Dear FAITH Reader,

On Ash Wednesday last year, parishioners from around the Diocese of Lansing were invited by their pastors to participate in a survey provided by the Catholic Leadership Institute called the Disciple Maker Index. Some of you may also remember participating in this survey during Lent of 2020. That was just before the COVID-19 shutdowns.

The Disciple Maker Index survey is designed to collect data from people in the pews about their experiences in their parishes. Each parish can review its results, but the purpose of this article is to provide a diocesan overview of what we have learned.

First, some context. Just over 16,000 parishioners completed the survey one year ago, down from the 21,000 who completed it in Lent of 2020. To put that into perspective, we have approximately 45,000 men, women and children who attend Sunday Mass every week around the diocese. If we assume that approximately one-third of that total are children, then slightly over 50% of the adults who attend Sunday Mass weekly completed the Disciple Maker Index survey.

Sadly, we all know friends and family who have lapsed from the practice of their Catholic faith. This is why the chief executive officer of Catholic Leadership Institute, Dan Cellucci, says he often hears a common refrain from people who read the Disciple Maker Index survey results: “You’re just hearing from the choir. I want to know why people left.” But as Dan has reflected on this frequent feedback, he has come to understand that to get to the heart of why people leave, it is critical to first understand why people stay.

“If we don’t know or can’t share why we stay, it might be part of why they leave.” Hence, part of the work of the Catholic Leadership Institute is to help parishes equip people to articulate why they follow Jesus Christ, believe in his Holy Church and hold her teachings to be good, true and beautiful.

In this article, I want to highlight the section of the survey that identifies key drivers, the questions that the Catholic Leadership Institute has found to be statistically significant with respect to a parishioner’s likelihood to recommend their parish to others; to say that their parish is helping them grow spiritually; and to fathom the frequency with which they are sharing their faith in Jesus Christ and his Holy Church.

And, so, on to the results. I have highlighted our top six strengths across the parishes of the Diocese of Lansing and our top five areas for growth based on these key driver questions.

Top Six Strengths:

• 78% of respondents strongly agree that Scripture is the word of God, up 5% from 2020.
• 63% strongly agree that they would recommend their pastor to a friend, up 7% from 2020.
• 55% strongly agree that they can easily find information about the parish, which has also improved by 7%.
• 50% strongly agree with the statement, “My parish helps me connect with a local Catholic community by making me feel welcomed and accepted,” a 5% improvement.
• 47% strongly agreed with the statement, “My parish helps me grow spiritually by preaching and homilies that connect my faith with my everyday life.” This has improved by 6% since 2020.
• 46% strongly agreed with the statement, “My parish helps me grow spiritually by offering vibrant and engaging Sunday Masses.” This is also up by 6% from 2020.

Five Areas for Growth:

• 32% of respondents strongly agree that “my parish equips me to have conversations about my faith with family and friends by helping me recognize how God is working in my life,” a 3% improvement.
• 32% also strongly agreed that “my parish equips me to have conversations about my faith with family by helping me recognize how God is working in my life,” up 5%.
• 21% of respondents strongly agree with the statement, “My parish equips me to have conversations about my faith with family and friends by teaching me how to share the story of Jesus.” This has improved by 2%.
• Only 20% of survey participants strongly agree with the statement, “My parish equips me to have conversations about my faith with family and friends by growing my confidence in the Church’s teachings so that I can answer other’s questions.” This has improved by 2% since 2020.
• A mere 16% of respondents strongly agree with the statement, “My parish equips me to have conversations about my faith with family and friends by teaching me how to share my personal witness story.” This has only improved by 1%.

These are areas where parishes need to focus some additional resources to be better equipped to help parishioners grow as a follower of Jesus Christ and his Holy Church. Now let’s look at the survey’s results when it comes to belief in the teachings of the Church. Here’s what you told the Disciple Maker Index:

• 85% strongly agree and 9% agree in the belief that Jesus died and rose again. That's a total of 94% of us who are in agreement.
• 79% strongly agree and 12% agree that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus Christ. That's 91% of us in agreement.
• 67% strongly agree and 23% agree with Jesus’ moral teachings. That's a total of 90% in agreement.
• 57% strongly agree and 28% agree with the authority of the Church. So that's 85% in agreement.

Of course, these figures come with a health warning: The teachings of the Church are not decided by a show of hands. The truth remains true regardless of opinion or popularity. However, the above statistics provide a helpful guide on where our catechesis should be focused.

Summary

While the respondents to the Disciple Maker Index across the Diocese of Lansing display strong beliefs in key Catholic teachings, they need help developing the habits of Christian disciples.

During conversations with pastors and key parish leaders at our recent diocesan-wide strategic planning sessions, it became clear that we need to do more to help our parishioners get comfortable talking about their faith in Jesus Christ with others. We live in a cancel culture, and people are often afraid or uncomfortable to talk about how God is working in their lives. It takes courage — and practice with others — to profess a sincere belief in Jesus in our post-Christian culture.

Our parishes are committed to helping individuals grow as disciples by creating opportunities for people to accompany one another on their faith journeys, so talking about your Christian faith becomes natural. Ask your local parish pastor or ministry staff about ways to get involved in a small group study or sign up for an encounter program such as Alpha or Rescue Project where you will learn more about the faith and meet others on the same journey.

Beginning today, Lent is the perfect liturgical season to devote some extra time to praying with Sacred Scripture, studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church and finding service opportunities at your parish to serve those less fortunate.

All of these activities will help you answer the question for yourself, “Why do I stay Catholic?” so that you can then go forth and bring Jesus Christ and his holy Church to others.

Lisa Kutas

Chief of Staff

Diocese of Lansing