Where Catholicism is

Headed:
Seven Trends that Will Affect
Your Parish, Ministry and Personal Faith

The Church is
not a
manufactured
item. She is the
living seed of God
that must be
allowed to grow
and ripen.
Pope
Emeritus
Benedict

What We Mean by Trend

The things that make good

headlines are on the
surface of the stream of life,
and they distract us from
the slower, impalpable,
imponderable movements
that work below the surface
and penetrate to the depths.
But it is really these
deeper, slower
movements that make
history (Historian Arnold
J. Toynbee, as quoted by John
Allen)

A Few
Disclaimers
I speak from an American
perspective, however
Not rendering opinion on the
moral questions
We will be moving quickly
We will have a Q & A after

Background in the
Church
24 years of pastoral,
publishing, and ministry
experience at the parish,
diocesan, and national levels

Interview Process

We conducted a survey that reached 730

Catholics throughout the UK
Asked questions about their experiences of
Catholicism, parish life, and evangelization
Asked what trends they were seeing

We interviewed 22 people throughout the

UK who have varying perspectives and
backgrounds within the Church
Some ordained, some consecrated, many lay
people of different ages, some directors of
diocesan offices

Trend 1: Shifting
Demographics
General
World Trends
Populations of countries have shifted, are
shifting, and will continue to shift
Shift from a northern (hemisphere)-centric Church
to a southern-centric Church
In 2000, more Catholic baptisms in the
Philippines than in France, Spain, Italy,
and Poland combined (Allen, 19).
13 of the 20 new cardinals in 2015 were
from Latin America, Africa, or Asia (WSJ).

Trend 1: Shifting
Demographics
Implications for Church
Church is no longer eurocentric
North is new mission territory
More popes from South

Trend 2: The "Francis

Effect
Refers to Pope Francis
ability to capture the
imagination/attention of the world and inspire a focus on
mercy, reaching out to the peripheries, and the Theology
of Encounter.
th

1. Oct. 7

Gallup Poll

Survey respondents were asked how

their view of the church has changed
due to Pope Francis
28% of all U.S. adults selected
more positive, 58% said
has not changed, 6% said
more negative

50% of U.S. Catholic adults

selected more positive,,41%
said has not changed, and
5% said more negative

Trend 2: The "Francis

Effect contd
Implications for
Church
Ad intra to ad extra
approach
Theologically
orthodox, socially
engaged
Emphasis on mercy/
Theology of Encounter

Trend 3: The Rise of

Evangelical
Catholicism
1)A clear embrace of traditional
Catholic thought, speech, and
practice
2)Eagerness to proclaim ones Catholic
identity to the world, emphasizing its
implications for culture, society and
politics;
3)Faith seen as a matter of
personal choice rather
than cultural
inheritance

Evidence of Evangelical
Catholicism
Emphasis on Parish renewal Divine Renovation, Rebuilt
In England and Wales, Proclaim 15 still in introductory
phase
19% never witnessed parish renewal
45% perceive parish renewal to be very
uncommon
Intentional discipleship
Catholics concerned with standing in opposition to
secularism
Culture wars in the West
In Africa, Bishops opposing ideological colonization
Implications:
For orthodox
For progressives

2 UK Trends

Church membership/attendances: Continued decrease

About 20% of Catholics attend Mass throughout
England and Wales.
Fewer people will identify as Catholics in the future, so
percentage
Leaner Church.
New waves of Catholic immigrants will bolster
Catholic numbers/ life in UK
Polish, Nigerian, Filippino, and Indian Catholics are
dynamic in their faith; keeping parishes open
Implications
Rich diversity
More foreign priests
Ad extra approach

In My Full Talks
I will cover these trends and more in full
We will discuss in detail how each trend might
impact parish, ministry, and personal faith
We will have a vibrant Q & A

Locations/Dates of Presentations
Monday 11/9: Northhampton in morning,
Hampshire in evening
Tuesday 11/10: Devon in the morning,
Birmingham in evening
Wednesday 11/11: Manchester in morning
Thursday 11/12: Lancaster in morning,
Glasgow in evening
Friday 11/13: St. Patricks in Soho London in
the afternoon

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