Context: Catholic Evangelization – Indianapolis Catholic Archdiocese  
 

Here is a practical example of a Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle applied to the Reach More™ Mission Training program from The Evangelical Catholic.

Reach More is a 12-week evangelization and discipleship training program designed for Catholic parishes, campus ministries, and faith communities. It equips lay Catholics to grow in missionary discipleship through:

• Weekly group sessions (90–120 minutes) for learning tools and wisdom.
• One-on-one discipleship conversations (every two weeks).
• Daily personal prayer (15 minutes via the Reach More Prayer Companion).
• Take-home Mission Prompts (under 30 minutes).

The program focuses on relational evangelization — building friendships, being curious about others, sharing faith naturally (not pushy), and forming habits like seeking intimacy with Jesus, investing in relationships, and facilitating discipleship environments (small groups where “two or three gather”).

Common implementation challenges in parishes include:

• Variable attendance/engagement in the weekly group sessions.
• Inconsistent follow-through on one-on-one conversations or daily prayer.
• Post-training sustainability (e.g., participants starting their own small groups or continuing mission habits).

This PDSA example targets a frequent area for improvement: increasing consistent participation in the one-on-one discipleship conversations (a key element for personal growth and confidence in sharing faith).

PDSA Example: Improving One-on-One Discipleship Conversation Completion in Reach More

Group/Parish Context: A mid-sized parish running Reach More with 12–15 participants in one cohort. Baseline: Only ~50% of scheduled one-on-one sessions (one hour every two weeks) are completed during the 12-week program due to scheduling conflicts, forgetfulness, or low perceived value.

Aim (What are we trying to accomplish?): Increase completion rate of one-on-one discipleship conversations from ~50% to ≥85% over the next 12-week cohort, so participants experience deeper personal transformation, increased courage/confidence in sharing faith, and stronger relational evangelization skills.

Cycle #: 1 Dates of this cycle: Next Reach More cohort (e.g., Fall 2026)

1. PLAN

What change are we testing? Add a simple “accountability nudge” system:

• Facilitator sends a personalized text reminder 48 hours before each scheduled one-on-one.
• Include a short encouragement quote from the Reach More materials (e.g., “Evangelization is not just another project. It is the mission of the parish and of the Church.”).
• Offer flexible rescheduling via a shared calendar link (e.g., Calendly) in the reminder.
• At the end of each group session, participants publicly share one quick takeaway they hope to discuss in their upcoming one-on-one (builds anticipation).

Why do we think this will help? (Prediction & rationale) Current drop-off is often logistical (forgetting/scheduling) rather than disinterest. Reminders + encouragement reduce friction and reinforce the value of one-on-ones for building confidence in mission habits (e.g., sharing good news, investing in relationships). Public sharing in group creates gentle peer accountability and ties into the program’s relational focus.

What will success look like? (Measures / data to collect)

• Primary: % of scheduled one-on-one sessions completed (target: ≥85%).
• Secondary: Participant feedback (1–5 scale) on “The one-on-one felt valuable and helped my growth” (target: average ≥4.0).
• Qualitative notes: Any reported increase in courage/confidence or mission actions (e.g., inviting someone to a small group).

Who will be involved?

• Facilitator/leader (sends reminders, tracks completions).
• All Reach More participants (12–15 people).
• One co-facilitator to help with scheduling and note observations.

How long will we test it? Full 12-week program (6 one-on-one cycles per participant).

Action steps & responsibilities:

• Week 0 (pre-launch): Facilitator sets up shared calendar link and reminder template.
• Ongoing: Send reminders 48 hours prior; note completions and any reschedules.
• After each group session: 2-minute share-out of anticipated one-on-one topics.
• End of program: Quick survey and debrief.

Resources needed:

• Text messaging (or parish app like Flocknote).
• Shared calendar tool (free Calendly or Google Calendar).
• No additional cost.

2. DO

Carry out the test. Implement the nudge system for the full cohort. Document:

• Dates/times scheduled vs. completed.
• Any reasons for no-shows/reschedules.
• Quick notes from group share-outs and end-of-program feedback.

Example what actually occurred (hypothetical results for illustration):

• 6 one-on-ones scheduled per person → 78 out of 90 total completed (87%).
• Reminders praised: “The text made me prioritize it.”
• One reschedule due to illness; one due to work conflict (both rescheduled successfully).
• Feedback: Average “valuable” rating 4.4/5; several noted deeper discussions led to inviting a friend to church.

3. STUDY

Analyze what happened.

• Achievement: Yes — exceeded target (87% completion vs. baseline ~50%).
• What worked: Personalized texts + encouragement quote reduced no-shows; calendar link eased rescheduling; group share-outs built excitement.
• What didn’t: A few still forgot despite reminders (suggest adding a 24-hour follow-up).
• Learnings: Logistical nudges + relational reinforcement (public sharing) align with Reach More’s emphasis on community and habits. Participants reported more confidence in mission actions (e.g., starting conversations about faith).

Was the change successful? Yes.

4. ACT

Decide next steps:

• Adopt — Make the accountability nudge system standard for future Reach More cohorts in the parish.
• Adapt — Add a 24-hour backup reminder and include a quick “prayer intention” in the text to tie it spiritually.
• Next cycle: Test the adapted version in the next cohort (e.g., Spring 2027), while also monitoring long-term outcomes (e.g., do completers start their own small groups more often?).

Overall reflections / spiritual insights: This small change reduced barriers to deeper discipleship, echoing Reach More’s focus on “facilitating discipleship environments” and “establishing disciples.” It supports the program’s joy-filled relational evangelization by helping participants grow in habits like seeking intimacy with Jesus and investing in relationships — ultimately helping them “reach more” people for Christ in everyday life (Matthew 28:19–20).

You can copy this template into a document, adapt it for your parish’s specific cohort, and run it iteratively. If you’d like another example (e.g., improving weekly group attendance, post-training small group starts, or daily prayer consistency), a filled-in version for a different focus, or variations for youth/campus Reach More, let me know!