Why do people join our parish?
Why do people stay in our parish?
Why do people serve in our parish?
Why don’t more people join our parish?
Why don’t more people stay in our parish?
Why don’t more people serve in our parish?
Perhaps we are asking the wrong question…
Let’s ask them!
But…how will we know if the answers of a few apply to all…?
How can we measure our
“disciple’s response”
accurately?
Church of st. Gerard majella port jefferson station, new york
We first learned about We first learned about measuringmeasuring
““A Disciple’s Response” A Disciple’s Response”
when…when…
The answers came in this envelope…and we almost threw it away!
The answers came in this envelope…and we almost threw it away!
Our negative reaction to measuring
“A Disciples’s Response
was…
Our negative reaction to measuring
“A Disciples’s Response
was…
“Everything they taught you about building a spiritually healthy, vibrant, growing
congregation was wrong.”
“Everything they taught you about building a spiritually healthy, vibrant, growing
congregation was wrong.”
“OK…only half right.”“OK…only half right.”
Summit on Congregational
Engagement
Summit on Congregational
Engagement
George Gallup Jr.George Gallup Jr.Rev. Al WinsemanRev. Al Winseman
The Gallup Building
Washington, DC
The Gallup Building
Washington, DC
What changed our What changed our minds about minds about
measuringmeasuring
““A Disciple’s A Disciple’s Response”Response”
was…was…
What changed our What changed our minds about minds about
measuringmeasuring
““A Disciple’s A Disciple’s Response”Response”
was…was…
Member Member Engagement:
Engagement: 4 Outcomes
4 Outcomes
Member Member Engagement:
Engagement: 4 Outcomes
4 Outcomes
!!
Gallup measures match our mission!Gallup measures match our mission!
“Isn’t it great!?
It’s all in the Bible!”
“Isn’t it great!?
It’s all in the Bible!”
George Gallup Jr.George Gallup Jr.
MeasuringMeasuring
““A Disciple’s Response”A Disciple’s Response”
has benefitedhas benefited
our parishour parish
by…by…
MeasuringMeasuring
““A Disciple’s Response”A Disciple’s Response”
has benefitedhas benefited
our parishour parish
by…by…
Rev. Al WinsemanRev. Al Winseman
Michael CookMichael Cook
…Allowing us to measure the
visible outcomes of our “disciple’s
response”…
…measuring the unseen causes of
our “disciple’s response.”
“30, 60 100 fold…”
“Good soil, …shallow soil, …….trampled soil…”.
…in relation to…
…Allowing us to measure the
visible outcomes of our “disciple’s
response”…
…measuring the unseen causes of
our “disciple’s response.”
Engaged Parishioners
…in relation to…
Not Engaged Parishioners
Actively Disengaged Parishioners
•Inviting•Giving
•Thanking•Serving
Gallup’s Faith Practice Tools help us to measure…
The Seed God has sewn within us: our Talents
The Soil we prepare: our “disciple’s response.”
+
+
Strengths Finder
Member Engagement Survey
Gallup’s Faith Practice Tools result in:
A more grateful (eucharistic) parish…
A more serving parish, eager to minister…
In 15 years $600,000 in DEBT has become $3,000,000 in SAVINGS
100 people in service has become 600 people in service
Living our Strengths
Disciples respond
at St. Gerard Majella:
to God’s Gifts
Connectedness
Ideation
Learner
Self Assurance
Responsibility
Maximizer
Includer
Communication
Woo
Strategic
Input
Positivity
Futuristic
Individualization
Activator
Arranger
Belief
Empathy
Command
Intellection
Relator
Achiever
Adaptability
Deliberative
Focus
Context
Restorative
Analytical
Developer
Consistency
Harmony
Significance
Competition
Discipline
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• Nearly 70 years, over one million people, thousands of questions about religion and spirituality
• More than one million people, thousandsof questions about successful and effective organizations — schools, workplaces, hospitals, etc.
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Gallup Research
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Talent
• Talents are naturally recurring patterns of
thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied.
• Talents reflect who you are, not what you
know.
Copyright © 2005 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Identification of Strengths/Talents
Gallup’s Clifton StrengthsFinder• Based on over 30 years of research of 2
million individuals• Web-based tool• Identifies 34 main themes of Talent• Top 5 are your Signature Themes• One theme is not more valuable than another
Copyright © 2005 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
The Power of a Calling
"What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.“
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Copyright © 2005 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Disciples respond to God’s Gifts step-by-step in faith…
Growing Member Engagement at St. Gerard Majella
•Why do people join their parish?
•Why do people stay in their parish?
•Why do people serve in their parish?
Gallup has 70 years of research to answer these questions…
Gallup’s research shows that only 3 out of 10 people
at Mass every Sunday actually care whether they
are there or not!
Here’s why…
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• Membership• Attendance• Giving• These are outcomes, not
causes, of Spiritual Health.
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Typically, Congregations Measure Three Thingsin Order to Attempt to Measure Spiritual Health:
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Life Satisfaction: Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the way things are
going in my personal life.Serving:
Hours per week given to help and serve othersin my community.
Inviting:
In the last month, I have invited someone to participatein my congregation.
Giving:
Percentage of income and actual dollars given tothe congregation.
Copyright © 1992-1999 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Relevant Outcomes:
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Giving
Inviting
Serving
LifeSatisfaction
Conventional Wisdom: Focus on the Outcomesin Order to Influence Spiritual Health.
SpiritualHealth
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• Outcomes are the result of causes
• Focusing on the causes will influencethe outcomes
Get the order right.
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
The Reality:
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
+ =SpiritualCommitment
CongregationalEngagement
SpiritualHealth
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Causes of Spiritual Health
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
There is a difference between:
•Spiritual Commitment (deep and personal) &
•Congregational Engagement (broad and interpersonal)
Gallup Research Result:
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• Reflects a personal depth of spirituality
• Individual in nature
• Seen in both attitudes and behaviors
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Spiritual Commitment
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• My faith is involved in every aspectof my life.
• Because of my faith, I have meaningand purpose in my life.
• My faith gives me an inner peace.
• I am a person who is spiritually committed.
Copyright © 2001 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Spiritually Committed Attitudes
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• I spend time in worship or prayer every day.
• Because of my faith, I have forgiven people who have hurt me deeply.
• My faith has called me to develop mygiven strengths.
• I will take unpopular stands to defend my faith.
• I speak words of kindness to those in needof encouragement.
Copyright © 2001 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Spiritually Committed Behaviors
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Spiritual Commitment by the Numbers
• Fully Spiritually Committed: “Strongly Agree” (5) to all nine items
• 14% of adults in the U.S. are Fully Spiritually Committed
• 18% of members
• 5% of non-members
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
SpiritualCommitment
CongregationalEngagement
SpiritualHealth
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
The Conventional Wisdom
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
More often than not,
Engagement leads to Commitment.
By focusing your efforts on increasing the Engagement level
of your members, you have abetter chance of increasing their Spiritual
Commitment.
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
The Reality
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
SpiritualCommitment
SpiritualHealth
CongregationalEngagement
Engagement influences Commitment.
Engagement is more actionable.
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Get the Order Right!
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Activity Without EngagementLeads to Burnout
• “Filling slots” on committees
• “Duty” and “responsibility”
• “It’s time for the younger members to take their turn.”
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Does this
sound
familiar
???
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Burned-out members
eventually leave…
psychologically,
emotionally,
spiritually,
and physically.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
the gears mesh and you get somewhere!Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
When You’re Engaged . . .
I tried to engage (my father) in talks about God, the possibility of experiencing God not just now and then, but all the time. He’d shake his head as if I were crazy…”
Darcey Steinke
Darcey Steinke
Engagement drives Spiritual Commitment and the outcomes of Inviting, Giving, Life- Satisfaction, and Serving
Engagement drives Spiritual Commitment and the outcomes of Inviting, Giving, Life- Satisfaction, and Serving
“I came to Grace (Reformed Church, Brooklyn, NY) to worship with people on an elemental level. To experience the kind of care and connection one feels with strangers at the site of an accident or in an emergency room, where pulse and heartbeat mean more than status or wealth or whatever else people use to subdivide themselves.”
“I came to Grace (Reformed Church, Brooklyn, NY) to worship with people on an elemental level. To experience the kind of care and connection one feels with strangers at the site of an accident or in an emergency room, where pulse and heartbeat mean more than status or wealth or whatever else people use to subdivide themselves.”
Darcey SteinkeDarcey Steinke
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Gallup research has discovered that there are 12 items that most effectively measure the
engagement level of the members of your congregation.
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• As a member of my congregation, I know what is expected of me.
• In my congregation, my spiritual needs are met.
• In my congregation, I regularly have the opportunity to do what I do best.
• In the last month, I have received recognition or praise from someone in my congregation.
• The spiritual leaders in my congregation seem to care about me as a person.
• There is someone in my congregation who encourages my spiritual development.
Copyright © 2001 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
The 12 Items of Engagement
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• As a member of my congregation, my opinionsseem to count.
• The mission or purpose of my congregation makes me feel my participation is important.
• The other members of my congregation are committed to spiritual growth.
• Aside from family members, I have a best friend inmy congregation.
• In the last six months, someone in my congregation has talked to me about the progress of my spiritual growth.
• In my congregation, I have opportunities to learn and grow.
Copyright © 2001 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
The 12 Items of Engagement
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
Opportunities to learn and growProgress in last six months
Best friendMembers committed to spiritual growthMission/Purpose of congregationMy opinions count
Encourages developmentLeaders careRecognition last monthOpportunity to do what I do best
Spiritual needs metI know what is expected
What do I get?
What do I give?
Do I belong?
How can
we
grow?
= Engagement
Spiritual Commitment
Outcomes
Spiritual Health
Copyright © 2001 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
The Congregational Engagement Hierarchy
13. Easter 2004 – Strengths-In-Action
More than 30 parishioners contributed artistic gifts to the design, construction, and installation of these 12 banners.
12 Items of Congregational Engagement illustrated with parish examples
Engagement Banners in Church
Parish “Precious Blood” TestFront Cover for ME 25 Survey Brochure
Back Cover for ME 25 Survey
“My Opinions Seem to Count”
For each element of Engagement:
•Gallup’s Words
•Plain English
•Description
•National Average Score
•St. Gerard Score
•Parishioners’ Opinions
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
National CongregationalEngagement Index
• 2001 -2005
• Over 7,000 adults nationwide over a five year period 9 items of Spiritual Commitment
• 12 items of Congregational Engagement
• 4 outcomes
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
• Engaged – These members are loyal and have a strong psychological connection to the
organization. They are more spiritually committed, more likely to invite friends, family members, and coworkers to congregational events, and give more both financially and in commitment of time. Congregations need to develop more of these individuals.
• Not Engaged– These members may attend regularly, but they are not psychologically connected to
their congregation. Their connection to the congregation is more social than spiritual. They give moderately but not sacrificially, and they may do a minimal amount of volunteering in the community. They are less likely to invite others and more likely to leave.
• Actively Disengaged– These members usually show up only once or twice a year, if at all. They are on the
membership rolls, and can tell you what congregation they belong to — but may not be able to name the pastor, priest, or rabbi. However, they may also be regular in their attendance. If that’s the case, they are physically present but psychologically absent. They are unhappy with their congregation and insist on sharing that unhappiness with just about everyone.
Copyright © 2004 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Three Types of Members
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
What’s wrong with this picture?
29% 54% 17%
EngagedNot
EngagedActively
Disengaged
Copyright © 2003 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved.
Good Soil:Good Soil:Engaged Parishioners
Shallow SoilShallow Soil::Not-engaged Parishioners
Trampled Soil:Trampled Soil:Actively Disengaged
Research by The Gallup Organization
Research by The Gallup Organization
Average ofall churches
in USA
29% 54% 17%
Average of all RC Ch.s
in USA
16% 49% 35%
Actual of St. Gerard
Majella
50% 40% 10%
Spiritual
Commitment (deep & personal)
+Congregational
Engagement (broad &
interpersonal )
Spiritual Health
(four Outcomes)
Contact Information:
Cinda Hicks
Faith Practice Associate at 1-402-938-6304 (1-800-288-8592 toll-free)
Joe Cavanaugh Associate Partner The Gallup Faith Practice 1-402-938-6173