P R E S E N TAT I O N T O T H E C O N G R E G AT I O N

A U G U S T 3 1 , 2 0 1 4

RenewalWorks Spiritual Inventory Results and Recommendations

What is RenewalWorks?

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• An Episcopal Planning tool that provides a process for:

• Assessing the spiritual vitality of a congregation

• Training a task force from the congregation to interpret the results

• Examining the life of the congregation in light of the survey results to discern how the congregation is and is not inspiring and supporting of people in their spiritual journey

• Challenging the congregation to better support the spiritual lives of its members through spiritual practices that are key predictors of a vital congregation such as regular worship, Bible reading, personal prayer, and service to people in need.

What is RenewalWorks?

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• The RenewalWorks Spiritual Inventory is designed to answer two questions:

• What is the spiritual health of your church?

• What is your Church’s role in growing Disciples?

What is RenewalWorks?

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• Spiritual Health is measured based on three key components:

• Your Church’s Role

• Personal Spiritual Practices

• Faith in Action

• What Makes a Difference?

• Core beliefs that promote spiritual growth

• Sources of dissatisfaction

• Catalytic church activities

• Basis to develop personal spiritual practices

The people in this group have a

personal relationship with

God. They’ve made a

commitment to trust God with

their future in this life and the next, but they are just

beginning to learn what it

means to be in a relationship with

God.

Growing a Life with God in Christ

Exploring a Life with God in Christ

The people in this group have a basic belief in

God, but they’re unsure about

God’s role in their lives.

A Christ-centered Life with God

The people in this group would

identify their relationship with God as the most

important relationship in

their entire lives. They see their lives as fully

surrendered to God,

subordinating everything to God’s will and

desires.

Deepening in Life with God in Christ

The people in this group

depend on God, but they see

God as someone who assists them in the things that

are important to their life. On a

daily basis, they turn to God for

help and guidance for

issues they face.

Spiritual Continuum Profile 5

Movement through the Spiritual Continuum

Center Deepen

Grow Explore

Movement 1

• Helps me develop a relationship with Christ

• Engages me in the Sacraments in a way that helps me grow spiritually

• Provides training in how to share

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Movement 2

• Prioritizes my spiritual growth over my church membership • Helps me develop a prayer life that connects me with God regularly

• Provides training in how to share the gospel while serving those in need

Movement 3

• Church leaders are authentic about their struggles

• Encourages me to take personal responsibility for my own spiritual growth

• Consistently challenges me to engage with Scripture in new and interesting ways.

Five Categories of Catalysts that Advance Spiritual Growth

• Spiritual Beliefs and Attitudes

• Organized Church Activities

• Personal Spiritual Practices

• Spiritual Activities with Others

• Spiritual Virtues

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Best Practice Principles

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Best Practice Principles: Finding our story in the numbers

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• Based on each respondent’s answers regarding the importance of the attributes underlying these Best Practice Principles and the respondent’s satisfaction with Saint John’s fulfillment of each attribute, a priority score is calculated.

• This priority score is then compared to the EPS Norm and the All Church Norm (defined on the next slide) to determine those attributes which the congregation considers to be of:

• Great Urgency • Concern but not great urgency • Not much of a concern • Not a concern at all

• Interestingly, Saint John’s did not have one attribute that was “Not a concern at all”

Comparison Data

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All Church Norm: The average from the more than 1,500 churches of all denominations who have completed the survey since 2008

EPS Norm: The average from the 60 Episcopal Churches with approximately 6,000 congregants who participated in the survey since 2009

Your Church: The results of the Saint John’s Cathedral RenewalWorks Spiritual Inventory.

Response Rate

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Response rate is calculated as a percentage of responses to the survey compared with average weekend adult attendance.

Individual church responses range from 5%-75% of weekend attendance with the average around 40%

For larger churches, a good response rate is between 20–30%.

Saint John’s Cathedral Response Rate

Average Weekly Adult Attendance: 698

Number of RenewalWorks Surveys Completed: 356

Saint John’s Response Rate: 51%

Saint John’s Cathedral RenewalWorks Spiritual Inventory Data

Demographics of those who completed the survey

69%

27%

4%

70%

27%

3%

47%43%

9%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

Age 50+ Age 30-49 Age 19-29

Age

Your Church EPS Norm All Church Norm

11%

38%

51% 48%

10%

32%

59%

45%

12%

39%

50%54%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Income under $30K

Income $30K -$74.9K

Income $75K or more

Full-time Employment

Employment Status and Income

Your Church EPS Norm All Church Norm

5%

21%

57%

8%

30%

74%

8%

42%

78%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Diversity: Non-White, including Hispanics

Children under 18 at home Married

Diversity, Presence of Kids, Marital Status

Your Church EPS Norm All Church Norm

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Church Tenure

34%

20%

37%

9%

50%

19%

26%

5%

43%

13%

33%

11%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

More than ten years

Six to ten years

One to five years

Less than one year

Church Tenure

Your Church EPS Norm All Church Norm

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Exploring a Life with God

The people in this group are taking the first, small

steps in an intentional spiritual

journey.

19%EPS Norm

All Norm

17%16%

The people in this group are

more committed to their Christian

faith, but still there are a lot of

questions.

Growing a Life with God

58%EPS Norm

All Norm

56%

45%

Deepening in Life with God

The people in this group have a faith by which

they rely on God’s presence

and power in their daily lives.

19%EPS Norm

All Norm

22%24%

Life with God in the Center

For people living in this group, the Christian faith is

the most important

relationship in their lives.

4%EPS Norm

All Norm

4%15%

Spiritual Continuum Profile of Saint John’s Cathedral

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Spiritual Beliefs and Attitudes (Percentage of those who responded that they very strongly agreed)

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Grace There is nothing I can do

or have done to earn God’s love.

35% EPS

Norm All

Norm

Trinity I believe in the Trinity:

Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

50%

All Norm

EPS Norm

Authority of Scripture I believe the Bible has authority

over what I say and do.

10%

All Norm

EPS Norm

Relational God I believe God is actively involved in all my life.

41% EPS

Norm All

Norm

Baptismal Identity I exist to know, love and

serve God.

29% EPS

Norm All

Norm

Total Spiritual Continuum

Church I believe I can grow as a

Christian more fully as an active member of a local church.

36% EPS

Norm All

Norm

Explore Grow Deepen Center

15% 31% 59% 90%

21% 49% 76% 80%

0% 9% 16% 70%

16% 36% 70% 100%

3% 24% 59% 90%

16% 38% 43% 80%

Spiritual Beliefs and Attitudes

(Percentage of those who responded that they very strongly agreed)

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EPS Norm

Single-Mindedness I desire God to be first in

my life.

28%

EPS Norm

All Norm

Total

Stewardship I believe a Christian is

called to sacrificially offer time, talent, and treasure.

36%

EPS Norm

All Norm

Spiritual Gifts I know and use my

spiritual gifts to fulfill God’s purpose.

10%

EPS Norm

All Norm

Giving Away My Life I am willing to risk everything that is important in my life for

Jesus Christ.

10%

EPS Norm

All Norm

19%

EPS Norm

Eucharist I believe that participating in Holy Communion gives me strength to persevere in my

spiritual life.

39%

Baptismal Covenant I believe the Baptismal Covenant is the eternal

guide for my spiritual life.

Spiritual Continuum

3% 24% 53% 90%

Explore Grow Deepen Center

15% 35% 53% 90%

1% 9% 16% 50%

0% 6% 26% 70%

3% 19% 30% 50%

13% 37% 61% 90%

Best Practice Principles

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Best Practice Principles: Finding our story in the numbers

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White = Not much of a concern

Red = Great Urgency

Yellow = Concern but not great urgency

Green = Not a concern at all

Best Practice Principles: Get People Moving

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Your Church Episcopal Norm

VS. EPS Norm

B1: Provides a clear pathway that helps guide my spiritual growth

4.2 3.6

B2: Encourages me to take personal responsibility for my own spiritual growth

3.6 2.6 y

B3: Prioritizes my spiritual growth over my church membership 4.4 3.1 y

B4: Senior church leaders are actively engaged in helping people get started on their spiritual growth

4.9 3.2 y

VS. All Church Norm

y

y

r

y

Best Practice Principles: Embed the Bible

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VS. All Church Norm

r

y

r

r

y

Your Church Episcopal Norm

VS. EPS Norm

C1: Helps me understand the Bible in greater depth 4.1 3.5

C2: Helps me develop a prayer life that connects me with God regularly

5.2 3.7 r

C3: Church leaders provide sound doctrine rooted in Biblical truth

1.5 1.9

C4: Provides worship that is challenging and thought provoking 4.4 4.4

C5: Consistently challenges me to engage with Scripture in new and interesting ways

4.0 3.2

C6: Scripture engagement is part of every experience people have at our church

1.7 1.7

C7: Engages me in the Sacraments in a way that helps me grow spiritually *

3.2 2.3

C8: Provides liturgy that encourages encounter with God in worship *

2.9 2.9

C9: Provides liturgy with music that feeds my spirit * 1.4 2.3

C10: Provides liturgy that encourages spiritual practices throughout the week *

3.5 3.0

Best Practice Principles: Create Ownership

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Your Church Episcopal Norm

VS. EPS Norm

D1: Helps me in my time of emotional need 6.6 3.8 r

D2: Helps me develop relationships that encourage accountability

3.7 2.4 y

D3: Helps me feel like I belong 6.0 3.4 r

D4: Provides opportunities to grow spiritually through relationships with others

5.0 3.0 r

D5: Sets clear expectations about what it means to be part of the church

2.5 2.2

D6: Inspires such a sense of ownership that the church becomes an important part of who I am

4.4 2.4 r

D7: Encourages me to be respectful and welcoming to people of other faith traditions *

1.3 1.4

D8: Deepens my sense of community by serving alongside others *

4.0 3.1

VS. All Church Norm

r

r

r

r

Best Practice Principles: Pastor the Community

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Your Church Episcopal Norm

VS. EPS Norm

E1: Provides opportunities for me to serve those in need 4.0 1.5 r

E2: Promotes a strong serving culture that is widely recognized by the local community

4.0 2.3 y

E3: Empowers me to go out “on my own” to make a significant impact in the lives of others

3.4 1.9 r

E4: Allows me to use and develop my spiritual gifts 4.8 2.8 r

E5: Provides training in how to integrate my faith with service to those in need

4.5 2.5 r

E6: Church leaders are a recognized voice on important local community issues

3.0 1.5 r

E7: Encourages my participation in faith-based political advocacy *

1.4 -0.1

E8: Encourages my participation in inter-faith conversations * 1.5 1.1

VS. All Church Norm

r

y

r

r

r

Top 5 Reasons for Dissatisfaction Based on Priority Score

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1. Helps me feel like I belong

2. Helps me in my time of emotional need

3. Church leaders model and consistently reinforce how to grow spiritually

4. Prioritize my spiritual growth over my church membership

5. Church leaders are authentic about their struggles

What people want most from Saint John’s Cathedral Measured by Importance Score

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1. Provides worship that is challenging and thought provoking 2. Helps me feel that I belong 3. Helps me in my time of emotional need 4. Provides liturgy with music that feeds my spirit 5. Encourages me to be respectful and welcoming to people of other faith traditions 6. Provides liturgy that encourages encounter with God in worship 7. Church leaders model and consistently reinforce how to grow spiritually 8. Church leaders are authentic about their struggles 9. Provides opportunities to grow spiritually through relationships with others 10. Engages me in the Sacraments in a way that helps me grow spiritually 11. Challenges me to grow and take next steps spiritually

What works best at Saint John’s Cathedral Measured by satisfaction score

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1. Provides liturgy and music that feeds my spirit 2. Encourages me to be respectful and welcoming to people of other faith traditions 3. Provides liturgy that encourages encounter with God in worship 4. Provides worship that is challenging and thought provoking 5. Engages me in the Sacraments in a way that helps me grow spiritually 6. Church leaders provide sound doctrine rooted in Biblical truth 7. Provides liturgy that encourages spiritual practices throughout the week 8. Church leaders model and consistently reinforce how to grow spiritually 9. Deepens my sense of community by serving alongside others 10. Promotes a strong serving culture that is widely recognized by the local community 11. Empowers members of the congregation to serve in leadership roles

RenewalWorks Committee Recommendations

The Process

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• Formed a committee of 25 lay persons

• Met five times from March to June

• Reviewed the data and developed recommendations based on the following criteria: • Does the recommendation address a Best Practice Principle?

• Get People Moving

• Embed the Bible

• Create Ownership

• Pastor the Community

• Does the recommendation satisfy a need expressed in data?

• Does the recommendation address a dissatisfaction?

• Is the recommendation realistic?

• Can we measure the results of the recommendation?

Recommendations

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Our broad rubric for recommendations was that of Spiritual Growth Outreach

Large Groups

Small Groups

Personal Spiritual Pracitices

The clergy, staff, and lay leaders will work together to implement programmatic responses to the data.

We will continue to communicate as effectively as possible about opportunities for going deeper with God.

Outreach 30

Recommendation Best Practice Principle

Share with the congregation what Saint John’s Cathedral is doing through its outreach ministries

Pastor the community

Use the Dream Together Conference to harvest data about what hopes there might be for our life of outreach or use of our facility within the surrounding community and Denver

Pastor the community

Engage in the training of mentors and lay leaders in outreach ministries

Create Ownership

Large Groups

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Recommendation Best Practice Principle

Fellowship opportunities like a coffee hour with no purpose beyond socializing and getting to know one another

Get People Moving

Lay leaders "moment" minutes as a different way to offer the announcements & invite congregation

Create Ownership

Increase awareness about opportunities for prayer and our Eucharistic services

Get People Moving

One Sunday a month invite the person in the pew next to you to come with you to coffee hour

Create Ownership

Small Groups

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Recommendation Best Practice Principle

Form a curriculum-based small groups program. The small groups will be organized by demographics, and will engage in either book or bible study with the assistance of a trained lay leader to facilitate study and conversation around the chosen study materials. Location and timing of the small group meetings will vary based on the availability of the group members.

Embed the Bible

Create a small group program focused on volunteering as a group in the community, and include purposeful reflection on their service together linking it with their faith.

Pastor the community

Personal Spiritual Practices

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Recommendation Best Practice Principle

Expand resources and knowledge of the bible (for example, pew bibles, bulletin information, handouts).

Embed the Bible

Interactive Bible Workshop or Various Bible Studies Embed the Bible

Tie sermons more closely to the bible readings for that week Embed the Bible

Education on elements of our worship services Embed the Bible

Personal Spiritual Practices

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Prayer • Names of people with prayer requests in the bulletin

• Give people the opportunity to submit prayer requests by placing their request in the offertory plate

• Offer prayer workshops

• Communicate existing online and other resources for prayer life development

Next Steps

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1. RenewalWorks Committee began its work in March 2014

2. RenewalWorks Survey results presented to the Vestry at its June meeting

3. RenewalWorks Committee Recommendations presented to the Vestry at its August meeting

4. Various programs have been developed and are being immediately implemented to address some of the issues raised by the survey

5. A smaller group of lay people from the RenewalWorks Committee has agreed to continue their work with this project as an implementation team to assist with and a be resource for those tasked with developing programs based on the data and these recommendations

Many thanks to the members of the RenewalWorks Committee!!

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Leigh Grinstead Jennifer Harrelson Heidi Harris Seth Kent John Lake Eric Lazzari Leah Lazzari Tyler Mahan Carolyn McCormick Mike Orr Brian O'Shea Eileen Rizzo Susan Sweeney

Chris Alexander Joan Barker David Barr Ashley Bracken Megan Bradley Andrew Britton Sophia Burris John Chenier Annie Croner Amy Davis Jack Denman Everett Engstrom David Grey