Mission Action Planning for Niagara – second update

Marlie Whittle

We have worked hard to ensure that the process of discovery and discernment at the Diocese of Niagara is inclusive and thorough. We are co-creating a vision for the future in which we can see ourselves and our parishes. 

Our MAP Leadership Committee has gathered and analyzed data which will help us craft our Mission Action Plan.

The data collected about our external environment includes:

• Angus Reid Studies on Religion in Canada
• Canada Helps 2018 Giving Report
• Statistics Canada’s Annual Demographic Estimates
• Reports on Canada’s Rural population
• Significant events, globally and nationally, that will drive change in our communities
• Demographic statistics and trends by city/ town in the diocese
• A total of nineteen ‘Community Discovery’ interviews with nonprofit organizations and service providers in our neighbourhoods
• Focus groups and surveys about Community and Spirituality with people who are currently not in our churches
• We have listened and learned about what is happening in the Diocese of Niagara through:
• Four (4) open forum sessions throughout the diocese, attended by over 300 people
• Ten (10) face-to-face interviews with staff, clergy or volunteers about the history and current direction of the diocese
• 301 surveys submitted containing the opinions, hopes and dreams of clergy and lay people in every region of the diocese
• A thorough financial analysis to determine the health of the diocese

Stay informed! We will be sending out MAP updates through our monthly Diocesan E-news, which you can sign up for at the Diocese of Niagara’s website, and through Facebook and Twitter.

Marlie Whittle is Business Development Associate & Consultant to Nonprofits, M&M International.