4 ways your parish can avoid a long slow death
The Parish Pastoral Council and Strategic Planning Most parish pastoral councils operate on a year-to-year basis with little focus on the long-term future. Many are unaware of the community trends which are impacting the parish or the changing patterns of membership, sacramental practice, and finances. Few see the need for...
Meitler Minute
Most clients never meet our project coordinators in person, but they are a vital part of the Meitler Way. Tina Heding explains how she and her colleagues help support each client's project and mission behind the scenes.
Meitler at 50: A Glance Back…
Thank you for joining us as we look back over our first 50 years. Here is to the next 50!
Meitler Minute
As we wrap up 2021, we have so much to be grateful for! We have seen amazing growth in school, parish, and diocesan data studies across the country, which points to a bright future. We wish everyone blessings and success in 2022!
Turning the corner in this holy season
Sunday, December 12th we celebrated the third Sunday in Advent. This week is often a turning point in this holy season of waiting and preparation. The tree goes up in many homes, the cookie baking begins in anticipation of Christmas celebrations, the hallways and classrooms at our Catholic schools are...
Building an Effective Parish or Pastoral Council
In the early years after the Second Vatican Council, many dioceses required the establishment of parish councils. These early manifestations of councils looked to the model of local civic councils and tended to focus on dollars and cents issues rather than ministerial ones. Let's face it: it is much easier...
Meitler Minute
A school's Catholic identity is the responsibility of every member of the school's faculty and staff. Senior Consultant Michael Taylor reflects on an encounter with a brave kindergartner who drove that message home for him.
Change your thinking: Tuition Assistance is a Source of Revenue
Tuition-dependent schools, by and large, budget funds to help families afford the tuition. In my experience working with elementary and secondary schools throughout the United States, these funds are usually considered an expense, targeted to the poor, with the poorest receiving the largest grants. This makes sense from a purely...
Staff as Parish Planning and Leadership Team
Parishes need to be organized to function on a daily or operational level. How are phone calls, emails, and office visits processed? Who handles the responsibilities for the various parish administrative and ministerial tasks? How are ministerial activities scheduled and coordinated throughout the year? Most parishes today, in addition to...
One Year Reflection
"Live and do everything in such a way so that if you look back in time, you shouldn't say that if I had a time machine, I would've done it better." - Immanuel Mohan As I reflect on the past year, and more specifically, celebrating one year as Managing Director...
The Four Essential Types of Parish Planning
There is a saying about parish planning which has become quite popular: "parishes that fail to plan, plan to fail." The saying is mostly directed to long-range planning but there are other essential types of parish planning which may qualify as well. The four essential types of parish planning are:...
Reminiscing with Neal Meitler
The Meitler origin story is not what you'd expect of a company marking its 50th year. Listen to the story in Neal's own words. Do you have a favorite Meitler memory? We'd love to hear it.
Successful Data-Based Enrollment Management in the Diocese of Richmond
Everyone who has worked with Meitler knows we don't like to guess. We rely on the quantitative and qualitative data that forms the foundation for all planning. We recently partnered with one of our long-time friends, the Diocese of Richmond, in updating their comprehensive data report. We are delighted to...
Meitler at 50: Reflecting on the amazing clients we have met!
I am in awe that Meitler is celebrating 50 years of service to the Catholic Church through its schools and parishes. The lives that are touched, the challenges met, and the transformation that takes place then and now is remarkable. The dream given form by Neal Meitler and all who...
Ideas for Parish Evangelization Efforts
From a previous blog, you are aware that the Catholic community until recently did not have to concern itself with evangelization efforts. Immigration and birthrate filled our churches and parish rosters. Today, most evangelization efforts in Catholic parishes are directed toward making intentional disciples and then sending them to evangelize...
Our Strategic Alliance
Our strategic partnership with Ruotolo Associates will deliver seamless services for our clients, from data collection and analysis to creating the strategic plan to capital campaign and full implementation of fundraising and development services. Our job is to take care of the organizations who hire us and make sure their...
Meitler Minute
It's already back to school time! The entire Meitler team wishes each school a blessed school year, and that the coming year is filled with the presence of our Lord. We look forward to watching your schools grow and thrive in 2021-2022. We are here to support you in any...
Triangulation and Pentecost Listening
"Be assured we will always triangulate the data" is a phrase used by the Meitler team when working with our clients. We triangulate the data to ensure we are not dealing with outliers and are accurately reporting the quantifiable and qualitative data collected. More specifically, a survey reveals information that...
Meitler at 50 – Formation
My consulting career started in 1970 with an MBA in finance, six years of experience in a General Motors HR department, and a willingness to take some risks. However, with no experience in consulting, no sales experience, and zero knowledge of Catholic schools and churches, it is a "God story"...
Why Strategic Planning?
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...
