Thanks! Thanks for joining us for an informative seminar on Building Your Vibrant Parish. We often get requests for the slides, and unfortunately the slide deck is just too large to send out. In addition, some of the information we ve collected is authorized for use by its creator for presentation & not publication & re use. We ve assembled in the pages that follow images of the slides we hope can help you recall some of our seminar content & invite others in your parish (or a neighboring parish) to discuss how you can move the Church forward. All of us at LPi are committed to building vibrant parishes throughout the United States. If you need us just call or email us. There s never a charge for a call or email, and you can ask us anything! If we don t know the answer we ll look for it. We do offer coaching services for a fee to those parishes that are truly ready to embark on an incredible journey toward a more vibrant future. Our contact information is noted below. Your Stewardship Communication Consultant is your first point of contact at LPi. They ll be sure to refer you to the right LPi specialist regardless of your question. The consultant for your area is: Rob Sernus 800 950 9952 ext. 2532 Rsernus@4LPi.com You may have been invited by one of our Business Development Managers or even met them at the event! Specializing in all things e related, call your Business Development Manager if you need a demonstration of any of our online products. Keith Alberts 800 950 9952 ext. 2534 Kalberts@4LPi.com You can also contact your presenter at any time we re all here to help! Your presenter was: Tim Potrikus, Vice President Custom Services 800 888 4574 ext. 3319 tpotrikus@4lpi.com (800) 950 9952 p: (262) 785 1188 a: 2875 S James Drive, New Berlin, WI 53151 www.4lpi.com
BUILDING YOUR VIBRANT PARISH Tools, Techniques & Strategies to Invite, Engage and Strengthen the faithful. 1
You ve heard about the 80/20 rule, right? 2
80% of the work is done by 20% of the people How does this apply to the Catholic Church? 6.4% of registered parishioners contribute 80% of the volunteer hours 6.8% of registered parishioners donate 80% of financial contributions 3
REALITY CHECK Roughly 7% of Catholic Parishioners are doing almost everything Matthew Kelly Source: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate & Dynamic Catholic Institute. Let s say this church is 1000 families large 7% = 70 Families 1,000 Families Just 1% more or 10 Families = 15% increase!! 4
Now what do we do? Imagine a parish where parishioner behaviors represent the community you serve. What does that look like in your parish? Mass attendance Religious Education Enrollment RCIA Candidates Weekly Offertory Functional Ministries Branding & Printed Communications Use to invite & engage parishioners 5
Art & Media Portal An ever-growing collection of covers, clip art, and content to help brighten your bulletin. Over 37,000 items to choose from: - A variety of Bulletin covers each week. - Gospel reflections and weekly readings in English and Spanish. - Weekly children s puzzles, lessons, and more. - Special occasion and seasonal event clip art. 6
Post greeters at every entrance... Host new member dinners... 7
and Meet the Priest events. Welcoming & engaging parishioners...in print Four in ten Catholics (41%) regularly use their parish bulletin. This is equivalent to 23.9 million individuals. This publication is the most widely used to get information, news, and other content about the Catholic faith. 74% of Catholics consider the parish bulletin as Very Reliable for information about the Catholic Church s official position or view. 8
What s ON & IN your bulletin matters! What s ON & IN your bulletin matters! 9
Newsletters Keep people connected to the church and community! 19 Welcome Packets Be Welcoming and Inviting! 10
Directories Be Reachable! Calendars Be Memorable! 11
EDDM Be Out There! Why do I have to engage parishioners online? 12
Your parishioners are already there! On average, Catholics spend 3 hours online every day. Nearly 3 million of them follow Catholic blogs. Over 80% of Catholics under age 30 use social media. But, they don t know that YOU ARE THERE! How would you rate the Catholic church s visibility on the internet? Only 8% view the Catholic Church being very visible online. 64% view the Church s online presence as little to none. 53% are unaware of any Church presence online. A Little Visible Somewhat Visible Very Visible Not Very Visible Unaware 13
Your Vibrant Digital Parish Websites Apps Personalize the message Get beyond print Update your digital presence Social Media (Your Parish Home online) What should be on your website? 14
FACT: 61% of churchgoers say that the church website was somewhat very important in their decision to attend their current church. 29 FACT: 43% of people visiting church websites are checking mass times. If they can t find them easily, they re not coming. 30 15
Website MUST HAVE S Fresh Content Update Weekly WeConnect from LPi Template based Easily customizable Multiple contributors Easy forms tool Integrates with online giving Unlimited Space Responsive Design Catholic Gift Store 16
In your workbooks (Elements of a great website; scale of 1-5 & average your parish website ) We invite & share our mission Easy to contact us to learn more or attend Email Phone Address/Map Mass schedule Updated calendar of events Online event registration (free or paid) Online donations Mobile enabled Technology usage Cellphones and computers are the most commonly owned devices % of U.S. adults who own each of the following devices: Cellphone, including smartphones Desktop/Laptop computer Smartphone 68 73 92 Tablet computer 45 MP3 player Game console 40 40 E-book reader Portable gaming devices 14 19 Source: Pew Research Center survey conducted March 17-April 12, 2015. Smartphone data based on Pew Research survey conducted June 10-July12, 2015 17
What is the market? Time spent on ios and Android connected devices: Browser 20% Safari Android Native Opera Mini App 80% Games Facebook Entertainment Source: Flurry Analytics, comscore, NetMarketShare THERE S AN APP FOR THAT! Central Hub for Outbound Communication Direct Communication Group Level Alerts Church beyond Sunday 18
A moving target 26% of mobile users do not use an app again, and 80-90% of apps are eventually deleted from the user's phone within 6 mos. 19
8 general social media rules for churches 1. Good & Relevant Content 2. Promote the Page 3. Regular Posts 4. Staff Interactions 5. Understand & Follow Guidelines 6. Review Analytics 7. Communicate Your Mission 8. Don t Be Afraid of Fun! 20
Social Media Bad Stuff? Do our projects convey a sense of joy? Do our news feeds make peoples day better? Is our appearance joyful or dour? Start with a policy that explains what you will do with inappropriate posts. Delete them, then send a personal reply: Thank you for coming to our site to engage in communication. Please come back in and repost something. Convey a sense of humility. Be humble. Angela Sealana Inspired Angela 21
WeShare An online giving and event manager designed for churches 22
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Let s look at a WeShare Demo site! 25
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Sustainable Increased Offertory Program Builds on the STRENGTHS in YOUR parish Engages parishioners where they will most likely RESPOND to your appeal. A component of a Vibrant Parish not a solution unto itself (transactional giving) Reinvests in your parish through Stewardship Education Timely Reminders of the gifts with which we re entrusted 27
What makes it Sustainable? Increased offertory is a component of a Vibrant Parish, not a transactional event. Data from YOUR parish is used to segment donors and customize a message that they re likely to respond to. Contributions are monitored for up to 3 years to ensure donor s intentions are matched to their actions. Parishioners give as an extension of a faith journey, and are encouraged to read, reflect, and respond. 28
The Catholic Giving Gap American Catholics less likely to give ten percent or more of their income as voluntary contributions Only about 1 in 5 Catholics report donating to exclusively religious organizations A full 40% of surveyed Catholics failed to donate to any charitable causes, religious or otherwise, in the previous year. Source: Unleashing Catholic Generosity, University of Notre Dame Catholics vs. Other Religious Groups Figure 1: Percentage reporting tithing by religious tradition Mormon Evangelical Protestant Black Protestant Mainline Protestant Jewish Catholic Other Religion Not Religious Report Tithing (%) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Figure 2: Percentage donating to exclusively religious organizations by religious tradition Donating money in past year (%) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Mormon Evangelical Protestant Jewish Mainline Protestant Black Protestant Catholic Other Religion Not Religious 29
Attendance Impact on Giving Figure 3: Religious giving by tradition and religious service attendance 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Evangelical Protestant Mainline Protestant Catholic Not Religious Attend 1 2 times a year or less Regular Attenders Weekly Attenders How Parishes discuss Stewardship What explains the lack of connection between money and the spiritual life of Catholics? What is (or is not) being said and done at the parish level? Maintenance vs. Mission 30
The Money Message matters What is the message about money and finances in your congregation? Catholic Mainline Protestant Evangelical Protestant 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% need and scarcity says nothing vision and opportunity The Maintenance Message Focus on budgetary items identified by need or scarcity. Tends to separate discussions of money from the spiritual mission of the Church. Priests may avoid the subject of money entirely or seek financial legitimacy through business language or models. A focus on paying the bills fails to engage people and it fails to impart a belief that proper stewardship of money is a deeply spiritual matter. 31
The Mission Message Asks parishioners to fund the mission and vision in which they are spiritually invested. Opens people s eyes to opportunities for spiritual growth and world transformation. Requires leaders to communicate the vision and mission of the parish. Is associated with a more participatory culture. Your Mission Matters 53% of Catholic respondents who strongly agreed that mission and priorities were communicated in excellent fashion gave to their church in the previous year (only 11% of those who strongly disagreed did so). 61% of Catholics who strongly agreed that they felt a part of the planning of the vision and mission of their congregation gave to their church in the past year (only 29% of those who strongly disagreed did so). 32
Maintenance vs. Mission Message What can be vs. what is wrong Helping people vs. scarcity of resources Investing in lives vs. paying for programs Investments vs. costs Stewards vs. spenders Investment lines vs. cost lines Worship space vs. buildings Mission development vs. fund raising I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out in the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and clinging to its own security. Pope Francis 33
Creating Mission-Driven Response Can t act the same and expect higher giving. To raise more = engage more. People are motivated by mission and vision, not by maintenance and mundane. People invest in the mission, especially when they can see the vision and feel they are part of it. Evaluation & Process Five steps: - What size is your community? (Accurate data is CRUCIAL) - What is the history of the community? - What is the makeup of your community? (Age, family size, zip codes) - What works and what is broken? (Ministries, programs, outreach) - What is going on around you? Municipality & diocesan data, trends 3 Principles of Pastoral/Stewardship Planning: - Everyone has a place at the table. (Feedback, money, dreams) - There will be another plan after this one. (Realistic, concrete, measurable) - Have a plan for the plan. (Goals, accountability, commitment) 34
Invite an hour of Service Invite an hour of Evangelization 35
Invite an hour of Support The Vibrant Parish Plan What would you do with $100,000 in additional income each year over the next 3 years? 36
An Example: Parish of 1200 households: Stewardship & Evangelization Budget $15 per household = $18,000/year An intentional investment in growing the parish by 15% per year. Current Income - $400,000 per year (regular offertory) 15% increase - $60,000 per year $54,000 investment = $180,000 in offertory growth plus; Long range plan with a clear Mission message Invitational newsletter EDDM Mailings 2X per year Online event registration & payment* Website, App & Social Media plan Weekly bulletin with a full-color changing cover Guarantee When you work with LPi Backed by LPi s 45 year history of service to Catholic parishes Service guarantees included No requirement to change everything to LPi LPi s full program: Fixed per household Scope of Work proposal No fees billed in excess of actual offertory increases Not consulting there s no time clock Plan components mapped to an individual parish s circumstances 37
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