DMI FAQ

Why is my archdiocese participating?

Catholic Leadership Institute’s grant calls for 12-15 dioceses in the United States to participate in the pilot.  Your diocesan bishop and his senior leadership have opted to accept the invitation to participate.  CLI’s criteria for participation included the 1) bishop and diocese’s desire to support their priests/parish directors and parishes better, 2) dioceses of different sizes and locations, 3) bishops and dioceses willing to have all of their parishes and priests/parish directors participate, 4) bishops and dioceses with larger strategic objectives to help encourage growth in their parishes and among their priests/parish directors.

This is called a “pilot.” What does that mean?

Catholic Leadership Institute is inviting 12-15 dioceses to help us pilot a better way to support priests/parish directors and parishes.  While CLI is leveraging its almost 30-year history of serving the Church in over 100 dioceses and the extensive research on parish life completed over the last 6 years, many of the tools being developed are new and will require refinement. As a Pilot diocese, the archdiocese’s participation is being funded by the Lilly Endowment and many other donors. We are seeking feedback from the pilots in the hopes of creating support the entire Church can benefit from in the future.

Who is responsible for this at the Archdiocese? Who can I contact with questions?

The Diocese of Camden has assembled a “Pilot Team” comprised of several individuals that will lead the effort locally.

• Logistics Lead: Responsible for coordinating schedules, venues, and overall communication – Donna Ottaviano-Britt, Director and Secretariate for Pastoral Outreach
• Priest/Parish Administrator Lead: Responsible for ongoing support of priest/parish director participation – Fr. Robert Hughes, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia
• Parish Support Leads: Responsible for ongoing support of parish and parishioner participation –  Father Robert Hughes and Father Jason Rocks, Chancellor and Pastor, Holy Eucharist Parish
• Leadership Coach Lead: Responsible for recruiting and supporting network of local leadership coaches – Donna Ottaviano-Britt
• Data Lead: Responsible for supporting the collection and maintenance of information related to priests/parish directors and parishes – Ron Pilla, Director of IT
• Communications Lead: Mike Walsh, Director and Secretariat for Communications

Is the diocese doing this to justify closing parishes?

No. The primary purpose is to help improve the overall experience for our parishioners and our priests/parish directors in their discipleship and leadership.

What type of data is being collected and why?

The data collected has two distinct focuses: 1) the priests/parish directors and 2) the parishes.  The objective of all the data being collected is to provide the most comprehensive snapshot possible for both of these important constituencies. 

With respect to the priests/parish directors, the data includes basic demographic information (e.g. age, projected retirement), competency assessment (e.g. skills and attitudes), and ministry preference information (e.g. the type of assignment preferred, aspects of ministry that provide the most joy).

With respect to the parishes, the data includes the self-reported sacramental and financial metrics of the parish, parishioner feedback via CLI’s Disciple Maker Index, perspective from a select group of parish ministry leaders, and third-party community information provided by the census and other publicly available demographic sources (e.g. ethnic communities present, population trends)How will the data that is being collected be used?

The parish-related data will be shared with parish leadership in order that the parish can create an action plan for growth and/or expand or refine existing outreach and services.

The priest/parish director-related data will be shared with the priests/parish director to develop an individualized growth plan that will identify areas of interest and ongoing development in which the archdiocese can support him.

The diocese will have access to both sets of data in order to use it in designing parish and leadership support initiatives as well as informing discernment about potential priest/parish director assignments at some point in the future.

How will the data that is being collected be stored and protected?

Catholic Leadership Institute is establishing a secure platform where the data will be stored and can be accessed by the archdiocese, priests/parish directors, and parishes with various levels of permission.

What does success look like when this project is completed?

The Called For More Initiative is meant to support parishioners, priests/parish directors, and the diocese in leading more effectively and fruitfully.  The diocese and Catholic Leadership Institute will measure success through progress toward the below goals:

a. Happier, Holier, Healthier Priests/Parish Directors

• Greater awareness of leadership preferences and skills
• More consultative approach to support ministry preferences in assignments
• An individualized, future-oriented growth plan
• A network for pastoral support

b. Self-Aware and Thriving Parishes

• An objective assessment of the community landscape, parishioner needs, and dynamics
• A snapshot of parishioners’ faith journey
• The ability to plan for growth over a two to three-year timeframe

c. Ongoing Diocesan Clarity

• Clarity on priest/parish director preferences and skills
• An understanding of parish strengths, opportunities, and leadership needs
• The ability to assess and match priest/parish director preferences and competencies with parish needs
• The opportunity to plan and prepare for future assignments

About the Survey Results

How will the Disciple Maker Index results be shared with parishioners?

Those staff and parishioners who the pastor/parish director invites to be a part of the consultation session or planning process will get the full survey report. We do not advise sharing the whole report with all your parishioners because it is a lot of information and needs to be put in context.  We suggest that you summarize what you have learned, highlight 2-3 things to celebrate and 2-3 opportunities. Catholic Leadership Institute has sample bulletin inserts and communication pieces to assist you and we can also work with you to craft the most helpful summary and update. It is important to both thank your parishioners and share with them some reflection of what you learned, in addition to incorporating it appropriately in your plans for the future.

What about confidentiality? With whom will my parish’s results be shared?

How about individual parishioner’s responses?

We take parishioners’ confidentiality very seriously.  We want them to provide honest feedback. No one in the diocese or on your parish staff – including the pastor – will have access to individual parishioner responses. Likewise, any email addresses or contact information provided will be saved on secure servers and not released for any purpose other than distribution of the survey. As for your parish’s results, your results will be shared with you and those key leaders you bring with you to the consultation session or planning process. Catholic Leadership Institute will not share your parish’s individual data without your expressed written permission. If one of your parishes receives the highest feedback on a particular question (liturgy, preaching, social outreach), that will be indicated on every parish’s report in an effort to share best practice.

What is the Net Promoter Score?

The purpose of the Disciple Maker Index is to provide a tool that will help us equip and call forth disciple-makers – people who bring others to know Jesus. We want to build promoters of the faith and promoters of our parishes, so that they can spread the message of parishes as places of community where we encounter Jesus on a personal level. Given this purpose and the fact that the survey will most likely be responded to by people who are already coming to the parish, the Net Promoter Score is a helpful and cutting edge way to analyze survey responses on a 5-point scale of agreement for any given question. When we take the percentage of those who give a specific question a 5 (aka a promoter) and subtract those who gave a specific question a (3 – neither agree nor disagree, 2 – disagree or 1 – strongly disagree) we have the net percentage of promoters for that question. If that net percentage is positive, that is probably not an area you need to be concerned with. If it is negative, it most likely is something you want to think about more. Research shows that the unprompted positive behavior and endorsement of those who give something a 5 on a 5-point scale will influence another person’s behavior. As part of the Disciple Maker Index, you will receive the survey results through this lens. You will also receive all of the data for each question.

Why are you comparing parishes against each other?

For the data to be as helpful as possible, it always needs to be put into context. There is not a one-size fits all parish model. Inner city parishes look different than suburban parishes. Northeast parishes look different than Southwest parishes. It’s helpful for a parish to understand the results in the context of parishes of like profile. It’s also helpful to see what was possible on a particular question. If my parish has 30% of parishioners who would recommend our religious education program to a friend – that is one piece of helpful information. If the national average of 100 parishes for that question is 35%, it still is an opportunity to improve but perhaps it is not where we need to focus right away given limited time and resources. Conversely, if the national average was 67% and parishes of like size and location was 57%, 30% would mean something different. What is the needed response rate from the parishes?

Catholic Leadership Institute would hope to see an 8-10% response rate from your parishioners. If your response rate is less than 8%, the data will still be helpful, though not as conclusive as if you had a higher response. 

About the Survey Distribution

How do I access the Disciple Maker Index survey?

The online version of the survey can be found at www.disciplemakerindex.com. Note that this survey will only be active during the launch time.  A paper version of the survey is also available and we provide you with an electronic version to print the paper copies.

Is there a staff position that is best suited to be the point contact?

That is up to you and should be based more upon the characteristics and skills versus a dedicated role. The person who will be most helpful is one who is organized, can help us connect to other appropriate staff and info (email lists, etc.) and who believes in this endeavor. A Full-Time staff member is preferable, but we will work with whomever you appoint.

How long does the survey take to complete?

10-15 minutes

What is the youngest age able to complete the survey?

Keeping in mind local diocesan and civic policies, Catholic Leadership Institute recommends that only individuals 18 years of age and older complete the survey, however in some cases, it may be beneficial to have children take the survey.

In which languages is the survey offered?

The survey will be offered in English, Spanish, Haitian, Portuguese (Brazilian and EU), Polish, French (Canada), Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Tagalog, Italian, and Vietnamese. As Catholic Leadership Institute continues to raise funds, it is our hope to expand it to other languages.

What other dioceses have participated or will participate in the Disciple Maker Index?

Please call Catholic Leadership Institute at 610-363-1315 or send an email to DMI@catholicleaders.org

or Contact: Director, and Secretariat for Pastoral Outreach Donna Ottaviano-Britt: Donna.Ottaviano@camdendiocese.org