ACBC-ACU Office of Pastoral Research

      5. Expected Outcomes

      5.1. General

      Enhancement of the effectiveness of the mission of the Catholic Church in Australia through a deeper understanding on the part of its members, particularly those charged with special responsibilities, of the Church's pastoral situation in a changing Australian society and culture.

      5.2. Specific

      A. Pastoral Research & Development

    • Effectively planned pastoral research, cumulated with previous research,  effectively communicated;

    • Enhanced awareness on the part of Bishops, clergy and laity of

      • - the research needs of the Church (especially in the area of the social sciences);

      - the pastoral and policy implications of research findings;

    • Development of a range of pastoral strategies in the light of the findings  of pastoral research;

    • Accomplishment of research projects which both meet professional standards  and are suitable to assist the work of the Church;

    • Collaboration with other agencies and researchers within and outside the  Church and the University;

    • Recuitment of suitable staff and raising of funds for pastoral research;

    • Currently, analysis of the data from the CCLS1996 and NCLS2001 (Catholic),  supplemented by analysis of data from the NCLS Community Survey 1998, World  Values Survey 1983, 1995, NSSS/ISSP series and Censuses, and the 2001  Priests survey; and

    • Accomplishment of the projects on parish vitality and secularisation.

      • B. Communication / Dissemination of Research Findings

    • in reports to the ACBC and individual dioceses, parishes and church agencies

    • in professional conference papers and journals

    • in Catholic popular media

    • in presentations to national, diocesan and parish groups of clergy and  laity

    • in monographs intelligible to the ordinary educated Catholic;

    • by development of a website for the dissemination of findings to  Conference, dioceses and at large.

        • In order to support pastoral planning at national, diocesan and parish  levels. This involves providing detailed information to ACBC, dioceses and  parishes in order to help them understand their own strengths, weaknesses,  opportunities and threats and thus to assist them in their efforts to  increase their vitality.

        Also,

    • Responding to requests for research findings relevant to particular tasks  of church agencies or individuals;
    • Making known research done by others relevant to the Church's mission.
    • Currently, continuing reports, articles and presentations on the CCLS1996  and NCLS2001 (Catholic), and the 2001 Priests survey; culminating in a  research monograph, including the findings of the projects on parish  vitality and secularisation.

      • C. Research Training

    • The gaining of the Ph.D. degree, by the three candidates engaged in research  arising out of CCLS1996, and the publication of relevant parts of their work  in a form accessible and useful to church personnel;

    • Continuing assistance to other pastoral researchers as opportunity offers  and time permits.

      • 5. 3. Critical Success Factors

      A. Pastoral Research & Development

      It seems that in the short to medium term future, there will be no lack of pastoral research projects – mainly of a collaborative nature; the factors critical success in these collaborations are:

    • that the projects are adapted to the Catholic situation;

    • that they are conducted at a higher level in terms of professional  standards;

    • that the data are accessible for analysis without undue restrictions or  complications.

    • the availability of suitably prepared researchers, who require, in order  to engage in pastoral research, qualifications and experience in social  science or psychology, religion, preferably theology, and pastoral ministry  – a combination very difficult to find, especially in Australia;

    • access for staff to suitable professional development, especially in  state-of-the-art analytical techniques, but also in any of the other areas  mentioned above in which they are in need of supplementary training;

      • B. Research Training

      The following are critical to the training of researchers at Ph.D. level in pastoral research:

    • the availability of students interested in doing a psychology /social  science doctorate on a topic related to religion, especially an established  form of Christianity; experience leads us to believe that these are very  few;
    • more appropriate funding vehicles for Postgraduate students than ACU  Linkages APA(I) grants; the topic of the thesis is predefined; students  prefer to be much freer to develop their own topic.

    5.4 Performance indicators

    5.4.1 General

    Widespread progress is observed throughout the Australian church in adapting its life and ministries to the changed pastoral situation revealed by research.

    5.4.2 Specific

    A. Pastoral Research & Development

    • Research projects achieve their objectives at a high professional standard, and their findings, and the renewed pastoral strategies to which they give rise, are found relevant and useful to the mission of the Church, and are taken up and used;
    • Projects make judicious and fruitful use of collaboration;
    • The Office is suitably staffed and raising a significant proportion of funds for its pastoral research;
    • Currently, the CCLS – NCLS project is completed by the end of 2005, including the components on priests, parish vitality and secularisation.

    B. Communication / Dissemination

    • The findings of major projects are widely known and discussed at all levels of the church, and are found to provide significant assistance to the church's mission, particularly to pastoral planning;
    • Dioceses and parishes are assisted in understanding their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and their increased vitality is shown in higher retention rates of those under age 40 as active members of the church community;
    • Requests from church agencies or individuals for information and assistance from research are met in good time, and the advice provided is found useful, so that the number of such requests increases;
    • Specifically, in the short and medium term, illuminating and helpful reports, articles and presentations on the CCLS1996 and NCLS2001 surveys appear throughout 2002-2004, and the research monograph is published in 2005.

    C. Research Training

    • The three candidates will have gained their Ph.D. degrees by 2004 and published relevant parts of their work in a form accessible and useful to church personnel.