This page provides answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about Called for More generally. For questions about the CLI Portal and/or user guides, please click here. You can also download and print a version of these FAQs at the link below:
Overall Project Questions
- What is this project all about?
- The Called For More Pilot is an initiative of the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). CLI is an international Catholic apostolate founded almost 30 years ago to support all leaders in the Roman Catholic Church with the best leadership tools and training to fulfill their roles in the Church. CLI received a grant from the Lilly Endowment to pilot a new process to support priests and parishes to thrive in ministry. By gathering information about each priest and each parish, the pilot seeks to give parishioners more awareness about the needs and opportunities of their local community: priests more awareness and support around their ongoing ministerial development, and the diocese better information with which to consider and discern priestly assignments and parish support.
- Why is my diocese participating?
- Catholic Leadership Institute’s grant calls for 12-15 dioceses in the United States to participate in the pilot. Your diocesan bishop and his senior leadership have opted to accept the invitation to participate. CLI’s criteria for participation included the 1) bishop and diocese’s desire to support their priests and parishes better, 2) dioceses of different sizes and locations, 3) bishops and dioceses willing to have all of their parishes and priests participate, 4) bishops and dioceses with larger strategic objectives to help encourage growth in their parishes and among their priests.
- This is called a “pilot.” What does that mean?
- Catholic Leadership Institute is inviting 12-15 dioceses to help us pilot a better way to support priests and parishes. While CLI is leveraging its almost 30-year history of serving the Church in over 100 dioceses and the extensive research on parish life completed over the last 10 years, many of the tools being developed are new and will require refinement. The diocese’s participation is being underwritten by the Lilly Endowment and many other donors in order to test these tools and receive feedback in the hopes of creating support the entire Church can benefit from in the future.
- Is the diocese doing this to justify closing parishes?
- No. The primary purpose is to help improve the overall experience for our parishioners and our priests in their discipleship and leadership.
- What type of data is being collected and why?
- The data collected is related to two primary areas: 1) the priests and 2) the parishes. The objective of all the data being collected is to provide the most comprehensive snapshot possible for both of these important constituencies.
- With respect to the priests, the data includes basic demographic information (e.g. age, projected retirement), competency assessment (e.g. skills and attitudes), and ministry preference information (e.g. the type of assignment preferred, aspects of ministry that provide the most joy).
- With respect to the parishes, the data includes the self-reported sacramental and financial metrics of the parish, parishioner feedback via CLI’s Disciple Maker Index, perspective from a select group of parish ministry leaders, and third-party community information provided by the census and other publicly available demographic sources (e.g. ethnic communities present, population trends)
- How will the data that is being collected be used?
- The parish-related data will be shared with parish leadership so that the parish can craft an action plan for growth and/or expand or refine existing outreach and services.
- The priest-related data will be shared with the priest to develop an individualized growth plan that will identify areas of interest and ongoing development in which the diocese can support him.
- The diocese will have access to both sets of data in order to use it in designing parish and clergy support initiatives as well as informing discernment about potential clergy assignments at some point in the future.
- How will the data that is being collected be stored and protected?
- Catholic Leadership Institute is establishing a platform where the data will be stored and can be accessed by the diocese, priests, and parishes with various levels of permission. This will be protected by a third-party vendor that will keep the cyber security up to date.
- With whom will the data that is being collected be shared?
- The parish data will be shared with the pastor/administrator and the parish team assembled for the project. It is recommended that these leaders share the insights gained and actions discerned with the broader community in an appropriate fashion (support will be provided).
- The priest data will be shared with the priest himself, as well as the Vicar General, Vicar for Clergy/Ongoing Priest Personnel Director, and the Bishop, and others involved in the priest-parish assignment process.
Priest-Specific Questions
- As a priest, do I have to participate?
- A primary goal of this project is that every bishop and diocese know and care for their priests better. Care and support can best be provided when those who are providing it have a good sense of the overall person. CLI and your diocese hope that you will enter into this project that way. Additionally, your diocese committed to have the priests participate. Finally, your absence would create a gap in another primary goal of the effort which is to have a complete snapshot of the presbyterate to better inform assignments and support.
- What is the point of all these different types of questions?
- The priest profile has four distinct sections with different purposes. Below is the intended objective of each:
- Basic Information: This section asks for some biographical information that makes sure the diocese has your accurate ordination year, assignment history, and most importantly certifications and experiences you have had that may provide more insight into your giftedness as a priest.
- Preferences and Passions: This section asks you to rank or prioritize some things that are important to you about ministry and the way you approach it. There are no right or wrong answers. We are trying to understand what brings you joy and how you approach ministry. We also want to understand your perception of what your strengths and opportunities are as a priest.
- Peer Perspective: This is a chance to invite 3 priests or people you know in ministry to provide their perspective on your strengths and opportunities. Please pick people who know you best in ministry and can speak to those gifts.
- Strengths and Styles: This section will take you to a third-party partner, Infor, that provides resources and inventories for ongoing development and coaching. CLI is testing the Infor system as a way to provide an unbiased inventory into gifts and talents. This is comparable to a DISC or Myers Briggs type of tool but much more robust. This instrument represents your preferred leadership behaviors and is not a determinant of how you will act in every situation.
- The priest profile has four distinct sections with different purposes. Below is the intended objective of each:
- How long will the priest profile take to complete?
- All four sections should take about an hour in total. You should try to finish each section in one sitting but you can take a break and come back to it should your schedule require.
- What is Infor and why is CLI using it for this project?
- Infor is a leader in performance management and coaching resources. The 10-20 minutes you will spend with the inventory will provide you with some insight into strengths and talents and enable a plethora of coaching resources designed to support your ongoing leadership development. In addition to your own self-reflection and what your peers might add, it’s helpful to have a comprehensive perspective so you can dig deeper and consider next steps in your growth. You will need to agree to the terms and give your permission for the Diocese and CLI to have access to your results.
- What if I am uncomfortable with sharing this information?
- CLI will share everything you have provided back to you. This information is commonly captured across other industries and is meant only to support your ongoing formation and the future assignment decisions your diocese will make. Should you want to discuss this more, please feel free to contact your diocesan team or Catholic Leadership Institute.
- When will I see the results of this information?
- Catholic Leadership Institute has scheduled or will schedule opportunities for the priests to gather in person to receive the full results so that you have an opportunity to walk through it and ask questions of Catholic Leadership Institute. Please look for those dates from your diocese.
- Who should I ask to complete the “peer perspective” section?
- Catholic Leadership Institute suggests you pick three priests who know you best in ministry. Consider an associate who ministered with you or your pastor when you were an associate. Perhaps there is a priest who assists at your parish or someone with whom you worked on a diocesan project that knows you well. If you choose, you can also select a colleague in ministry who is not a priest.
- What if I am uncomfortable using a computer?
- Please contact your representative from Catholic Leadership Institute and we will assist you in completing the inventory.
- What is an “individualized growth plan”?
- An individualized growth plan is a tool for ministerial and personal development. The individual priest or leader identifies objectives for growth that are important to him and align with the feedback he has received from other perspectives. The plan further outlines the strategies and experiences that would best support the successful fulfillment of those learning objectives. These strategies might include certification or graduate studies, leadership experiences or roles, ongoing support resources like executive coaching.
- With whom do I have to share my individualized growth plan?
- Per the expectations of the grant, the priests should share their individualized growth plan with the Vicar for Clergy. Beyond that, we would encourage sharing the plan with leadership in your parish/assignment so they can be aware of your learning goals as well as family and friends.
- Who are the “coach-mentors” described in this project?
- Crafting an excellent growth plan and exploring data can be challenging. In order to support you through this process, the project also includes the recruitment, training, and ongoing support of coach-mentors within your diocese. These are clergy and lay leaders who have volunteered to provide one on one or small group support in helping priests craft growth plans and helping parishes discern their action plans.
- How will I be matched with a coach-mentor?
- This will vary by diocese. A “Coach Lead” has been designated in each diocese who will coordinate the process.
- What if I don’t like the coach-mentor I am matched with?
- Sometimes this happens. Fit is important You can request a new coach-mentor and all effort will be made to match you with a compatible coach-mentor. Simply connect with the “Coach Lead” designated in your diocese. You may also have an existing resource, and you may work with that individual for this purpose.
- Will this mean I will be changing assignments?
- No. This project does not require or expect the transfer of priests. The hope is that upon the time when the diocese (or the priest) may be exploring new assignments, all parties will have greater awareness and more helpful tools to assist in the process.
- How does this work if I pastor multiple parishes?
- The information for each of your individual parishes will be recorded as reflected by its canonical status. If the parishes are canonically separate, they will be captured as such. If there is one parish with multiple worship sites from pre-existing parishes, it will be captured as one parish with multiple sites. The priest information will be separate.
- Which priests are participating?
- Catholic Leadership Institute asked that all active diocesan priests participate. This includes any active diocesan priests serving outside of the diocese at the present moment. Additionally, CLI asks that all extern priests serving in parish ministry, as well as any religious priests serving in parish ministry participate.
- This seems very parish-focused; what about other roles in which priest serve?
- We know you wear many hats. While we cannot catalogue every distinct role in every diocese at this point in the project, we do hope to develop some profiles for different types of roles that are common across dioceses (e.g. diocesan administration, school, chaplaincy).
Parish Specific Questions
- As a parishioner, do I have to participate?
- Catholic Leadership Institute and the Diocese are eager to receive as much feedback as possible so that your bishop, priests, and lay leaders can support your discipleship as best as possible. While you are under no obligation to participate, your feedback will help provide a more accurate snapshot of where your parish can best support you and your friends and family in the community.
- What if our parish recently did a survey, do we have to do this?
- Yes. The Disciple Maker Index is different than most typical parish surveys. It asks parishioners to reflect on not only where they are in their relationship with the parish but more importantly where are they in their journey of faith. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and is an invaluable resource for your parish.
- What if our parish already has a pastoral or strategic plan?
- Great work! The feedback that you receive from this project can help you validate your existing goals and plans or inform some refinements to make your current plan even that much stronger. You may even be able to measure the impact of some of the plans you have already put in place.
- We have a very multi-cultural parish; how will all of our different ethnic communities be able to participate?
- The primary feedback tool for your whole parish community will be the Disciple Maker Index. This instrument is translated into 17 different languages and offered both online and on paper.
- Who should make up the “Key Parish Leaders”?
- We ask that minimally 5, maximum of 10 individuals, one of whom will be the parish primary point of contact, comprise this group. Key leaders should be active and influential parishioners. They will be asked to complete the Key Parish Leader Survey.
- Who should serve as the “parish primary point of contact”?
- Each parish needs a primary point of contact in addition to the pastor/administrator. Preferably this is someone on staff, but the most important criteria is that they are a responsive, detail-oriented, excellent communicator who can help get information out and be a reliable point of contact for the project.
- What is the parish’s cost to participate?
- There is no cost to the parish to participate beyond your time and feedback. This project is made possible through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment and other donors to Catholic Leadership Institute.
- We have an older parish and many parishioners don’t use computers – what do we do?
- The primary feedback tool for your whole parish community will be the Disciple Maker Index. This is primarily administered online but paper versions are available. Parishioners can simply give them to the parish office and the parish office will send them to CLI to be input.
- What type of support will be offered to the parish teams?
- Given the number of parishes participating at one time, CLI will provide a series of parish-focused webinars that parish leaders can participate on at their convenience. Additionally, CLI staff will be available for follow-up questions. Most importantly, the Diocese will have a network of coaches-mentors on the ground that can provide additional support.
- What if the diocese has information about the parish that is inaccurate or outdated?
- Part of our hope with this project is to highlight those issues and resolve them. Each parish will be able to receive the information available about them and identify items that may have been reported or captured inaccurately or that may be out of date.
