In 2013, the Barna Group did a large survey on the importance of sharing the faith of Christians. Though probably not a surprise - the demographic which had the lowest number of people who actively shared their faith was Catholics. Here is the truly sad part...

A parish or diocesan budget tells us what the leadership finds most valuable. It is a statement of belief. But, that isn’t the only statement of what we believe (and value). We also make statements with time, staffing, and more. If we reflect on the different areas of parish / diocesan life, it can tell us a lot about...

The culture of the Catholic Church in the USA over the last 30 years, has had seismic shifts. Several generations have come and gone, the outlook and expectations of the Church have morphed, we have had several Popes and hundreds of bishops turnover, and many other fluctuations have happened. I think the changes can be summed up by three questions that have been the primary driver behind the changes over the last 30 years. Each decade focusing on a different question.

Ask yourself - if my organization (e.g., parish, diocese, school, apostolate, etc.) has done some kind of long-range or strategic planning, did it help significantly impact the organization in a positive way? If not, then why not? Was there institutional renewal? Can we say that the planning process helped change our culture? Most Catholic leaders who have been through these processes in the last few generations would say...