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1. Please see our Timeline. It represents an abbreviated review of what has already happened in the transition process, and where we are going. (Green is what we have done, and blue is what’s next.). Within the last green section, the survey and discussion groups are now complete, and analysis is ongoing.

2. Palm Sunday saw us take a major step along our transition journey. Nineteen members of the Vestry and Transition Committee met in the Great Hall to hear and participate in the presentation of our survey results from HolyCow! Consulting (HCC). Father Pete and several additional folks attended online – thanks to Father Pete for opening the session with prayer. HCC’s Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) survey measures congregational energy and satisfaction, pinpoints organizational/congregational strengths and weaknesses, and discovers where members would like to go in the future. The survey link was mailed to 500 members of the congregation. Printed copies of the survey were provided to congregants that requested a paper copy, and assistance was provided after Sunday services at the church and in other settings for those who needed help completing the survey online. Reminders were provided by email, the church bulletin, Trinity’s website and during announcements on Sunday.  A total of 127 church members responded to the survey, representing a response rate very close to our average weekly attendance.   It was interesting to see how in many areas there was general agreement about our needs, but also there were many areas where differences were noted based on age, length of time as a member and frequency of attendance.

3. Here is short summary of the information HCC presented to Trinity on March 24, 2024 via Zoom.

4. Overall satisfaction:  35% of Trinity members who responded to the survey were clearly satisfied with things in the church.  Another 55% were characterized as ‘on the fence’ and the remaining 10% were dissatisfied.   (Congregational satisfaction was measured by asking survey participants to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement: “On the whole, I am satisfied with how things are in our church.”)

5. When gauging their overall satisfaction with the way things are going in the parish, members are influenced by some issues more than others and these issues vary from congregation to congregation.  At Trinity, the following five factors influenced overall satisfaction most.  When people feel more positive in these areas, they tend to feel more positive overall.  Conversely, when they feel less positive about these factors, they tend to feel less satisfied with their overall experience at Trinity. 

6. Issues that influence overall satisfaction 

7. Our Priest in Charge articulates a clear vision for our church and keeps it before the people in a compelling way.

8. The whole spirit in our congregation makes people want to get as involved as possible.

9. Our Priest in Charge makes things happen. 

10. The leaders of our church show a genuine concern to know what people are thinking when decisions need to be made

11. Our church prepares our members for ministry by helping them discern their gifts.

12. Future priorities.  As Trinity members look towards the future, their top four goals expressed in the survey include:

13. Make necessary changes to attract families with children and youth to our church. 

14. Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to reach new people and incorporate them into the life of the church. 

15. Provide more opportunities for Christian education and spiritual formation at every age and stage of life. 

16. Create more opportunities for people to form meaningful relationships (for example, small groups, nurtured friendships, shared meals, etc.).

17. In comparison to other churches, three goals that are unusually strong for Trinity are 

18. Work to renew and revitalize the community around the church by building coalitions with partners that share this vision and commitment. 

19. Work as an advocate for social and institutional change so that society might better reflect the values of the kingdom of God.

20. Make necessary changes to attract families with children and youth to our church.

21. Surprise, surprise! We are Episcopalians – our parish includes members with many diverse theological viewpoints! And we all like the idea of more hospitality – which our consultant pointed out is directly related to growth.

22. Those interested in a ‘deeper dive’ into the survey findings can see HCC’s Vital Signs for Trinity Episcopal Church at http://bit.ly/TECRedlandsHCCVitalsigns

23. This information is not the end of the conversation, but the beginning. There is much more to discuss and learn. Clearly what we learn from this exercise is related to our overall health as a parish as well as to our search for a new rector. Stay tuned.

24. Discussion Groups: from September 2023 through January of 2024, we had 88 people attend our small group discussions. The Survey Committee has already met once and will reconvene in early April to formulate some conclusions from the many constructive opinions presented and discussed and put them in a summary form that can be used in the Parish profile.

25. If you have not been following this process, please review the previous reports which are archived and easily accessible on this page.

26. Next Steps:

27. Upon completion of the analysis of these two information gathering steps, the Transition Team and Vestry will give a short presentation on the findings and entertain questions and observations. The date is still to be determined, but our intention is that it will be after services on Sunday with refreshments provided.

28. Beyond that, see the timeline. Our Profile writing committee will combine the findings of these surveys with the financial, historical, demographic and other information we have been gathering and produce our parish profile. This document becomes the picture of our parish that helps potential rectors figure out who we are and whether they feel they are a match for our needs. (Not to mention helping us know who we are!) We will then be close to opening the actual search. The Vestry will produce a job description and decide what kind of search to undertake. The profile is then distributed and if all goes well, candidates will flock to our doors. A search committee (yet to be appointed) will vet these candidates and recommend to the Vestry what action should be taken. The Vestry then has the responsibility to make the formal call of a new rector.

29. We are striving for this process to be as open as possible. We are happy to report that the number of responses to our survey exceeded our weekly attendance at services, and we had 88 people participate in the discussion groups.

30. If you have questions about this process, please contact Kathleen in the office, (office@tec-redlands.org ) Bob (drbobbourne@gmail.com) or Andrew (andrewchristopherson@gmail.com )