Perspectives from Parish Leaders: U.S. Parish Life and Ministry

Results for the second phase of a comprehensive three-part study of U.S. parish life are being released today. The focus for this part of the research is on the people who keep parish life vital: staffs (ministry and non-ministry), councils, and volunteers. Collectively these are the Church's parish leaders.

In 2009, the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership project, a Lilly Endowment Inc. funded collaboration of five Catholic national ministerial organizations, commissioned CARA to conduct a series of surveys in parishes nationwide. The first of these was a single informant survey (pastors or parish life coordinators/PLCs under Canon 517.2) sent to parishes to develop a portrait of parish life in the United States today (the full report for this survey, released last summer, is available here: The Changing Face of U.S. Catholic Parishes). That survey was in the field from March 2010 to December 2010 and included a total of 846 parishes (margin of sampling error for the survey is ±3.3 percentage points). The second survey, the focus of the research released today, includes responses from 532 parish leaders in 246 of the parishes from the first survey (margin of sampling error of ±4.2 percentage points). This survey was in the field from May 2011 to April 2012. Some of the major findings fro this study are noted below.

Characteristics of Parish Leaders
The average age of parish leaders is 59. A majority, 54%, are members of the Vatican II Generation (those born 1943 to 1960). One in five is of the Pre-Vatican II Generation (those born before 1943). Nearly one in four is of the Post-Vatican II Generation (those born 1961 to 1981) and only 3% are Millennials (born 1982 or later). The average age when parish leaders say they first felt the call to ministry in any setting (e.g., parish, school, hospital) is 29. 

Current parish leaders of the Millennial Generation have answered a call to ministry a bit before the norm of previous generations. Those in ministry now are “early adopters.” If the past repeats itself we can expect many Millennials to be called to ministry in this decade.

Nearly nine in ten parish leaders self-identify their race and ethnicity as Non-Hispanic white. Six percent self-identify as Hispanic/Latino(a), 2% as Asian or Pacific Islander,  2% as black, African American, African, or Afro-Caribbean, and 1% as Native American. This distribution is strongly related to the typical ages of parish leaders and the racial and ethnic composition of the Catholic population within these generations. In parishes identified by the project as multicultural (i.e., those with more racial and ethnic diversity among parishioners) there are greater numbers of non-Anglo parish leaders.

About one in 20 parish leaders were born outside of the United States. One in ten reports their mother was born in another country and a similar number report their father was. Thirty-eight percent have at least once grandparent who immigrated to the United States. Nearly all parish leaders—98%—say they use English in their ministry. One in ten also use Spanish. One percent indicates use of Latin. Two percent report some other language such as French, Creole, Italian, Tagalog, Polish, Czech, German, or Portuguese.

Eighty-five percent of responding parish leaders are lay persons (excluding men and women religious in ministry). Fifty-seven percent overall are female (including lay women and women religious).

Leaders are very highly educated. Nine in ten have attended college or university at some point in their life and more than a third have graduate degrees (35%) and two-thirds have an undergraduate degree (67%). This high level of education may be part of why 97% of leaders agree “somewhat” or “very much” in the survey that they feel adequately prepared now for ministry and three in four said, similarly, that that they were adequately prepared for their ministry at the time they began it.

Leaders are most likely to say they feel “very much” prepared for the following aspects of parish life:

• Communicating (56%)
• Facilitating events and meetings (51%)
• Administration and planning (50%)
• Collaborating (48%)
• Providing ministry to others (45%)

 Leaders are least likely to indicate they are “very much” prepared for: 

• Managing conflict (24%)
• Working in a multicultural environment (19%)
• Counseling (18%)

Fifty-one percent say they earn a salary or wage for their ministry or service to their parish. Of those who do, the median annualized earnings for this are $31,000. Respondents with higher education degrees in ministry, religion, or theology earn more, on average, than those without these. Eighty-four percent of those who are paid say there are “somewhat” or “very much” satisfied with what they earn.

Of those who are paid for their ministry or service, nearly one in five have other employment outside of their parish as well. Among those volunteering for their parish, half have paid employment elsewhere. Parish leaders provide, on average, 23.2 hours of ministry or service to their parish weekly. Pastoral ministers provide an average of 26.3 hours. Sixteen percent of parish leaders provide ministry and service to at least one other parish as well.

Most feel secure in their parish role. Nine in ten agree “somewhat” or “very much” that they have sufficient job security in their ministry. Most also indicate they have access to what they need. Ninety-three percent agree at least “somewhat” that their parish provides them with the resources needed for their ministry. However, Hispanic/Latino(a) parish leaders are among the least likely to agree with this statement (76%). Anecdotally, this may be related to needs for bilingual and Spanish-language resources.

Answering the Call to Ministry
Most leaders, 76%, indicate they began their ministry or service to the Church in the same year they felt the call to do so. Others indicate more of a lag time—most often for acquiring formation or accreditation, as well as placement. Overall, the average time between when one feels the call to ministry and begins ministering is 1.2 years.

Seven in ten parish leaders were members of the parish they began ministry in. Those involved in pastoral ministry are less likely to report this (61%). Two-thirds were recruited initially as volunteers. However, those who are currently paid for their ministry or service are less likely to report this (49%). Younger parish leaders are less likely to indicate being recruited as volunteers. This may reflect their coming of age during a period in which paid ministry is more of a norm whereas previous generations may have begun ministry in a time where volunteering was more prevalent.

Respondents were most likely to say the following first led them to enter ministry:

1. To be of service to the Church (75%)
2. As a response to God’s call (56%)
3. A desire to be more active in parish life (55%)
4. To enhance their spiritual life (51%)

Those involved in pastoral ministry were especially likely to say they did so in response to God’s call (70%). Those not involved in pastoral ministry were especially likely to emphasize they entered ministry at the invitation of their pastor or the parish life coordinator (50%).

A majority of leaders indicate they entered ministry after being encouraged by a priest (53%). Others noted encouragement from fellow parishioners (34%), friends (29%), and spouses (27%). Millennials are less likely than others to note encouragement from a priest (39%) and were more likely to note receiving this from friends (54%) or a teacher or professor (46%).

One in four parish leaders say they were inspired to enter ministry by a specific movement or program within the Church. This was most often reported by men (31%) and Millennials (33%). Among the movements and programs most often cited by respondents are RCIA, Cursillo, Knights of Columbus, RENEW, and Teens Encounter Christ.

Three in four leaders (75%) agree “very much” that their ministry or service to their parish is a calling or vocation rather than just a job. Those involved in pastoral ministry were especially likely to respond as such (86%).

Evaluations of Parish and Ministry
Half of all parish leaders (50%) evaluate their overall satisfaction with their parish as “excellent.” Another 41% say this is “good.” Non-Anglo parish leaders were more likely to evaluate their parish overall as “good” rather than “excellent’ (48% compared to 36%) and more in this group provided “fair” (13%) and “poor” evaluations (4%). Just three in ten leaders (31%) in the smallest parishes, those with 200 or fewer registered households, evaluate their parish overall as “excellent.”

Leaders are most likely to evaluate their parishes as “good” or “excellent” for the following aspects: celebration of the sacraments, Masses and liturgies, efforts to educate parishioners in the faith, and promoting important Church teachings and causes. 

The area where respondents were least likely to provide a “good” or “excellent” or evaluation is in their parish’s effort to spread the Gospel and evangelize.

Leaders in multi-parish ministry parishes were especially likely to provide an “excellent” evaluation for their parish’s sense of community (55%). Hispanic/Latino(a) parish leaders were among the most likely to give their parish only “fair” or “poor” marks for this aspect of parish life (22%). At the same time, leaders in Midwestern (51%) and Southern (48%) parishes were more likely than those in the Northeast (37%) and West (28%) to evaluate the sense of community in their parish as “excellent.”

Others differ on their parish’s sense of hospitality as well. Only 38% of Millennial leaders and 41% of Hispanic leaders provide an “excellent” evaluation for their parish’s hospitality and sense of welcome. A majority of Millennials (54%) say this is “poor” or “fair” (46% “fair” and 8% “poor”).

Younger leaders—those of the Millennial Generation—are much more positive about one of the most important aspects of parish life. They are among the most likely to provide an “excellent” evaluation for their parish’s Masses and liturgies (69%).

Others are more pessimistic about sacraments in their parish. Non-Anglo and PLC parish leaders are among the least likely to evaluate their parish as “excellent” for the celebration of sacraments (58% and 55%, respectively). In PLC parishes, this may be due to these parishes having a lack of priests in residence.

Turning to more specific aspects of parish life, leaders are most likely to say their parish is “somewhat” or “very much” successful at managing parish finances, recruiting and retaining ministers and staff, communicating with parishioners, and educating parishioners in the faith.

Leaders are least likely to indicate their parish is at least “somewhat” successful at celebrating cultural diversity, providing Mass in preferred languages, ministering to young adults, outreach to inactive Catholics, and ministering to recent immigrants.

Millennial leaders are among the more negative in evaluating some these aspects. They are among the least likely to say their parish is at least “somewhat” successful at: communicating with parishioners (69 %), welcoming new parishioners (54%), listening to parishioner concerns and input (54%), ministering to young adults (40%), celebrating cultural diversity (39%), collaborating with other parishes (39%), and outreach to inactive Catholics (25%).

Non-Anglo leaders are among the most likely to say their parish is “very much” successful at celebrating cultural diversity (50%), providing cultural, ethnic, or national celebrations important to parishioners (53%), providing Mass in preferred languages (52%), and ministering to recent immigrants (21%).

There are several sub-group differences in parish evaluations of these aspects related to parish structure: 

• Leaders in consolidated parishes are the least likely to say their parish is “somewhat” or “very much” successful in recruiting and retaining ministers and staff (50%). On the other hand, these leaders are among the most likely to say their parish is at least “somewhat” successful at ministering to those in financial need (76%) and outreach to inactive Catholics (64%).
• Those in multi-parish ministry parishes are the most likely to say their parish is “somewhat” or “very much” successful at welcoming new parishioners (95%).
• Leaders in PLC parishes are among the least likely to indicate their parish is at least “somewhat” successful at listening to parishioner concerns and input (77%), effectively using committees or councils (68%), ministering to the elderly (63%), providing social activities and programs (61%), and collaborating with other parishes (53%).
• Those in multicultural parishes are among the most likely to say their parish is “somewhat” or “very much” successful at celebrating cultural diversity (71%), providing cultural, ethnic, or national celebrations (75%), and providing Mass in preferred languages (67%).

About half of all leaders agree “very much” that their parish has undergone significant changes in the last five years. However, most do not see this as a change for the worse with just 13% of leaders agreeing “very much” that things were better in their parish five years ago.

Leaders in PLC parishes are most likely to agree “very much” that significant changes have occurred in their parish (67%). Yet only 4% of these leaders agree “very much” that things were better in their parish five years ago.

Half of all respondents agree at least “somewhat” that their parish is multicultural. As one might expect, this is more common in parishes identified as being multicultural by the study (73%). Non-Anglo (74%) and Hispanic/Latino(a) (75%) leaders are also very likely to agree at least “somewhat” that their parish is multicultural. More than half of leaders (55%) agree at least “somewhat” that parishioners of different cultures participate in parish life together. Leaders in multicultural parishes (65%) and PLC parishes (67%) are more likely to respond as such.

Parish Restructuring
Leaders in parishes that have experienced reorganization in the last five years (i.e., transition to multi-parish ministry or consolidation) were provided with a separate set of questions specific to these events. Of these leaders, 63% had experienced the reorganization themselves and responded to these questions.

Only 22% indicated that their role in ministry changed before or after the transition. Remarkably, these respondents also reported relative stability in a variety of different aspects of parish life. As shown in the table below, however, some reported less support from their diocese. Some also note a decrease in the willingness of parishioners to volunteer and to generally be involved.

Yet, many reported increases in the sense of community among parishioners and collaboration among parish leaders and staff. More personally, nearly three in ten reported an increase in their personal effectiveness. However, this may have led to working longer hours for some who noted increases in time spent on administrative responsibilities, their primary ministry, and on planning and coordination.

Few indicate they received any specialized training before these reorganizations. However, those that did tend to consider this to have been useful. In an open-ended question about best practices they could recommend the second most common recommendation were related to preparation, of which a common sub-topic was training (the most common topic noted in responses was about the need for communication).

In considering what was difficult about the reorganization, leaders were most likely to agree at least “somewhat” that the following have been an issue since reorganization: unhappiness of parishioners (50%), finding enough volunteers (43%), and interaction of parishioners from other parishes (38%). A majority, 54% agree only “a little” or “not at all” with the statement that there was little opposition to the changes brought by the reorganization (just 7% agree “very much”).

Use of Technology
More than three in four parish leaders agree “somewhat” or “very much” that their parish uses new technology and media effectively (36% agree “very much” only). 

Leaders in larger parishes are more likely to indicate this—likely because they may have more resources to use new technologies and media.

Ninety-four percent indicate their parish has a website and among leaders in parishes that do, half report that they provide content for the website. This is more common among younger (77% of Millennials) and female (61%) parish leaders. Two-thirds (66%) indicate their parish provides them with an email address. This is less common among non-Anglo parish leaders (52%) and those in PLC parishes (37%).  

Use of new media and social networks for ministry is most common among the youngest parish leaders. Nearly four in ten Millennials use Facebook (39%) and YouTube (39%) for ministry in their parish. Three in ten Millennials use blogs (31%) and Twitter (31%).

Visit emergingmodels.org to download the full report.

Checking in with Catholics and Election 2012

It's been too long since we've looked at any election data. With less than 100 days to go, now seems like a good time to see what is going on in the Catholic electorate. As a political scientist I can still say, in many ways, it is far too early. We don't know the impact of the selection of a running mate for the Republicans, both conventions are key, and the debates could provide turning points. Not to mention changes in the economy or foreign affairs could alter the election calculus (...does anything matter before Saturday Night Live begins to run their parodies?).

What it is not too early to say is that the race is largely over in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Polling data and voting trends over time lead us to believe these states are already "locked in." Outcomes here could only be altered by a very dramatic event. In 16 states, the race remains competitive and my analysis is on the "open-minded" side! For example, I'm leaving Georgia competitive because President Obama has 45% approval here and the Real Clear Politics polling average puts it in the "leaning Republican" column. Similarly, I still have Oregon as competitive because President Obama's approval there is 47 percent and this state is in the "leaning Democrat" column with the Real Clear Politics polling average. Many analysts would argue that fewer states are in play.

There are an estimated 17,225,000 self-identified Catholic adults living in what I consider to be competitive states (equivalent to 31% of the national Catholic voting age population or VAP). Some of these individuals are not in the voting eligible population (VEP) due to lack of citizenship but it is not possible to estimate the size of this population specifically for Catholics.

Geography matters as Catholics only make up 19% of the total VAP in competitive states (the total VAP in these states is 89.8 million). In recent elections, Catholics have made up about 25% of the total electorate. The full and final "weight" of the Catholic vote in the most competitive states will depend on turnout as well.

What does the potential Catholic electorate look like in competitive states? First, it is important to note that aggregating polls is always recommended, when possible. As the figure below shows, there is substantial variation and volatility in estimates of party identification (among the strongest predictors of presidential vote choice) in election polls. Note the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll from last week had among the highest percentages of Democrats and lowest percentages of Republicans, whereas a recent Fox News poll had a more even distribution.

In the 20 most recent publicly available election polls I can review (via iPoll), on average, the U.S. electorate overall (Catholic and non-Catholic) is 34% Democrat and 27% Republican. Thus, President Obama has two key advantages in that he is an incumbent and he has a 7 percentage point partisan advantage in the electorate. Polls indicating advantages of more than a 12 percentage point difference in party ID in the overall electorate are likely straying into outlier territory.

The most recent survey I can analyze (...the actual data set, where I can isolate Catholics rather than just read national toplines or news releases) is from Gallup in June. The data reveal that Catholics are divided along partisan and ideological lines in both competitive and non-competitive states.

Differences in the figure above are within sub-group margins of sampling error (...which are larger than one would prefer due to smaller numbers of respondents in competitive states). This figure uses Gallup's combination of ideology and partisanship (including party "leaners"). I find this especially useful for analyses of Catholics as the Church's priorities are split between the U.S. parties and American political ideologies. The Church's stance on the death penalty, immigration, and fighting poverty are arguably more aligned with liberal thinkers and Democrats. The Church's stance on abortion, same-sex marriage, and religious liberty are arguably more consistent with conservative thinkers and Republicans. Thus, you may often see a conservative Democrat or a moderate Republican expressing opinions that are very consistent overall with the Bishops' Faithful Citizenship document. Collectively, conservative Democrats and moderate/liberal Republicans make up 28% of Catholics in competitive states (27% in non-competitive states).

Although margins of error are large, it does appear that conservative Republicans likely outnumber liberal Democrats among Catholics in competitive states. Some of the other characteristics of potential Catholic voters in competitive states are shown in the table below:

• An estimated 71% of Catholics of voting age in competitive states are currently registered to vote (68% are registered nationally). Protestants, inside and outside of competitive states, are the religious group with the highest registration numbers (80%).
• A majority of Catholics in competitive states (55%) say religion is an important part of their daily life. About one in four (24%) attends Mass every week (CARA adjusted percentage; consistent with our own polling nationally). In recent history, weekly Mass attenders lean Republican.
• One in five Catholics (21%) in competitive states has served in the military at some point in their life. In past elections, members of the military and veterans have tended to lean Republican. 
• Eleven percent of Catholic adults in competitive states are either unemployed and looking for work or working part-time with a preference for full-time work. These Catholics may lean Republican, dissatisfied with sustained high unemployment rates that have been unprecedented in the post-World War II era.
• Five percent of Catholics in competitive states are members of a labor union. In past elections, union members have tended to lean Democratic.
• Updated (results not shown in table above): Twelve percent of adult Catholics in competitive states self-identify as Hispanic/Latino(a). By comparison, 34% of adult Catholics in non-competitive states self-identify as Hispanic/Latino(a). Catholics who self-identify as Hispanic/Latino(a) lean Democratic (...more research on this, including a CARA contribution, is available here).
• Fourteen percent of Catholics in competitive states work for the local, state, or federal government. Many of these Catholic public sector workers indicate working for the federal government.
• Half of Catholics (49%) in competitive states say the economic conditions in their local area are “only fair” or “poor.” Six in ten (60%) are this negative about the economy in their state. Nearly three in four (73%) say that economic conditions nationally are “only fair” or “poor.”

Catholics make up the largest share of the voting age population in the following four competitive states: New Mexico (32%), New Hampshire (30%), Pennsylvania (30%), and Wisconsin (29%). Most analysts have these states "leaning" Democrat. Most consider the hottest battlegrounds to be Ohio, Virginia, and Florida. I'd add Nevada to that mix as well in my own Electoral College scenarios (...perhaps New Hampshire also). Catholics could be an important "swing vote" in Nevada, Florida, and Ohio but make up a much smaller share of the potential electorate in Virginia.

Most recent polls are showing Catholics split between the candidates in vote choice. Again I don't make much of these yet with so many important milestones ahead. But it is clear that there is unlikely to be a "Catholic Vote" in 2012 and instead we will be focusing on how the vote of Catholics may or may not be important (...the votes of those without a religious affiliation may be more decisive to the election outcome).

Pew released a glimpse of Catholics possibly coming together on an issue important to the Church this week. But don't look for it in your newspaper. Almost every religion reporter I know of ignored it. However, if a tree falls and a reporter doesn't write about it you could still trip over the stump. Republicans may be happy to hear that...

• "By a 56% to 36% margin, Catholics who are aware of the bishops’ protests about what they believe are infringements of religious liberty say they agree with the bishops’ concerns."
• "The percentage of Catholics saying they are satisfied with the leadership of American bishops has increased sharply since 2002."

Yet, in that same poll Pew also reveals something that will likely please Democrats...

• "[W]while most Catholics who are aware of the bishops’ protests agree with their concerns, about half of Catholic voters (51%) say Barack Obama best reflects their views on social issues such as abortion and gay rights; 34% say Mitt Romney best reflects their views on these issues."
• "Currently, 51% of Catholic registered voters support Obama or lean toward him, while 42% support Romney or lean toward him."

Stay tuned. As election season kicks into high gear we'll certainly have more analysis on the vote of Catholics in 2012...

Is the Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty (and does it really matter)?

This blog post was written by CARA summer intern Nicole Cornell, a rising sophomore at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She is double-majoring in Sociology and Theology. As part of her internship she has been studying theories of what attracts women to religious life.

Community Clarity
The age old question of whether the glass is half-full or half-empty has often been used to determine a person’s level of optimism. However, does it really matter if it is half-full or half-empty, as long as the content is drinkable?

This same notion can be applied to the declining trend of female religious in the United States today. What if it’s not the trend in numbers of religious vocations that really matters here? Perhaps it’s a matter of finding clarity? Just as what really matters is the content of the glass being drinkable, what really matters is how religious orders can exist in a future time, regardless of the many hypothesized reasons for the downward trend in their membership.

Throughout several of the sociological hypotheses surrounding the topic, a common thread emerges, calling religious orders to define a strong and clear sense of community. Clarity of description regarding the unique aspects of community life offered in religious orders is generally agreed upon as a necessary component in order to illustrate religious orders’ usefulness and purpose in modern-day America. A strong sense of community promotes important living aspects of religious life for women religious, contributes to preferred atmosphere for religious life, and is attractive to new, younger members.

Community Support
In the study entitled, "Recent Vocations to Religious Life: A Report for the National Religious Vocation Conference" (2009), conducted by CARA, new members of religious orders in the United States were surveyed on a variety of aspects relating to their discernment process and religious life preferences. This data was then narrowed to only female religious respondents for the purpose of this article.

As religious orders seek to attract new vocations by appealing to a younger generation of Catholics – defined as the Millennial Generation (born in 1982 or later) – the importance of defining a strong and clear sense of community must be considered in its relation to the appeal of religious life.

In examining correlations within the data it was evident that several factors relating to generational differences in opinions on the importance of community life were evident among female religious (correlations significant at the .05 level, 95% confidence interval).

The graph below demonstrates that, overall, Millennial women religious were more likely to place higher importance on various aspects relating to the "sense of community" within a religious order both in their discernment process and as professed members of their order. 

Millennial religious women are more likely than women religious of all other generations to respond that "community life in the institute" was "very much" important to them when discerning a vocation to religious life (79% compared to 69%).

Support for the higher importance placed on a "sense of community" by younger women in religious life compared to those of older generations is shown through preferences for living in larger communities, as well as greater importance placed on aspects that make up community living. Almost three in four Millennial women religious (74%) prefer to live in "large" size communities, that is, living in a community of 8 or more members together. This is in contrast to only half (49%) of women religious from all earlier generations.

Also, 8 in 10 younger women religious place "very much" importance on all aspects that make up community living in religious life such as: 

• Living with other members
• Praying with other members
• Working with other members
• Sharing meals together
• Socializing or sharing leisure time together

These respondents are considered to value "high community." This is in contrast to only a little over half (53%) of respondents from other generations listing all aspects of community life to have "very much" importance to them.

Community Spirit
Quite evidently, the question of the contents of the glass being drinkable or not, trumps the question of whether the glass is half-full or half-empty. In the same way, regardless of what may be said on the decline of membership in women religious orders in the United States today, the importance lies in how religious orders will continue to function in the future, regardless of the trend.

Throughout several of the theories, there is a suggestion that a strong and clear sense of community needs to be evident by religious orders for them to continue to exist within modern, American society. A strong sense of community life is an important aspect of religious life valued by both incoming and current members, to varying degrees.

It is evident that young people today are more attracted to groups with a strong sense of community. Therefore, it is the orders that are able to exude their sense of community to the external world that young people will be more attracted to join. Young people are looking for orders that offer this strong and clear sense of community. Such orders visibly stand for something unique and have a specific mission and identity that is deemed worthy of receiving a young person’s gift of self.
 
Above photo courtesy of micmol at Flickr Creative Commons.