CLIENT
St. John Neumann Catholic Church
West Lake Hills, Texas
SERVICE
Assessment Report &
Long-Range Pastoral Planning
PARISHIONERS
7,222
REGISTERED FAMILIES
2,772
The Challenge
St. John Neumann Catholic Church entered long-range planning with significant strengths already in place. Five years on a documented Divine Renovation path, a published Parish Covenant, a Parish Leadership Team, and a strong Sunday Experience had created unusual momentum.
The parish needed an objective assessment that could honor those strengths, study engagement across a large faith community, and identify the next steps in a comprehensive Catholic parish pastoral planning process.
The Approach
ISPD conducted one-on-one conversations with clergy, staff, lay leaders, and parishioners; facilitated a twenty-area assessment questionnaire with parish leadership; and analyzed two administrations of the Gallup ME25 Member Engagement Survey representing 1,671 responses.
The Assessment Report identified 21 observation areas, 39 commendations, eight suggestions the parish could act on immediately, and 20 recommendations, each traced to the observation that produced it.
Using ISPD’s 7 I’s of Developing a Catholic Parish, the process found a community strong at Inform and still building at Invite and Involve—a parish filled with committed, capable Catholics who had not always been personally invited into deeper participation.
The Results
All 21 Gallup measures improved in one year, engaged members increased from 24% to 34%, and spiritual commitment reached 4.38—above the seventy-fifth percentile of all faith communities measured by Gallup. During the assessment period, the parish’s new Director of Development presented its first Legacy Giving Commitment Gift Form and received a $1 million commitment. The parish now moves into a broad survey, Steering Committee, Parish Planning Team, and parish-wide Convocation.
21
Gallup engagement measures improved in one year
24% → 34%
growth in engaged parish members
$1M
first legacy giving commitment received
The Lesson
Sometimes the capacity is already present. An objective assessment and a genuine invitation can reveal the people, commitment, and generosity needed to carry a parish toward its next horizon.
