Deacon Mike Linnenbrink, right, and lay leaders from St. John the Baptist-Houghton, St. James the Less-St. Paul, St. Mary-West Point and St. Boniface-Farmington participate in a Parents and Families at the Center of Faith Formation Project workshop earlier this year at St. Patrick Parish in Iowa City.
By Dan Russo
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Finding ways to use people’s gifts fully, creating an “evangelical frame of mind” and improving lay formation are three issues that will be on the agenda of church leaders who hope to chart a bright future for the Diocese of Davenport.
These topics are coming into focus in light of the recent release of key findings from a diocesan-wide survey on Baptismal Identity and Lay Ministry, which concluded in September.
“This study offers crucial insights into how lay Catholics perceive their vocational call and their level of engagement within the parish structure,” Bishop Dennis Walsh wrote in a Nov. 4 letter to diocesan priests.
Bishop Walsh and the diocesan Synergy Committee, composed of chancery office leaders, created the anonymous, 10-minute online survey earlier this year in an effort to learn what lay Catholics understand about their baptismal identity and how it guides them in living out their faith. About 3,684 lay respondents completed the survey in English or Spanish between July 30 and Sept. 30, according to the survey results.
“I’m grateful for everyone who participated,” said diocesan Evangelization Director Patrick Schmadeke.
The survey was constructed after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked for a nationwide consultation. The results will hopefully help Catholics discern “how the Spirit is calling them to meet the needs of our time,” and will be used to help with decision making, Schmadeke said.
A 19-page report titled “Living Out Our Baptism” accompanied the summary Bishop Walsh provided in his letter.
“The overall results suggest a significant opportunity for growth in the empowerment and formation of the lay faithful. That’s vital, given the current and future trajectory of ordained ministry within our diocese,” the bishop wrote.
The letter to priests outlined three key findings:
Underutilization of charisms
A primary and concerning finding is the low rate of reported gift utilization, the bishop wrote. Only 31% of the lay respondents indicated that their God-given gifts (charisms) were being recognized and actively used in the parish. Furthermore, only 55% of responding clergy felt their own ministerial gifts were fully utilized. “This highlights a clear need to develop mechanisms for identifying and deploying the abundant spiritual gifts present in our communities.”
Formation in evangelization
The survey data reveals a significant hesitancy regarding faith sharing. Approximately 38% of lay respondents expressed confidence in sharing their faith journey, and only 36% felt comfortable sharing their faith with fellow parishioners. Seven in 10 respondents shared their faith with a non-practicing Christian three times or less in the past year. This strongly suggests that a shift is required from simply performing tasks to cultivating an authentic “evangelical frame of mind,” the bishop wrote.
Need for enhanced formation
Many laity are currently performing essential leadership functions in key areas such as Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), sacramental preparation and liturgical ministries, the bishop wrote. However, the survey indicates that existing pastoral practices often fail to resonate meaningfully with the contemporary experience of the faithful. The survey suggests that lay leaders could benefit from more intentional and sophisticated formation to move beyond execution and into genuine transformation of their respective ministries.
The survey included questions such as:
- Do you feel that your baptism is core to your identity?
- Does your parish have organized conversations about how the Holy Spirit is calling the community to mission?
- As a layperson, do you feel that you share responsibility for the work and mission of the Church with ordained ministers?
- Who are you comfortable sharing your faith with?
- How many times in the last year have you explicitly shared your faith with someone who is not a practicing Christian?
The survey report offers conclusions based on the responses. Charts and tables found in an appendices help readers understand the information.
“We know that we need to discover how we can continue to journey together as people who understand our Baptism not just as a single event, but as an entrance into a community in which we have a vocation to mission,” reads the survey report.
A PDF of the full report will be made available in the coming weeks, according to Schmadeke.
(Lindsay Steele contributed to this story.)
