September 25, 2009

Diocesan strategic planning process to re-energize parish life throughout the Diocese of Evansville

Diocese of Evansville Strategic Planning Model. Click for a larger version.

Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger has commissioned a diocesan strategic planning process to re-energize parish life throughout the Diocese of Evansville and to establish a future direction for the diocese over the next five years. (Read a message from the bishop | En Español)

As part of the information gathering process, interviews and focus groups are being scheduled during October and November of this year.

Focus groups will be scheduled at half of the parishes in the diocese for groups of parishioners; focus groups consisting of parish staff members will be scheduled at the other parishes.

Interviews with priests will be conducted. Interviews with other selected individuals will also be scheduled.

The individuals to be interviewed were selected by members of the diocesan Planning Team, a group of a dozen people who took the very first steps in the year-long process of planning.

Questions listed for anonymous, individual interviews

The Planning Team members selected a larger group of Discernment Group members who will be assisting in conducting interviews and focus groups.

The answers to questions for individuals will remain confidential and anonymous. Names will not be used in any of the compilations of responses. All in all, several hundred people will take part in the interviews and focus groups.

Following are the questions that will be used in the individual interviews.

What is your current parish?
What are the most important trends and changes facing southern Indiana today and in the next three to five years (for example, consider economic, social, demographic, technological, lifestyle, regulatory and political changes among others)?
What are the greatest needs in your parish, community or diocese?
What specifically do you need most from your parish or the diocese?
What are the key opportunities for the parish or diocese to build the kingdom of God and advance its mission in the next three to five years?
What will be the key threats to building the kingdom of God and advancing the mission of the parish or diocese in the next three to five years?
What does the parish or diocese do really well?
In what areas does the parish or diocese need to improve?
What dreams or aspirations do you have for your parish or the diocese over the next three to five years?
Describe the relationship between the parishes and the diocesan offices. How could it be further enhanced?
What, if any, actions are being taken by other dioceses or church groups that you feel this diocese should not take?
If there were one thing you could change in the diocese, what would you change?
What additional comments would you like to offer to the Planning Team?

Questions listed for priests who will be interviewed

Dan Bean from the consulting company, CMA, said this whole effort should take about a year, and interviews with a selected number of priests are one of the first steps.

Staff members of the consulting company will conduct the interviews, and the information gathered will be used by the bishop and his planning team as they make decisions about the future.

The information will be anonymous. No one in the priest interviews (or in any other interviews for this process) will be quoted by name. The anonymity should allow those being interviewed to provide “direct and candid input,” Bean said.

Following is the list of questions to be posed.

What are the most important trends and changes facing southern Indiana today and in the next three to five years (for example, consider economic, social, demographic, technological, lifestyle, regulatory and political changes among others)?
What are the greatest needs in the diocese?
What are the key opportunities for the diocese to build the kingdom of God?
What does the diocese do really well?
In what areas does the diocese need to improve?
Is the parish/diocese relationship and interaction a strength or weakness? Why?
What is your dream and vision for the diocese over the next three to five years?
What other comments do you want to bring to the attention of the Planning Team?

Questions listed for focus groups in parishes

Focus groups of parishioners will be scheduled at half the parishes in the diocese. Focus groups of parish staff members will be scheduled at the other parishes.

This whole planning effort should take about a year. Gathering information from the focus groups is one of the first steps in the process.

Comments and concerns raised at the focus groups will be anonymous. The comments will be collected by a member of the discernment team, but all responses will be anonymous and no one will be quoted by name.

The responses will be compiled with hundreds of others, so individuals are encouraged to provide direct and candid input.

Following is the list of questions for the focus groups. The same questions will be asked of parish staff groups and parishioner groups.

What are the most important trends and changes facing southern Indiana today and in the next three to five years (for example, consider economic, social, demographic, technological, lifestyle, regulatory and political changes among others)?
What are the greatest needs in your parish, community or diocese?
What are the key opportunities for the parish or diocese to build the kingdom of God?
What does your parish or diocese do really well?
In what areas does your parish or diocese need to improve?
What is your dream and vision for the diocese (or parish) over the next three to five years?
What other comments do you want to bring to the attention of the Planning Team?

People throughout diocese invited to town hall meetings

The town hall format is a popular method to invite broad participation from a large community or geographic area, according to Dan Bean, a partner in the consulting firm, CMA, headquartered in St. Louis.

The town halls are intended to get people throughout the diocese excited about the planning process, Bean said. The presence of Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger, the energy from the crowd, and the format of the event itself should inspire the audience and create enthusiasm.

There will be four town halls. Each will last approximately two hours. The bishop will greet everyone and describe the overall planning process. Tim McGuire will coordinate the rest of the evening.

Participants will be gathered around small tables with a discussion leader and a scribe. The people at each table will be asked to share responses to two questions.

After each group has had enough time to discuss their responses to the second question, there will be an opportunity for each table to give a brief overview or readout of their discussion, highlighting two to three main points. The bishop will conclude by responding to all and describing next steps. Notes from all tables will be collected and included as data for analysis by the Discernment Team.

The following is the proposed schedule for each of the meetings.

7 p.m. Bishop Gettelfinger will welcome participants and lead an opening prayer. He will also explain the goals of the planning effort and describe what prompted it.
7:10 p.m. Tim McGuire will provide details about the model chosen for the planning process, the key activities and the timeline of the strategic planning process, and the process for the town hall meeting. McGuire will then introduce the members of the discernment team, who will serve as scribes (note takers) at each table. Each table will choose a leader from among the participants to guide the discussion.
7:25 p.m. Particpants discuss Topic #1: Describe a situation in your life where the Church has been the most meaningful to you.
8:05 p.m. Participants discuss Topic #2: Fast forward to the year 2015. What are your hopes, dreams and vision for the diocese and/or your parish? Be as specific as possible.
8:45 p.m. Tim McGuire guides reports from each table on the two or three main points of discussion for each of the two topics. Forms are collected from all of the tables.
8:55 p.m. Bishop Gettelfinger reacts to what he has heard, comments on the discussion and imparts a blessing.