Data Collection and Analysis
The Long Range Planning Team has gathered and analyzed a large amount of both external and internal data to aid in developing its final products. External information sources have included the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), the Metropolitan Council 2030 Regional Development Framework, the Dakota County 2030 Plan, Minnesota State Demographic Reports, the 2008 Lakeville Comprehensive Land Use, and the Archdiocesan Regional Census Data. Internal data sources have included meetings with key staff and ministry leaders, facility tours, and a parish-wide survey conducted in October 2008.
Once the data was collected, we looked for trends to use in developing core values, mission, vision, and overarching goals for the church. We identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges for our parish as we move forward. This phase will lead us to the identification and prioritization of critical issues facing our parish; these critical issues will later be used in developing goals, objectives and (annual) action planning.
We identified several key demographic projections which will impact All Saints Catholic Church. Dakota County expects to see an increase of almost 50% in residents and households by the year 2030, and Lakeville expects similar growth. By 2030, seniors (age 65+) will comprise 20% of the Dakota County population and the number of seniors living alone is expected to increase 244%. The number of residents under 65 who live alone is expected to increase 95%.
Our current parish database provided a picture of the All Saints’ community today. Our current membership is close to 3150 households and over 11,000 individual members. The three largest age groups in our current membership are 10-20 years, 0-10 years, and 41-50 years. Females outnumber males in all age groups except 51-60 year olds. Our community has grown consistently to date, attracting approximately 20% of the Lakeville population. Sixty-eight percent of our households include two adults and children; 9% include one adult and children; 14% include two adults; and another 9% include one adult. Lakeville residents comprise 70% of our membership, with another 10% coming from Farmington.
The Long Range Planning Committee received a good deal of information from the Parish Administration on the financial health of All Saints. For more information on our financial picture, please refer to Father Wilson’s recent overview in the February 1, 2009 bulletin and the recent “Call to Stewardship” booklet provided to our parish community.
The Long Range Planning Committee conducted a parish-wide survey in October 2008 to get essential input from our parish community for the development of our final guiding statements and documents. We received approximately 400 responses from the community, representing just over 6% of our adult parish members. Seventy percent of the respondents have been members of All Saints Catholic Church for at least six years. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents were female, and 83% of the respondents were married. Fifty-two percent of the respondents had children under the age of 18. Approximately three-quarters of the respondents attend Mass weekly at All Saints. While 6% is not a large percentage of our adult members, the information provided in the survey responses is very important and will continue to be considered as we move forward with our planning process.
The respondents to the survey cited many strengths within our parish community, most frequently mentioning the clergy and homilies, the large variety of programs available for service and for learning, the sense of community within the parish, and the parish school. These same strengths were cited as continuing to nourish the faith of the respondents, with the largest group of respondents saying the Mass and the homilies provide this nourishment.
The respondents also discussed their serious concerns for our parish. The most frequent concerns included the finances, debt, and spending of our parish as well as the financial stewardship of our members. Youth ministry was cited as an area of serious concern, as well as the number of recent clergy changes experienced at All Saints and the need for an expansion of our current facilities were cited as concerns.
The most frequently mentioned area for improvement was music, particularly in regard to appealing to our youth. Additional areas for improvement mentioned were increasing parishioner financial giving, welcoming and integrating new members, and increasing the number of volunteers involved in our many ministries.
Finally, the survey respondents looked to future opportunities for our parish community. They asked for additional youth programs and increased youth involvement at Mass as well as additional adult faith formation opportunities. They asked for an enhanced music program and for increased sacramental opportunities, including more opportunities for youth involvement in the Mass.
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