All Things New

Disciple Maker Index

Every parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis will be participating in the archdiocesan-wide Disciple Maker Index (DMI) Survey between Ash Wednesday, March 2 and April 4, 2022. This nationally-recognized survey has been administered at parishes around the United States and Canada since 2013. The results from the survey will not only be used for information and planning for parishes, but will also be included in the national results which track trends, growth and Church-related opportunities nationwide.

About the Disciple Maker Index

The Disciple Maker Index was developed by Catholic Leadership Institute in 2013 with the guidance and input of bishops and priests nationwide, and the expertise of professional survey teams to be an instrument that is statistically sound while at the same time focusing on important aspects of our Catholic Faith.

The Disciple Maker Index (DMI) is an anonymous survey of parishioners that provides insights into the level of missionary discipleship in the parish in addition to the effectiveness of the Mass experience, preaching and other aspects of parish life.

The data results are visualized for parish and archdiocesan views, and include benchmark information based on all parishes in the national database. The benchmark of parishes of similar size or in similar environments provides a national perspective to local results. The survey and results were designed so that parishes can repeat the Disciple Maker Index every two to three years to see changes over time through longitudinal data comparison.