When you have a map, you know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. This is a great time to develop a strategic plan for your organization to have that map. Our experienced team can help you clarify your organization’s goals, then develop and guide your community through implementing the plan to get there!
Schools
Evangelization Then and Now
The notion of a Catholic church in the United States which evangelizes was not a common understanding for most Catholics in the past. From the days of the earliest Catholic settlers to the latter part of the twentieth century, the church grew primarily through immigration and birthrate. The church also added new members through the conversion of non-Catholics who became Catholic in order to marry in the church.
There was evangelization activity but it was referred to as “the missions” because it took place far away from the local parish. Catholic school children contributed their pennies, nickels and dimes to benefit “pagan babies” so that they had enough to eat. Catholic missionaries throughout the world were financially supported by parishioners through special collections. During the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, the church in the United States provided 25% of all the Catholic missionaries in foreign countries. Evangelization did not appear to be needed on the North American continent then.
The reliance on immigration and birthrates as the primary means of growth has now changed for most parishes in the United States, but not all. Parishes in the South and Southwestern United States are still growing due to immigration from Central and South America as well as Asia. Birthrates among these immigrant populations are greater than the national average birthrate, particularly among first-generation immigrants.
There are other factors which are influencing the need for an emphasis on evangelization efforts. Catholics are not automatically joining parishes and are leaving the parishes they have joined. Even though the numbers continue to grow, the decline is happening not in some organized movement but “one Catholic at a time.” Unfortunately, a growing number of Catholics do not see the church making a difference in their personal lives or on the world.
Most of the parishes around the country need to come to the realization that the “good old days” of organic growth are over and evangelization ministries must be designed which seek out and invite searching Catholics and new believers. These ministries need to be focused on reaching out to those who are on the peripheries of the parish community, those who are not members of the community, and those who can experience the love of Christ activity through the social ministries of the church. The guide for social ministries can be found in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as well as in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25. The guiding principles for evangelization ministries must be rooted in a clear articulation and practice which witnesses to the difference the church can make in the world and the impact faith can make on individual lives.
The next blog will focus on some key ideas for effective and measurable evangelization activity flowing from parish data and demographic information.
Dreams of Parishes Future
The July of 2020 document from the Congregation for Clergy in Rome which issued a new instruction on parish reform refers to the current model of parish as “no longer measuring up to most people’s expectations” and “outdated.” To become a more missionary and evangelizing parish, the document states, will involve restructuring. The new model is that of a missionary parish. Rather than remaining focused on preserving the existing community, the missionary parish is “called to reach out to everyone, without exception, particularly the poor.” Think of the Gospel story of the Good Shepherd.
Most energy in a parish today is focused on self-preservation. Parishes in demographically changing areas work to keep the people they have registered rather than reaching out to those who are moving into the area. Parishes with declining memberships and revenues cut staff and ministries in order to keep the doors open for those who remain. Parishes struggle to reach young adults because they are designed to serve and communicate with older populations. As long as the budget balances, parishes have a tendency to feel they are doing what a non-profit organization should be doing. In reality, the current parish model emphasizes people “joining” rather than the parish community “reaching out.” If someone does not join the parish, there is little interest in him or her.
Any restructuring of parishes should not focus on self-preservation. For that reason, the document recommends that, rather than closing parishes, groups of parishes should be organized under a single pastor. Parishes should cooperate on mission rather than compete in a form of ecclesiastical “survival of the fittest.” Some parishes have simply become too small and too financially challenged to carry out mission effectively by themselves.
In the vision from the document, a missionary parish is likely to have a number of church sites. This will allow the parish to witness not to the uniformity of Catholicism but to the diversity and universality of the faith. Parishes can become more culturally and age specific in worship and ministry. In most dioceses, suburban parishes were built with greater territory to serve and so may not be impacted as much, although demographics are indicating that poverty levels in the suburbs are on the rise.
Restructuring is not just about the way parishes are organized. Ministries themselves will need to be rethought and restructured for a new model. In these key areas of ministry, here are a few ideas.
- Evangelization – the emphasis has been on discipleship formation and has resulted in a stronger faith commitment for a few but has brought in few new believers.
- Faith formation -in no other area of ministry do more Catholics fall away. Parishes and dioceses need to take a closer look at how we relate to and engage families over the years and study content and methodology of our transmission of the faith to younger generations.
- Worship and Liturgy – “one-size-fits-all” liturgies or poor-quality preaching and music have negatively impacted Mass attendance. Worship and liturgy need to reflect the diversity of the missionary Church and become more of a sign that everyone is welcome.
- Stewardship and Community Building – Parishes must place a greater amount of attention on welcoming, orienting, and engaging parishioners in the community. People no longer join or engage in a parish automatically. Methods of communicating with parishioners which may have worked in the past are not likely to reach younger parishioners.
- Outreach – Concern for and action on behalf of the poor in our midst, the area and the world must become a greater focus in most parishes. A good way to assess how active your parish is in outreach ministries would be to count the actual number of volunteers who work in these ministries. A number of parishes have fewer than ten people who organize and conduct their outreach ministries while others count on St. Vincent De Paul Societies to do it all. Read Matthew 25 and let that become a guide for preaching and action in every parish.
Right now, what can be said about the parish of the future is that it is still under construction or, perhaps, restructure. What can be safely said is that parishes will look differently than they do now and will not revert back to the way they once were. Dream for a while about the future parish and then roll up your sleeves and get to work on bringing about the missionary parish.
If you have ideas about or successes in restructuring, let us know. We would love to hear from you and give you a forum to share your good news to people around the country.
Meitler Minute
Meitler consultants are back to meeting with parishes and schools in person to listen to their visions for the future. Virtual meetings are good, and they definitely serve a purpose, but nothing beats meeting face-to-face to feel the energy and passion people have for their schools and parishes!
It’s In The Numbers
Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the rework attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: “there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.
—Mark Twain
Mark Twain’s and Disraeli’s observations on data and statistics are interesting and often true. Yet, on the other hand, we also often hear “the numbers never lie” or “you can’t argue with the data.” We at Meitler have learned, however, that when it comes to planning, we have to give data its due.
As a planning firm whose hallmark is effective data research and analysis, we tell our clients that data and numbers don’t solve a problem, but rather, help us ask the right questions to approach a problem and break it down into solvable parts. What are the issues or challenges that caused the problem and that we need to address? What kind of data and information will we need? Once we get the right data, how do we set it up so it is coherent and makes sense? And then we can begin to analyze the numbers: what does the data mean for us, what are the historical trends and how do they influence future projections and what potential impact might those projections have on our future as a diocese, school or parish community.
Think of data as an “early warning system” when planning. It helps dioceses, schools and parishes to understand trends in a very concrete and quantifiable way. Relevant information provides the groundwork that elicits questions and brainstorming as to what the numbers and data mean for my school or my parish at this moment in time. Appropriate data should inspire us to conduct more research into what is working for us, what isn’t and what steps we may need to take to adapt, change, and proactively shape our future rather than simply react.
Data to be researched, collected and analyzed need to be from internal and external sources and be quantitative and qualitative. Internal quantitative information for schools and parishes include Catholic demographics, enrollment and membership trend data, staffing, and financial data. External quantitative information would focus on community demographics and socio-economic trends and projections. Qualitative data for schools and parishes focus on the experience and culture of individual schools and parishes, how they live and operate every day and every year. It is the quality of life in a school or parish and the perception of the many constituencies connected to our institutions that is the source of the qualitative information we need.
Getting the data we need is usually pretty straightforward. The challenge is how to analyze and use it effectively. We can use data in a number of ways as we plan: to identify trends and challenges in our schools and parishes, to help prioritize the challenges and concerns we identified, set goals and objectives around the priorities, and monitor progress toward implementing action plans to achieve our goals.
Data is not an end in itself in planning. It is instead the springboard for dialogue, moving us to raise questions and understand the trends that have brought our school or parish to its present moment. It provides the opportunity to create change, seek a new path or direction for the future, be flexible, adapt and determine our own future. The figures may often beguile us and if we can’t arrange them ourselves to make sense, it is essential to find someone who can make sense of it all.
