St. Michael's Search Committee 2025

Prayer for our search for a new rectoR 

Almighty God, look graciously on the people of St. Michael's. Be with us and lead us as we seek  the next rector for our church. We ask your direction and guidance for those who shall choose our new spiritual leader, that we may receive a faithful pastor who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries. Grant us perception, faithfulness and joy, so that we  may hear your voice in all our deliberations. Grant us also the desire and the ability to truly hear each other and those who have entrusted us with this process. Give us courage to respond and act as you lead us. Come Holy Spirit. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

CAT SURVEY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY RESULTS

The Rector Search committee is grateful to all of you who took the time to complete the CAT survey, and we are pleased to share this Executive Summary of your answers to the expansive variety of questions.

The Congregation Assessment Tool (“CAT”) Survey is a professionally designed and administered survey where results are interpreted with assistance from a specialist from the Diocese of Chicago. The Survey helps a congregation to understand their characteristics and profile, particularly in comparison to other congregations, to explore values and aspirations for the future, and to assist in discerning qualities that would be appropriate in calling a new rector to the parish. The Survey was conducted between September 14 and October 6, 2025, open to all parishioners 16 years and older, resulting in 166 responses (from 321 email invitations).

The survey results indicate that approximately 41% of our members are clearly satisfied with things in the church. This, along with other information, often means that individuals in the church are energized, but they are energized by different things that may not be aligned with a central vision for the church.

• There is a good amount of energy. We are not simply following a ritual. Response to the CAT Survey was high, compared to other congregations.
• Our participation/attendance at Church has been relatively steady for most parishioners over the last 3 years.

Every church exhibits patterns in its life that contain strengths and potential weaknesses. The survey answers indicate that our church has potential strengths related to openness and structure of religious practice. Potential weaknesses include a tendency to become tradition-bound and overwhelmed with needs. As members look to the future, their top four goals are:

• Make necessary changes to attract families with children and youth to our church.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to reach new people and incorporate them into the life of the church.
• Develop the spiritual generosity of the people to financially support the ministry of the church.
• Provide more opportunities for Christian education and spiritual formation at every age and stage of life.

Three goals that are unusually strong for our church are:

• Develop the spiritual generosity of the people to financially support the ministry of the church.
• Strengthen the pastoral response of the church in serving people serving people in times of need (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, etc.).
• Strengthen the management and support of persons in various ministries so that they are able to do what they do best in work that is meaningful and celebrated.

What Critical Abilities do we want in a new Rector?

• Motivational Preaching and Strategic Leadership were our top choices.
• We then ranked Change Management, Teaching/Training, and Pastoral Care as our next priorities (in order).

Other findings:

• When we map “Satisfaction” and “Energy” there is some indication of inefficiency where our higher energy/involvement may not always be aligned with our aspirations and long-term goals. There has been a significant increase in energy and involvement since the 2015 CAT Survey.
• The CAT Survey did not identify any significant internal issues that need to be addressed. This suggests that the leadership can turn its attention to strategic options.
• In looking at Overall Priorities, the one thing that stood out was the need to provide more support for people in different ministries. The implication is that we have a team that may be trying to do too much with too few resources. In general, there was little difference in Priorities across different groups (by age, attendance, etc.). New families and Youth remained at the top of the list for all groups.
• We may be described as a theologically progressive church, highlighting the Episcopalian tenets of scripture, tradition, and reason. Survey results indicate an attitude of adaptability in worship. On the whole, we place a huge value on our Episcopal liturgy and traditions but also desire sermons that help us understand the relevance of Biblical lessons to our own modern lives. This is an important factor in matching with a new rector of similar persuasions.
• Measurements of Performance for the Parish, including Hospitality, Morale, Conflict Management, Governance, Spiritual Vitality, Readiness for Ministry, Engagement in Education, Worship and Music, all scored higher than in the 2015 CAT Survey. One outlier was that we may not be as outgoing and hospitable (perhaps to newcomers) as we think that we might be.

SEARCH PROCESS INFO GRAPHIC