Parish Vitality Study

Welcome to the Parish Vitality Study! This study serves as a guidepost for strategic conversations at your parish. After you complete the study, our team will review and provide recommendations and/or follow up questions to your parish. We will work with you on a convenient time to present this to parish leaders, but this process should be collaborative with parish staff and volunteers. The entirety of this process should take 1-3 months. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Price, kprice@dio.org or 217-321-1121.

We recommend printing off or editing from a WORD document before completing the online form. Please discuss with your parish staff and leaders, and see this as an opportunity to reflect and discern on these important topics.

WORD DOCUMENT HERE Download

1Contact Information

2Current State of the Parish

3Spiritual Considerations

4Stewardship Considerations

5Centennial Campaign

6Additional Considerations

Parish Contact Information

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Role in Parish(Required)

Parish Name(Required)

Pastor's Name(Required)

First Last

Current State of the Parish

Please submit the Annual Statistical Report for the current year.

We will be referencing this information AND the previous three years submitted. If you have any changes, please send those to the Vicar General’s Office.

Max. file size: 64 MB.

What is the current parish database being used to house parishioner information and donations?(Required)

How many ministry leaders do you have at the parish?(Required)

(total number of leader volunteers, just count once if they lead more than one ministry)

What is the current envelope count each weekend?

(To calculate, count the number of envelopes received + the number of online offertory gifts received)

What online offertory program are you currently using?(Required)

Please indicate which ministries are offered based on the four stewardship pillars- hospitality, prayer, formation, service.

There may be some crossover, but please do the best you can with an understanding of the four pillars (Please visit this site for a four pillars reference- The Four Pillars (dio.org)

Hospitality(Required)

Prayer(Required)

Formation(Required)

Service(Required)

Describe the most recent ministry started at your parish.(Required)

Questions to consider: What need did it address? Who is involved? Is there a particular demographic that was served? About when did the ministry begin? Why was the ministry created?

Does the parish have a Pastoral Council? When was it formed? How is it organized? What are its functions?(Required)

Does the parish have a Stewardship Council/Committee? When was it formed? How does it function?(Required)

Spiritual Considerations

Do you have any programs for evangelizing non-practicing Catholics? How many parishioners are actively involved?(Required)

For example, you might describe Alpha programs, Cursillo Weekends, etc.

Describe any ministries or parishioner led efforts to engage individuals in the life of the church during the church closures of 2020.(Required)

For example: Did you parish offer any online services? Did your parish engage in a parishioner phone-tree? What was the overall parish response during the COVID pandemic?

Do a fair number of parishioners participate in spiritual enrichment activities- small faith communities, adult faith programs, etc.? What percentage? Please describe.(Required)

Do you provide programming that is exploratory of the Catholic faith? Do you provide programming that offers an overview of the Mass, or the other sacred Liturgies of our faith? If so, please provide a description of these programs and an overview of how it is going.(Required)

Stewardship Considerations

Does your Pastor have a strong level of comfort and knowledge regarding stewardship?(Required)

Do leaders agree on a stewardship message for the Parish and are they able to articulate that message effectively?(Required)

Has your parish conducted a Season of Stewardship? When? What were the results?(Required)

Do you have a parish strategic plan or pastoral plan that you are following?(Required)

Are there annual communications pieces, for example an Annual Stewardship Report, that provide accounting of parish stewardship efforts?(Required)

Is there a formal ministry for welcome ministry, which engages new Parishioners, guests, and encourages a sense of invitation among current Parishioners?(Required)

Are there parish activities available for everyone including the elderly, the handicapped, the single, those without children, and young adults?(Required)

Gratitude is at the heart of stewardship. How are you currently acknowledging your parish stewards? How will you acknowledge your campaign contributors? How do you forsee prayer being incorporated in the acknowledgment strategy?(Required)

The Diocesan Centennial Campaign is an ambitious and critical initiative which will provide the infrastructure and community support needed to launch parishes into the next 100 years with vibrant liturgies, engaging formation opportunities, welcoming and hospitable sacred spaces, and thriving Catholic communities filled with intentional disciples. This exciting initiative will invite each parish to think critically about their mission.

Each parish will need to determine their case statement based on these campaign focus areas:

Parishes will be a welcoming place of prayer, hospitality, formation, and service through safe and modern facilities and campuses.
Parishes will be financially stable and current on all diocesan financial obligations.
Parishes will be secure by saving at least six months of expenses in the parish savings account.
Parishes will be financially healthy by being debt free.
Parishes will be sustainable by endowing their future in the Catholic Foundation.

Please list who are the key points of contact for the campaign. This list should include Parish staff AND volunteers responsible for the success of the project.(Required)

Full Name

Position/Role

Is your parish current on all bills and payments (ie pension, health insurance, property insurance, etc.)(Required)

Yes

If no, what bills are you behind on and for how much?(Required)

Does your parish have at least six months of savings in the Diocesan Savings and Loan?(Required)

Yes

Does your parish have debt with the Diocesan Savings and Loan?(Required)

Yes

If yes, what is the amount and what was it for?(Required)

Does your parish have a standing "Building and Grounds Committee"?(Required)

Yes

If so, what is their role and function in your parish?(Required)

Does your parish have a fund in The Foundation for the People of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois?(Required)

Yes

Do you have parishes in your surrounding area that will be collaborative in your campaign (ie multi-site parish)(Required)

Will your campaign include any new buildings?(Required)

Please list any parishes that might collaborate with you on the campaign effort(Required)

Parish

City

When was your last capital campaign at your parish and what was the goal?(Required)

Are you currently conducting a campaign?(Required)

Yes

If yes, what is the case statement/details, and for how much?(Required)

Usually, campaign preparations can take six months or more to draft a case statement, select a fundraising firm/plan for resources, and determine project details. Considering your parish campaign, when will your parish be "kicking off" your project? All projects must have a campaign start date of at least January 1, 2025.(Required)

Please provide an overview of your project timeline. Key points to consider: Committee gatherings, project approvals, kickoff event(s)/publicity launch, pledge duration period (3-5 years is typical), building goals(Required)

Have you prepared a case statement?(Required)

Yes

If yes, please provide it here.(Required)

Will you need assistance from a capital campaign fundraising firm? (Projects over $500,000 are highly encouraged to seek a firm's support)(Required)

Additional Considerations

Do you have a school? If so, how does this campaign impact the school?(Required)

Are there any other charities (ie Catholic Charities, United Ways, Churches etc.) that are currently conducting campaigns in the area that you are aware of?(Required)

Describe the spiritual community in your area. Other churches of influence? What is the philanthropic atmosphere of your community?(Required)

Comments

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Parish Contact Information

Current State of the Parish

Spiritual Considerations

Stewardship Considerations

Additional Considerations

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