Schools

Value Proposition Part Two: Which Proposition?

April 4, 2024

In the first part of this blog post, we looked at one key idea about value propositions (Whose value?). This part of the blog post explores another key idea that flows from the first.

We tend to talk about “value proposition” in the singular, as if a school should have one universal message to promote. If, however, the value proposition is about what the prospective family values and how the school can deliver that, then it is important to recognize that not all prospective families value the same thing. For some of them, their top priority is a strong Catholic culture that instills church teachings and will help their kids maintain their Catholic faith. For many other parents, their top priority is strong academics, including a disciplined classroom environment and the development of good study habits. Other parents might be concerned about their children getting lost in a large public school, and they want a school where their kids will be known and can find ways to connect and belong, whether that is in the theater or on a sports team. Each of these segments of a school’s audience needs a value proposition that responds to what they value.

So schools develop a set of messages that respond to those varied parent priorities. The key question, though, is how those messages are imagined and presented.

One way we can imagine them is like a photo collage. They all fit together, they are all shown at the same time. Some are a little larger, and you look at them first. Others are a little smaller, and get less of your attention. This might be how a school’s value proposition messages are communicated on the website or in the school’s printed materials. The first message is about faith, the second message is about academics, the third message is about community, the fourth message is about athletics, and so on. It’s an efficient way to communicate, but it’s not always completely effective. If a parent’s top priority is a connected community where their child will fit in and make friends, and the first and largest message is about religious instruction and the school’s authentic Catholic identity – or vice versa – then parents may not yet be convinced that this school is the right fit for them.

A second way of thinking of the school’s value proposition messages is like the cards you hold in your hand when you are playing a game. You have six or seven cards, but each time it is your turn to play, you can pick the card that will be the best fit for that situation. This is how you can approach your value proposition messages when you have an interview and school tour. You have an assortment of authentic messages about your school to draw from, and you can pick the right two or three messages that are the most appropriate fit for that particular family. The key is to know what drives the decision-making of prospective parents, and the best way to find out is simply to ask them.

The more a school can shift its thinking about its value proposition messages from the image of a static photo collage to the image of a set of cards, to be chosen strategically based on a particular family’s priorities, the better.

Value Proposition Part One: Whose Value?

March 5, 2024

In our work with Catholic schools, we find that more and more Catholic school leaders are familiar with the concept of a value proposition and its importance to their school’s marketing and recruitment. A value proposition is a series of statements that clearly communicate the benefits of your school to prospective families. Simply put, it is your promise to deliver value to those families.

Many schools we have worked with have found it helpful to remind themselves about a couple of key ideas related to value propositions. One of them is a question of perspective. Schools can sometimes think of their value proposition as how they convey to prospective parents the benefits of what the school cares about most strongly. The value proposition becomes about what the school values. When schools remember to flip that around, focusing the value proposition on what the parent values and how the school delivers that, the schools regain some of the power of the value proposition.

For example, we worked with a Catholic high school that focused a lot of its marketing on the fact that it is an all-girls school. In our surveys of parents, however, we discovered that the single sex nature of the school was actually fairly low on the list of decision-making factors for the parents. Many more of them chose the school because they believed it would deliver academic excellence or because they believed it would provide a safe and secure learning environment. We helped the school shift its emphasis. Rather than focusing first on its all-girls identity, which was a lower priority for most parents, they began to focus first on the academic excellence the school could provide and the safe and secure learning environment, which were higher priorities for most parents. Being an all-girls school became the second thing they talked about – an element of how they deliver the excellence and the environment that parents are looking for.

This key idea about value propositions (Whose value?) leads to another key idea (Which proposition?), which will be addressed in part two of this blog post (coming soon).

Latin Mass Communities

May 16, 2022

In early May of 2022, Pope Francis spoke to instructors and students of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome and reiterated his concern that the Latin Mass communities were divisive to the Church, opposed to the reforms of Vatican II, and are politicizing the liturgy. In order to gain some perspective on his comments, let’s take a look at the history of the Latin Mass in the last sixty years and what we know data-wise about the Latin Mass communities.

Here is a timeline of the Latin Mass. The Tridentine Mass was approved in 1570 after the Council of Trent which was convened to respond to the Protestant Reformation. All the reformers had called for the language of worship to be the spoken language of the people. The Tridentine Mass was celebrated throughout the church up to the Second Vatican Council, 1962 – 1965.

1963 – Bishops at the Council called for a revision of the liturgy which could be celebrated in the local or vernacular language of the people

1970 –The New Order of the Mass (Novus Ordo) was approved in Latin for translation into local languages. The celebration of the Tridentine Mass was banned.

1988 – Pope John Paul II approved the use and expansion of the Tridentine Mass. Every diocese was to establish at least one site for the faithful to attend a Tridentine Mass.

2007 – Pope Benedict XVI allowed for even greater expansion by permitting individual priests to respond to the need for Tridentine Masses at their parishes.

2021 – On July 16, Pope Francis issues a document, Traditionis Custodis, which revokes the previous guidelines and gives the local bishop the authority for permitting Tridentine Masses only under very special circumstances. Any priest offering a Tridentine Mass must receive permission from his bishop. The scriptural readings must be in the local language. The sacraments of Holy Orders and Confirmation must be celebrated in the new rite. The details are still being worked out in individual dioceses.

The great concern about the Tridentine Mass arose because of fear of a schism in the Church. There were certain bishops, primarily in France, who refused to accept the new order of worship and most of the decrees of the Council. After years of dialogue with these bishops and the communities which had formed, a kind of middle-ground was determined which allowed for the Mass in Latin to continue to be used. An official schism has been avoided so far. The Tridentine Mass was looked upon in a way similar to other, older liturgical rites which have remained in union with the Roman Catholic Church.

Here is what we know about the Latin Mass communities throughout the world.

40% of all the Latin Masses in the world are celebrated in the United States.
20% are celebrated in France
15% are celebrated in Canada

These three countries represent 75% of all the Masses in Latin throughout the world. This should not be viewed as a worldwide phenomenon.

In the United States, this is what we know about the Latin Mass communities:

150,000 Catholics or 1-1.5% of all Sunday Mass attenders do so at a Mass in Latin
489 churches offer at least one Mass in Latin which represents about 4% of all the parishes in the United States
1% of the household income is the average parish contribution of Catholics
5-6% of the household income is the average parish contribution of Latin Mass attenders
99% weekly Mass attendance among Latin Mass attenders

The question is whether these communities are growing in number, maintaining or in decline. Unfortunately, the answer depends upon whom is asked. Proponents of the Latin Mass point to the increase in sites and the number of young families who are joining. Some would even say that the Latin Mass is “the wave of the future.” There are some limited studies which, in contrast, show that the number of Latin Mass attenders remains steady with younger families (usually children of Latin Mass families) replacing those who have died. In reality, even if the number of attendees was to double, that number would represent a very small percentage of the total number of Catholics in the United States.

So far, an official schism has been averted. No matter what the future months bring regarding the latest Vatican pronouncements, there are and always will be communities within the Catholic Church that view discipleship and spirituality in different ways.

Dr. Mark Kemmeter

photo credit: Andrewgardner1

10 Key Metrics for Your Parish

May 2, 2022

Finance councils have become adept at reading financial statements and determining courses of action based on the numbers. Parish pastoral councils need to become as proficient with the use of parish data points. Most parishes will discover that they have a wealth of information at their fingertips from reports which are submitted annually to the diocesan offices. Some parishes will discover that even more data can be available if attention is paid to gathering it. Here are ten “key” metrics which parishes can use to determine a level of vitality and sustainability.

Mass Attendance – This data point is the greatest indicator of parish vitality. What percentage of your membership attends Mass on Sundays? Households can be converted into members by using the average household size of the parish, locality, or state. Divide the number of attendees by the number of members and you have the percentage. The smaller a parish, the higher the percentage. Many parishes will be in the range of 33% attending Sunday Mass. That percentage can double on Christmas and Easter.
Seating Capacity – Seating capacity and how many seats are filled on Sundays is important information. The percentage of seats that are filled can help a parish determine if they have too many Masses or not enough. Most dioceses recommend that at least half of the seating capacity should be filled to justify a Mass time. Architects indicate that if a church is more than 90% filled, people will go elsewhere. Capacity is also important for preparing for holiday Masses.
Household Trends – If we take the missionary command of Jesus seriously, the more households there are in the parish the better. However, every parish’s membership is smaller than reported. It is better to be growing than declining. Many parishes pay little attention to membership trends. Are more people joining the parish than leaving? People do not often communicate when they leave the parish, so parishes need to monitor deaths, stewardship activity, and changes of address.
Baptism to Funeral Ratio – One key indicator of potential growth is the ratio of baptisms to funerals. Church planners look for at least a ratio of two baptisms for one funeral as a sign of organic growth. Numerous parishes today have more funerals than baptisms. Additional ways for parishes to grow need to be studied and implemented.
Sacramental Reception Trends – Numbers for all sacraments reveal a level of spiritual vitality in the parish. Are the numbers rising or falling? Is the parish gaining new members through the RCIA process? Low sacramental reception numbers reveal parishes with few children and teens as well as minimal evangelization activity.
Enrollments in Faith Formation – Enrollment trends for children and youth tell a story about the ability of the parish to attract and retain young families. They also reflect the quality of the formation programs. Parishes need to do a better job of documenting involvement in adult faith formation sessions. Parishes with outstanding opportunities for adults are helping to form intentional disciples and creating a high level of vibrancy.
Ministry Engagement – Matthew Kelly contends that the average parish engages about 7% of its parishioners in some form of ministry. Parishes should record numbers involved in ministries. Use that number and divide by the number of adults in the parish. Kelly suggests that parishes set a goal of increasing adult involvement by 1% each year. Parishes should also review how the parishioners are engaged. If the majority of those involved comes from parish festivals, fish fries, or dinners, there should be a conversation about how to engage parishioners more actively in the mission of the Church.
Parish Stewardship – The average Catholic household in the United States contributes 1.1% of the annual household income. This percentage is lower than all other religious denominations. However, many parishes have no idea what their potential contributions at 1.1% may be. Because household income is public information, there are sources which can provide this information based on the parish census. Keep in mind that the 1.1% is also a bit misleading. Not every household in a parish contributes that percentage and so many Catholics are contributing more to offset those who do not contribute or who are unable to contribute even the 1.1%.
Matthew 25 Ministries – When the topic of parish outreach to those in need arises, numerous parishes respond by saying, “our St. Vincent De Paul Society and Knights of Columbus take care of that.” The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, is quite clear that all of us must be involved in caring for our neighbors. Parishes should not delegate this responsibility but should encourage members to be involved. These ministries can be coordinated with other Church and civic organizations but the quality and degree of involvement of parish ministries are essential signs that the parish is taking Matthew 25 seriously.
Funding the Ministries (Budgets/Capital Campaigns) – Parishes are non-profit organizations. With that said, some years there will be a surplus and other years a deficit. On average, most parishes will have two small deficits over a ten-year period. Parishes should not regularly balance their budgets by draining their reserves or selling buildings or properties. This limits the ability of the parish to conduct ministry and moves the parish closer to becoming a place for Sunday Mass only. Every 10 years or so, parishes should consider a capital campaign to improve, replace, or add to their facilities for providing ministry. As a rule of thumb, parishes can raise up to one time their annual contributions. Two or three times the annual contributions can be raised if the case is extremely strong. Even more can be generated if there are major donors to the campaign. Deferred maintenance and inadequate ministry space are two of the greatest factors which can lead to parish mergers and closures.

After reviewing these “key” metrics, it is clear that a picture can be painted which tells the story of each parish. The picture is never complete because the Spirit cannot be quantified but it does provide insight into the vitality and sustainability of each parish.

Trends in Catholicism

March 29, 2022

The largest study in the United States of religious belief, behavior, and practice is conducted every 4 to 5 years by MissionInsite. MissionInsite is a technology-based research group that provides data to thousands of organizations, mainly religious ones, around the country. They operate under the premise that “to love your neighbor, you must know your neighbor.” What follows is some key national research that impacts Catholicism. To benefit most from the research, it needs to be compared with the local situation. The results are from their 2022 study.

Religious Preference as Catholic

2012 – 23.1% of all Americans considered themselves Catholic
2022 – 24.9% consider themselves Catholic for an increase of 1.8% over the previous 10 years. The gain was greater for Catholicism than any other religious preference.

Observation: After a lengthy decline, the number of Americans who self-identify as Catholic is increasing. That does not mean, however, that the number of Catholics registering in parishes is also increasing.

Nones/No Religious Preference for a Congregation or Community

2012 – 23.6% of all Americans considered themselves “nones” or had no preference for a religious congregation or community
2022 – 20.8% consider themselves “nones” for a decrease of 2.8% during the previous 10 years. The decline was the greatest for all religious preferences.

Observation: After many years of increases, the number of nones is decreasing. That is a good sign but it is too early to determine what the ramifications may be.

Non-denominational/Independents (this includes many of the so-called “Big Box” churches)

2012 – 8.7% of all Americans considered themselves part of a non-denominational or independent religious community
2022 – 7.7% consider themselves part of a non-denominational community for a decrease of 1% during the previous 10 years.

Observation: For a period of time, non-denominational churches were making large in-roads among Catholics and mainstream Protestant denominations to the extent that they had become the second-largest denomination. That trend appears to be changing.

Baptist

2012 – 7.8% of all Americans considered themselves Baptist
2022 – 8.4% consider themselves Baptist for an increase of +.6% over the previous 10 years.

Observation: Not only is the number of Americans who self-identify as Baptist increasing, but all mainline Protestant denominations are also increasing. It seems that there is a trend away from being nones as well as joining non-denominational churches.

Percentage of Involvement of All Americans in a Religious Congregation or Community

4% are involved
6% are not involved

Observation: While there are some encouraging signs from this study, this data point is still cause for concern. Only about 1 of 3 Americans are involved in a religious congregation or community. This finding reinforces the need for Catholics in the United States to become more active in evangelization efforts. As the largest denomination, the Catholic Church is the only denomination with the size and resources to bring about a significant change and not just by focusing on Catholics or other denominations.

Trends Among Those Actively Involved in a Religious Congregation or Community

5% have made no change and are likely not to make a change
7% are likely to have ceased to be active
8% are likely to have become active again.

Observation: This finding can provide some helpful insights into the dynamics of a parish community. The vast majority of parishioners are stable in their connection to the parish. About 1 in 8 are thinking of either leaving the parish or becoming inactive. Another 1 of 25 are ready to become active.

Significance of Religious Faith to Life to All Americans (How important is faith in your life?)

23.5% no significance
15.9% minor significance
20.1% moderate significance
20.5% considerable significance
20.0% utmost significance

Observation: About 60% of Americans see faith as having a significant impact on their lives at least to a moderate degree. These populations can be reached to deepen their faith and to be motivated to a greater level of awareness about faith and life. The more difficult challenge from this survey point is to discover how to help people recognize the connection of faith with life so that there is a realization that faith can influence one’s life. This seems to be the survey area which indicates the influence which science and technology can have on faith.

Other research groups may arrive at different conclusions, but MissionInsite’s research is the largest and most in-depth study. What their research tells us has many implications for community life, community building as well as evangelization. The best way to use this research is to compare it with your own parish or diocese.

Dr. Mark Kemmeter

Schools

photo credit: Andrewgardner1

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