A new innovative resource for Catholic parishes aims to help Church leaders gauge the effectiveness of ministries, while assisting in strengthening them to help form "intentional disciples." Sourcing data by way of a brief questionnaire, this survey reveals key indicators of individuals’ level of discipleship, with responses providing insights for parish leadership.
Called The Discipleship Indicator, this service was developed at ACS Technologies, a provider of technology solutions for Catholic parishes and dioceses. The unique survey instrument is combined with expert facilitation in order to assist parishes in measuring ministry effectiveness.
It’s not just a tool to be used by parish leaders, however, as the ACS Technologies press release notes that individuals may find it beneficial as well. The survey enables respondents to self-evaluate their own answers to reach a better understanding of their own walk with Christ.
In the release, Terry Poplava, General Manager of ACST Catholic, explained that the whole project is an effort to assist parishes in creating more opportunities for an encounter with Christ:
“At ACST Catholic, we understand the importance of helping parishes create meaningful experiences and opportunities for an encounter with Christ, but unless parishes understand the current state of the spiritual health of their community, it can be a challenge to know what ministries to change or prioritize.”
He went on to call The Discipleship Indicator “a powerful service” that will help churches gleam more insight into the personal faith of parishioners based on their prayerful reflections. In addition, the parish will learn how well it equips its flock for discipleship. It does this by means of 20 easy-to-answer questions covering topics such as personal faith, challenges, parish experiences, and aspirations for spiritual growth.
Examples of The Discipleship Indicator’s questions include:
- Is our parish changing lives?
- Is our parish enabling a personal relationship with Christ?
- Are we helping equip our parishioners to deepen their faith?
- Are we seeing growth in missionary discipleship?
ACS Technologies suggested that the understanding of where parishioners are in their spiritual journey becomes more important the more churches see Mass attendance fall and parish size decrease. Insights from parishioner reflections helps the leadership identify and re-engage with parishioners. Furthermore, leaders will be equipped to address specific parish needs in areas such as prayer, stewardship, service, catechesis, Mass, and the sacraments.
Learn more about this new parish resource at ACS Technologies.
