The East Tennessee Catholic
Bishop Mark Beckman is asking everyone in the Diocese of Knoxville, from high school juniors and seniors to senior citizens, to complete a unique survey that will gauge their interest and involvement in their parishes.
The survey, called the Disciple Maker Index, is a tool provided by the Catholic Leadership Institute that provides an in-depth assessment of where parishioners are in their faith lives and their experience of parish life.
Parishes will provide parishioners a link to the survey via e-mail.
The survey results will be shared with parishioners this summer and will help parish leaders in planning for their parishes.
The Disciple Maker Index is available to parishioners beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and continues through Easter Sunday, April 20.
Brendan Menuey, leadership consultant with the Catholic Leadership Institute, explained that each parish in the diocese will have a specific survey unique to it for its members to take. Links to the online parish surveys will be provided on each parish’s website, in church bulletins, and in parishioners’ e-mail, according to Mr. Menuey.
Once the survey period concludes on Easter Sunday, the Disciple Maker Index results will be compiled and returned to the diocese by summer.
The results will then be shared by pastors with all parishioners within each parish. Bishop Beckman will share results of the surveys in total to give a diocesan-wide perspective.
The bishop said he is looking forward to receiving the responses from parishioners throughout East Tennessee.
“I think it is so important to hear from the people of God, and the Disciple Maker Index provides a key way for us to hear from all the faithful,” Bishop Beckman said.
Mr. Menuey stressed that each survey is confidential, and no one’s name will be disclosed.
The Catholic Leadership Institute is based in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and has been serving dioceses and parishes for more than 30 years.
“Our mission is to help priests and bishops and deacons and lay leaders with leadership formation and training in the Church,” Mr. Menuey said.
The institute reached out to Bishop Beckman as the new shepherd of East Tennessee’s diocese. The institute provides support to new bishops across the country. The institute’s services are free of charge because they are funded by donors.
“There is no cost to the diocese or Bishop Mark. Part of that support is to help him figure out a few things. One, the perspective of the parishioners via the survey, which is a signature tool that we have been using for over 10 years to gauge people’s perception of their engagement with their parish, the frequency of their behavior regarding worship, and participation at church,” Mr. Menuey said.
“It also talks about their beliefs about core Catholic teaching. And it asks demographic questions such as their age, their gender, how long have they been at the parish, were they born and raised Catholic or were they converted at some point, do they have school-age children,” he added. “It gives a snapshot to each pastor. He will get a report about his parishioners of the people who fill out the survey. The bishop will get a report about each parish and the diocese as a whole. It’s a nice snapshot of the Diocese of Knoxville.”
The Disciple Maker Index is the first phase of a strategic plan the institute is developing for the Diocese of Knoxville.
As part of that overview, diocesan priests will have an opportunity to fill out their own survey that will be unique to their own vocation and ministry, “their preferences and passions,” according to Mr. Menuey.
Priests will also have the opportunity to take a survey about the Chancery and its functions. And Chancery employees also will be surveyed.
Once the surveys and subsequent reports are submitted, diocesan leaders, in partnership with the Catholic Leadership Institute, will begin a strategic-planning phase, looking at mission, vision, and values as well as assessing priorities and goals.
Mr. Menuey said the survey results will inform the strategic-planning process, which will begin with early-phase meetings in late spring or early summer.
“The Disciple Maker Index is central to this process. Your bishop wants to hear from you. He wants to get a sense of your perspective. This is your time to voice your thoughts,” Mr. Menuey said.
