Part I: Engagement

Understanding The Gallup Me25 Survey

For over 70 years, Gallup has been developing instruments that measure the “unmeasurable,” developing systems that accurately measure engagement and other former “intangibles.” Several years ago, Gallup addressed the challenge of measuring spiritual engagement by developing a member engagement survey (ME25), which we recently used. Traditionally, parishes have measured themselves primarily by their attendance, membership, and monetary giving. However, these are outcomes, not causes, of a parish’s spiritual health. The ME25 gives parishes a clearer picture of their spiritual health and research confirms that spiritual health drives all other factors including attendance and financial commitment.

The survey consists of 25 items. Nine items measure individual spiritual commitment, 12 measure parishioner engagement, and four are about life satisfaction—inviting, serving, and giving. The spiritual commitment items are individual and personal, while the engagement items indicate how strongly one feels a sense of belonging within the parish.

Engagement Overview

Below are the results and what they mean, and how they compare to the 2013 survey. The survey shows that 79% (vs. 76% in 2013) of parishioners feel very positive about St. Monica, which compared to the national average, is better than most parishes beginning the Gallup engagement process.

• 33% Engaged (2013: 29%) This is a 4% gain in fully engaged members. This group is loyal with a strong emotional connection to their parish. They are more spiritually committed, more likely to invite others to parish events, and give more, both financially and time.
• 46% Not Engaged (2013: 47%) This number virtually the same: parishioners who attend regularly, but are not emotionally connected, though they have a positive view of the parish. The parish more social than spiritual. They give moderately and may do some volunteering. Our goal will be to move persons in this group to the engaged group.
• 21% Actively Disengaged (2013: 24%) The decline of 3% is very positive. This group attends Mass occasionally, if at all and separated into two types: 1) those who are generally apathetic about the parish, and 2) those who attend more regularly, but are unhappy with many things about the parish.

What’s Next In the coming weeks, we will examine responses in more detail, how our parish compares to other churches, and what the numbers suggest. You can download the complete survey report HERE. If you have any questions, contact Dale Sieverding at or (310) 566-1520.