The Disciple Maker Index Survey Results Are Here!

What is the DMI Survey?  (August 2026)
Divine Mercy is on a journey to know, love, and serve Christ in our parish community. Together, we must embrace Christ’s vision for missionary discipleship so our parish can thrive and be a place for others to grow together in faith.  The DMI is an important survey tool that invites you to reflect on your discipleship journey here at Divine Mercy.

The Disciple Maker Index is designed to:

• Invite parishioners to reflect on their journey of discipleship.
• Enable parish leadership to make data-driven decisions.
• Help parishioners grow in their faith.

Together, we must embrace Christ’s vision for missionary discipleship so our parish can thrive and be a place for others to grow together in faith.

The Results:  Who Responded?
Over the next few months, we will share some brief articles to unpack the data received from our Disciple Maker Index survey administered during Lent 2026.  
 
This data was collected by the Catholic Leadership Institute as directed by the Archdiocese of Chicago. All parishes in our archdiocese participated. The same tool was also used in 2023 and 2017, and the hope is that we can use this data to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and trends. 
 
Divine Mercy parish submitted 222 surveys, which reflects about 51% of our average Sunday Mass attendance (an average of 435 people attended Mass at our worship sites in 2025).  
 
The demographics of those who responded reflect a mature audience (83% age 45 or older) of married people (84% were married), 93% of whom said Divine Mercy Parish is their primary place of worship. A full 98% of respondents were Catholic, most with no children living at home (76% had no school-age children).  
 
In the next couple of weeks, we will look at "Key Drivers" showing us whether parishioners are likely to recommend the parish, whether they feel the parish is helping them grow spiritually, and the frequency with which they are sharing their faith.

The Results:  ​Would you recommend the parish? 
Nearly three-fourths of respondents in 2026 agree or strongly agree that they would recommend our parish to others. This area shows significant growth, beginning at 51% in 2017, dipping slightly to 47% in 2023, and rocketing to 74% in 2026.  
 
The data also shows slight growth in whether respondents agree or strongly agree that Divine Mercy Parish is a welcoming community, from 76% in 2017 and 78% in 2023, to 91% in 2026.  
 
As you know, our parish was among the first wave in the Archdiocese of Chicago's Renew My Church efforts when Divine Mercy Parish was formed out of Sacred Heart and St. Philip the Apostle parishes. From the beginning, our newly formed parish wholeheartedly embraced resources like Divine Renovation and Alpha, which emphasize "radical hospitality." 
 
Here we are, many years later, illustrating the fruits of all that hard work and those innovative ideas. That is wonderful news as we enter the next few months, with many opportunities to invite friends, neighbors, and family to programs, events, Mass, religious education, school, and other activities!