The document discusses the results of a Spiritual Needs Survey conducted with 3000 people from parishes in the United States and Canada. The survey aimed to understand what helps people grow spiritually and find engagement in their parish community. Preliminary findings suggest that daily prayer, participation in Mass, belonging to a parish community, and having good friends who share one's faith are most impactful. At one parish, respondents indicated that small faith sharing groups and Bible studies could help meet spiritual needs. The document concludes that forming deep friendships may be a key way to establish a culture of holiness and engagement in a parish.
1. The Spiritual Needs Survey:
Supporting Engaging Parishes,
Calling People to Holiness, Together
2. Opening Reflection
“. . . some seed fell on rich soil, and
produced fruit . . .” (Matthew 13)
Who or what has been good soil in your
life of faith?
What has been the impact of that good
soil in your life?
3. Engagement and Parish Life
Context for the Survey: Why do people switch the faith
communities of their youth? Why the rise of the “nones”
(the unaffiliated)? And how to encourage parishioners to
move from “present” to “engaged”?
Previous Research (Pew and Gallup): Importance of
intentional engagement for parish life:
Knowing what is expected of us as members of the
parish
Feeling that our spiritual needs will be met
Having the opportunity to do what we do best
4. What is meant by
“engagement” ?
The process of engagement is one of bringing people to a deep
sense of belonging within their parish communities - belonging
leads to faith that is lived in very particular ways in daily life.
In building engagement, parish leaders often focus on
clarifying expectations and helping parishioners discover their
talents. Engagement often increases following intentional
action in these two foundational areas of stewardship
St. Michael’s has had great success in this!
The Spiritual Needs Survey supports parishes in moving from
these foundations of engagement/stewardship to meeting
people’s spiritual needs, which can be more complicated
5. Engagement and Spiritual Needs:
Calling People to Holiness
Engaged People:
Pray daily
Say their faith is involved in every aspect of their lives
Speak words of kindness when encouragement is needed
Are more willing to forgive others and find inner peace
as a result of their faith
Are willing to take unpopular stands to defend their
faith
6. Good Soil for Engagement
and our Call to Holiness
Key Insight:
When asked who or what has been good soil, most
people speak first of someone – a person or group of
people - through whom the person experienced
Christ’s presence and was led to an awareness of
God’s love in their lives.
8. The Survey:
Who is Being Surveyed?
An “International Focus
Group” of 3000 – Parishes
throughout United States and
Canada
At St. Michael’s, Over 260
survey responders – among the
highest participation and
percentage participation
among all parishes in the
survey
9. The Survey: What are we
trying to discover?
What are people’s spiritual needs?
Do people realize that our
spiritual needs are met within the
Mass and sacraments?
Where do we start? Focus: Build
on what is already present and
working in our parish life. What is
that? How do we build on that?
10. The Respondents
Each respondent likely to fall into one of three categories:
1. Active members of the parish interested in spiritual growth
2. Those who attend Mass regularly enough to have an
interest in the survey
3. Those among the actively disengaged who want to be sure
their negative impressions have been heard
Focus of Survey: “what is contributing to the spiritual growth
of those who are engaged and what is leading them to
engagement, knowing this will have lasting impact on the lives
of individuals and the parish community” (L. Anslinger)
11. Survey’s Preliminary
Conclusions
What helps you grow spiritually?
1. Participation in Mass
2. Daily prayer
3. Belonging to my parish
4. Good friends who share faith with me
Preliminary conclusion: The deeper our spiritual
friendships, the more we are likely to grow
spiritually. People recognize this in their lives and
experiences.
12. At St. Michael’s
In their answers, respondents at St. Michael’s touched on a number
of ways that their spiritual needs are met, or could be deepened,
through parish engagement and relationships, including:
St. Michael’s as a welcoming community (90% affirmed)
Parish Ministries/Service/Stewardship (96% affirmed)
Small Faith Sharing Groups (Particularly desired among 35-50
ages)
Bible/Faith Study (Particularly desired among those 50 and older)
Diversity of faith formation offerings/times for adults
14. Parish Engagement:
Relationships First
The deeper personal relationships that make up our
lives have to be part of our experience of faith in
community.
Our life of relationship with God is best, most
deeply experienced, when we have someone with
whom to share and grow.
In our spiritual longing, we not only yearn for a
deep relationship with God who is love, in our
hearts we know that we need to walk this journey of
faith with others.
15. The Role of the Parish:
Relationships and Holiness
What is the role of the community in fostering deep
faith lived in communion with one another?:
When our need to be drawn into communion is met,
we are ready to embrace holiness.
We know in our hearts that having someone with
whom we may express our greatest hopes, dreams,
doubts, and longings will make a great difference in
our willingness to embrace Christ and to be
embraced as the persons we are. This is, it seems, a
person-to-person thing.
16. The Task
Creating a culture of holiness in the parish by
helping people to form deep friendships with one
another.
When we engage people we lead them to holiness, a
life of faith that is lived in the daily circumstance of
their lives.
Parish leaders as mentors and companions.
17. What benefits will there be in
belonging here?
The more we make good friends at the parish, the
more likely they will be engaged
The more people are engaged, the greater the
culture of holiness
The more engaged the community, the more likely
it will engage others
The more engaged the community, the greater the
impact in people’s lives and in the world.
18. Engagement:
Relationships, Spiritual Life, Parish
Research points to the depth of relationship as being key
to the process of building a sense of belonging.
Do I have a best friend at my parish?
The congregation is only as strong as the relationships
within it.
Build on what is working, on what is helping to engage
people already
Build up those who are engaged, encourage others to
parish engagement and spiritual growth through
relationships
19. Reflection Questions for
Focusing on Friendships:
In what ways do parishioners impact one another in our
lives of faith? How do we help each other recognize
that?
How do we draw people into deeper relationships with
one another in a natural way, and include simple yet
meaningful conversations with each other?
What aspects of parish life might be fertile ground for
the cultivation of this holy ground?
How do we systematically (i.e. in our programs) create
opportunities for such good friendships?
