RESOURCE
Church Tech Check
Data-driven decision-making is a hot topic in the business world. However, in the Church world, a priest rarely begins a homily with, “Here’s the data.” That doesn’t mean that data holds no value for the Church—quite the opposite.
Data is knowledge that can help enrich your parish ministry and impact the lives of those you serve. Whether it’s an outward-focused ministry like a soup kitchen or an inward-focused one like faith formation, Bible study, or any internal ministry, you can leverage data to enhance your efforts.
In the Bible, we find instances of data-driven decision-making. Take, for instance, the story of King Solomon (1 Kings 3:16-28). When faced with an unknown situation, he didn’t simply make assumptions based on limited information. Instead, he sought more data to make an informed and correct decision. By taking action based on the data he received, he was able to discern who was truly concerned about the baby.
Similarly, there will be times in ministry when you need help deciding which path to take or what actions to pursue. In those moments, collecting and analyzing data can provide valuable insights and help shape your ministry to better serve your parishioners’ needs.
So, what exactly is data-driven decision-making? It all begins with gathering information, be it quantitative or qualitative.
- Quantitative data involves concrete numbers
- Qualitative data centers around people’s opinions and experiences
Both offer unique perspectives to inform your decision-making process. Perhaps you have ten individuals interested in a Bible study at 5 in the evenings, but only three for a session at 7. Such insights empower you to make choices aligned with the needs and preferences of your community.
Once you have the data, analysis comes into play. It allows you to draw meaningful conclusions and make informed decisions that will yield positive outcomes for your ministry.
In a nutshell, data-driven decision-making holds tremendous potential for priests, pastors, and any parish leader. By embracing the power of data, you can unlock new possibilities, ensure your efforts are impactful, and faithfully serve your parishioners.
As you read through this article, I hope it sparks this question in your mind: How can my data serve my mission? Moreover, how can you better serve your parishioners and fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples?
The Importance of Data In Parish Leadership
I’ve had numerous experiences serving on finance councils and various other roles within the Church. There have been moments when we had to make on-the-spot decisions, and at one point in time, I relied on my intuition.
Now, I pray about the decisions I have to make and seek additional information and data about the situation. For instance, I was once entrusted with training the altar servers in my parish despite my limited experience serving at the altar.
During the first meeting, only about half of them showed up. I assumed that an email in English would suffice to get everyone there. But, I realized that I needed to include translations in different languages. As a result, only one particular group attended the meeting.
At the next meeting, not all the kids were having fun despite my efforts. I had to consider what sort of things would make the altar server training more beneficial to them. What would get them more involved?
Surprisingly, I learned that I made it way too hard on myself. And that by asking them, I was not only able to increase the impact of our ministry for the altar servers but also my ministry in training them. I was also able to make it easier on myself and less expensive for the parish, which meant that they could take that money and use it elsewhere or do something fun later in the year for the altar servers. I had made an intuitive decision at the outset, which wasn’t the best decision.
By collecting data throughout the experience, I could take an ‘okay’ experience and then scale outreach to people interested in that ministry and increase effectiveness among the members in the group. This leads to more efficient ministry while reducing the risks of new ministry. If I had taken the necessary steps beforehand to gather data, I could have made it more successful from the start, while minimizing the chances of an ineffective ministry.
This approach allows you to increase impact, be more aware of future needs, and better serve your parishioners and ministries.
Types of Data That Matter to Catholic Leaders
As a Catholic priest or any parish leader, it’s crucial to focus on the metrics and factors that enhance each ministry’s growth. Within most parishes, each ministry is unique and multifaceted, so the considerations for one may differ from another.
You can start by examining the sacraments received by different age groups and identifying those who haven’t received them.
Additionally, it may be helpful to know who consistently contributes to your parish and who hasn’t in recent years. This information can guide your outreach efforts tailored to each individual’s needs. And tracking attendance at specific parish events, Bible studies, or other ministries can provide valuable insights.
Consider sending out a survey through ParishStaq, where you can ask parishioners for more input, like the right timing for Bible study classes. If someone expressed interest but never attended, it might be because the timing didn’t align with their schedule. Once you have this data, you can adjust schedules to accommodate more parishioners.
Combining the data you collect with a church management system like Pushpay allows for a comprehensive overview. You can gain valuable information, make informed decisions based on this combined knowledge, and steer your ministry in the right direction.
