional 41 % “agree” with this statement.
An increase of the “strongly agreed” participants to 28% is the goal in the next two years.
The group recognized two Areas of
Opportunity for us to grow as disciples! (compared to national/archdiocesan baseline data)
For more information about this survey , contact [email protected]
In February 2015, our parish took part in a national study called the Disciple Maker Index. The goal of this study is to provide parishioners with an opportunity to reflect on their spiritual growth and involvement in the parish, in turn providing insight to parish leadership as to how we can improve and grow as disciples of Jesus.
When survey participants were asked to describe where they are in their Catholic journey, the responses were as follows:
29% - “My relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important relationship in my life”
34% - “I have personally encountered Jesus Christ and am growing as a disciple”
30% - “I practice my Catholic faith, but do not know Jesus personally like a friend”
7% - “I consider myself Catholic, though faith is not a significant part of my life”
What do these numbers mean? It means that many of us at All Saints have had a personal encounter with God. Many of us put our relationship with Jesus first among our other relationships. Many of us acknowledge that there is room for growth in our discipleship and are headed towards that growth.
Yet the results also show that there are many who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. There are even a few who feel that their faith is rather insignificant. There are virtually as many of those who feel the most strongly about their spiritual life (29%) as there are those who practice their Catholic faith but do not know Christ personally as a friend (30%).
Where do you identify yourself in these findings? Do you identify with those who consider their relationship with Jesus to be the most important in their life? Have you had an encounter with the Savior, but are in need of growth in your own discipleship? Do you practice your
Catholic faith but have not come to know Jesus Christ personally as a friend? Or, do you consider yourself a Catholic only by name, and not by your choices, actions, and priorities?
The Catholic Church is by definition universal. It is open to all of us, whether we are saints, sojourners, or strangers to God. In his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis wrote, “The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded.” What the Church offers in its message of hope and salvation, it offers to all people.
Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will not thirst.” (John 6:35) No matter where you are on your Catholic journey, remember that no one is excluded from the life of Christ in the Church. We are all called to partake of God’s love through the Sacraments. We are all invited to the feast. Saints, sojourners, and strangers alike, we all have a place at the table of plenty.
Come and take your place at the table and on the journey. We do not walk alone when we journey as a parish and as a Church. May we all find ourselves closer to God with each day, increasing in faith and growing as disciples of Christ. †
Ponder and Pray Is there someone in your life who inspires you by their
example of faith?
Has there been an experience in your life when you felt you had an encounter with Christ? Take a moment to
write or tell another person about it.
Is there anything preventing you from having a stronger relationship with Jesus? What are some ways that you
might remove or minimize these hindrances?
All Saints Parish E s t a b l i s h e d 1 8 9 9
May 24th, 2015 • Pentecost Sunday
Your Catholic Journey, Our Catholic Journey
In today’s gospel, Jesus commissions the eleven disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Two thousand years later, Catholic Churches all over the world testify to the power of this commission. And yet as we discovered in the survey results discussed in last week’s bulletin, not all parishioners have a personal relationship with God. Of those who practice their Catholic faith, not all would say that they walk closely with Jesus. Many of us are still growing from simple participation to active discipleship. Our parish as a whole is also still growing in its work of giving witness to the Good News through its many programs and ministries. This growth, both as individuals and as a whole community, springs from and is driven by the presence of an active prayer life.
In the Disciple Maker Index Survey, participants were asked how frequently they spent individual prayer time with God. Out of those who responded, the results were as follows:
59% - Daily
23% - Weekly
4% - Monthly
4% - Quarterly
5% - Once or twice a year
5% - Never
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prayer is “a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God” (CCC, 2558). This is the relationship from which our experience and understanding of our faith lives, grows, and bears fruit. It is a gift from God to humankind, allowing us to raise our minds and hearts, our thanksgiving and petitions, to the Lord. It is also a gift that we give to God as His people, placing our whole selves as an offering before Him in truth, humility, and love. The practice of prayer is vital for us to know the heart of God
little by little, so that we may become enriched, nourished, and even challenged by Him to walk in His ways.
The quality of any relationship depends on the amount of time we spend with one another. Our spouses, children, colleagues, and friends become closer to us or drift away from us depending on how much and how well we spend time together. How well do we care for our relationship with God? Are we among those who take some time daily to be in His presence, to listen and reflect on His words, to share our hearts and minds with Him? Or are we among those who are too busy, too distracted, too absorbed by the cares of our world to remember the “one thing necessary” (Luke 10:42) for the care of our souls?
In the words of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” Let us challenge ourselves to take our prayer beyond the walls of the church and into our homes, our schools, and our workplaces. And may this surge of the heart, this look toward heaven, this cry of love, take us further in our journey towards becoming disciples of Jesus. †
Ponder and Pray What forms of prayer have you tried (for example: meditation, devotions, novenas, scripture reading,
singing, etc.)?
Don’t know where to start? Find your spirituality type and the forms of prayer and devotion that may work best for
you by logging on to:
http://www.vocationnetwork.org/articles/show/ 63-find-your-spirituality-type
All Saints Parish E s t a b l i s h e d 1 8 9 9
May 31st, 2015 • the Most Holy Trinity
Prayer: A Surge of the Heart
RELIABLE DATA
DISCIPLE MAKER INDEX SURVEY
FOR THE CHURCH OF ST . MARK
These Results Have Value.
This data comes to us at an important time. Following the recommendations of our
four Working Groups earlier this Spring, we are taking some time this Fall to
reexamine our Mission and Core Values as a parish. Parish leadership hopes to
further engage with you to receive your feedback about these important questions
in the upcoming weeks.
Personal Beliefs (doctrine)
Personal Prayer and Spiritual Life (habits)
Missionary Discipleship (outreach)
Catholic Journey (growth)
This past February (2020), our parish took part in a 75-question survey
administered by the Catholic Leadership Insti tute. The purpose of this survey was
to give us a deeper perspective on four key areas in our parishioner's l ives:
198 people took this survey, which is a good
sample size both in respect to our number of
registered families (405) and our average
Sunday Mass attendance (~500 over a
weekend).
198RESPONDENTS
The Catholic Leadership Institute considers
anything over 10% of average Sunday Mass
attendance as statistically significant.
REASONS TO CELEBRATE!
Our parish isn't just strong in areas of doctrine; St. Mark's far exceeds local and national
averages in things like frequency of personal prayer, recognition of Church Authority,
Adoration, and other Catholic devotions. In fact, our parish's reported frequency of Confession
puts us as the THIRD HIGHEST EVER to take this survey--that's third out of over 1,255 parishes
nationwide!
There are a lot of statistics circulating about what Catholics believe about the Eucharist. A 2019
Pew Research survey suggests that just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that
“during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.”
Here's what St. Mark's survey respondents said:
This is us! Bronze medal in the
holiness Olympics is pretty great--
maybe we can snag gold next time?
THERE IS ST I LL WORK TO DO.
While St. Mark's lowest responses sti l l met both Diocesan and National averages, we sti l l have
work to do. Our Lord doesn't call us to settle for "average"; He calls us to be saints! Here are
some areas that we could improve:
Although 69% of those surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed that our parish provides
transparent financial information, we need to be more intentional to share with the parish
relevant financial data. Questions about finances can always be sent to
92% believe that, as parents, they are responsible for "helping their children know Jesus".
But only 52% agree that St. Marks is providing sufficient tools to carry out this charge. How
can we do more to support parents to disciple their children?
46% of those surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed that our parish "equips me to have
conversations about faith with family and friends by teaching me how to share my personal
witness." While events l ike our Bible Study are popular (76% agree/strongly agree that our
parish helped them grow through Scripture study!), i t's clear that we can do more to
provide the tools needed to proclaim the Gospel.
81% of those at St. Mark's
agree or strongly agree that
their Parish helps them
actively grow as disciples of
Christ. This is way above
diocesan and national
averages. Onward, Christian
Soldiers!
76% of those at St. Mark's
strongly agree or agree that
their Parish provides them
ample opportunity to serve
others. (For those not yet
involved, check out our
website or call the Parish
Office to learn more about our
parish's ministries.)
82% of those at St. Mark’s
strongly agree or agree that
St. Mark’s has helped grow
their prayer l ife. Of the
82%, 44 said “strongly
agree”. This is double the
diocesan and national
averages!
81%
These lines indicate the National
Average.
These bars represent the % ofSt. Mark's that "strongly
agrees" with the statements onthe left..
The Catholic Leadership Institute measures the strength of a response by calculating the
percentage of respondents who "Strongly Agreed" to each statement in the survey. The chart
below highlights eight questions that the Catholic Leadership Institute thinks are particularly
important areas of focus for parishes. In EVERY SINGLE AREA, our parish responses either
meet or exceed the averages on the national level.
We have so much to be grateful for here at St. Mark’s! Our clergy, our community, our
beautiful buildings, new babies, seasoned parishioners— the list goes on! Who made these
results happen? The answer is clear: you did! It is through your dedication to Christ and His
Church that St. Mark's is such a special place to pray, to find fellowship, and to raise a family.
We did this together! But the reality is that God Himself did this. These results reveal the many
graces which God has poured out upon our parish family. And He desires to continue to do
His unique work in and through us. How can we share the gift of our parish with others this
year?
STAT IST ICAL S IGNIF ICANCE.
Holy Family Cathedral Parish and School
Priority Plan · 2020Solemnity of Pentecost 2020-2023
47%
In the Fall of 2019, our parish participated in the Disciple Maker Index, a nationalsurvey on parish engagement. More than 250 parishioners responded to the survey,which was conducted by the Catholic Leadership Institute.
The results confirmed our beliefthat Holy Family Cathedral is a
strong, dynamic parish andcommunity, filled with folks who
are active in their faith.
However, there is still morework to do if we are to achieve
our vision of offering everyperson in our community a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
THE RESULTS ARE IN!
Holy Family Cathedral Parish would like to thank theCatholic Leadership Institute for inviting us to
participate in a pilot program for the Disciple MakerIndex Survey.
The survey had four maindesired outcomes; namelyto help identify what drives
parishioners to:
AMONG THE INTERESTING RESULTS
Recommend their parish toa friend
Grow spiritually as aCatholic
Share their personal witnesswith another
Progress along theirCatholic journey
Holy Family Cathedral Nationally
They would recommend the parish to a friend
The parish makes them feel welcome and accepted
The parish helps form them as disciples of Christ
The parish helps me connect with the local community by offeringopportunities to serve those in need
The parish provides a community that supports me and/or my family in times of need
percentage of people who answered "strongly agree" for each question
44%
28%
17%
22%
16%
57%
47%
28%
41%
35%
Although the results are encouraging, we have much work to do tostay committed to the areas that greatly affect our parishioners.
These key areas, include:
Increasing ourFaith Formation
Improving ourHospitality
Promoting greaterOutreach
A Hopeful and Ready Parish Community
I love this passage because, number one, it assumes we have hope. A prerequisite for discipleship is that ultimately,
disciples are people of hope. We believe in the resurrection and we believe that we are on a journey to God the Father, with God the Son walking alongside us.
I also love this passage because, number two, it assumes our hope is so visible, so apparent to others that they are compelled to ask what is the reason for our hope.
At St. Anne, there are many reasons for our hope, most of which are the many ways I see God working through you, the people, in your care and love for each other and outside this Church.
As you might remember, back in Lent, St. Anne was in-vited to take part in a national study of Catholic parishes or-ganized by the Catholic Leadership Institute. Close to 300 of our people completed the survey – a 41 percent response rate of those emailed. The survey asked questions centered on each parishioner’s own discipleship journey, and how the parish AND the pastor were doing in supporting them along their faith journey.
We were part of the initial pilot survey conducted in 21 parishes across the United States that received almost 9,000 responses from parishioners.
Thanks to your valuable participation, members of the parish and school staff, the Pastoral Council, and Finance
St. Anne Catholic Church
“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15).
A Hopeful and Ready Parish Community
July 2014
Council joined me in a working ses-sion with the Catholic Leadership Institute last month. We interpreted the results of the survey and began creating an action plan based on our strengths and the areas in which we can improve.
There was so much to be hope-ful about in the responses that came out. Sixty percent of you who re-sponded said you would be likely to recommend St. Anne to a friend, 73 percent said you would recommend your pastor to a friend, 42 percent said we have vibrant and engaging Sunday Masses, 81 percent said that they believe that the Eucharist is re-ally the Body and Blood of Christ, 62 percent say that the Church is criti-cal to their relationship with God, and 62 percent say that they pray every day!
Although there are many areas that should bring us hope, as you can imagine, there are other areas of opportunity for us to grow as disciples! If you have listened to me preach for the past eight months, you will have noticed that I spend a lot of time talking about the personal responsibility that each of us have in being disciples of Jesus Christ. My focus on this topic comes from the reality that we as a Catholic people have some room for improvement.
Of those who responded to the survey, 23 percent in-dicated that my parish helps me grow by forming me as a disciple of Christ, 34 percent say this parish helps them feel connected to the local Catholic community by making them feel welcome and accepted, 19 percent say they feel the par-ish is helping them develop a personal prayer life, 16 percent say this parish helps them feel comfortable having conversa-tions about their faith with family and friends by teaching them how to share the story of Jesus, 16 percent say they would recommend our parish religious education programs
to a friend, and 26 percent say they would recommend oth-ers to attend our parish social events.
Although this parish community is built upon the solid rock of our past, we must look with hope to the future. In light of this information and in light of the previous survey that was conducted before I arrived, I am launching a Pri-ority Planning team to work with me over the next several months to articulate the mission of St. Anne and the three key priorities that will guide our ministry over the next two years. I have consulted with the Pastoral Council to make sure we have a fair representation of the diverse make up of this community.
Please join me in praying for our future. Please join me in praying that this community will remain and grow as a school of discipleship for those of us who believe. Let us al-ways be ready to give an explanation for our hope to anyone who asks!
by Fr. Gary Kastl
Please join me in praying for our future. Please join me in praying that this community will remain and grow as a school of discipleship for those of us who believe. Let us
always be ready to give an explanation for our hope to anyone who asks!
