The Cathedral Census FAQs

Thank you to all who have completed the Cathedral Census so far. If you have not done so yet please do! For those who tried and could not complete it because another person in your household with the same email/device had done so, our apologies. We have fixed this so it should not be an issue now. The census will be available until April 6. There are a variety of questions we have received and these are answered here. If you have any other questions, please let us know!

Q. How do I access the Census?

If the office has your email, there is a link to the Census in a special email from the Cathedral office sent Monday March 17th and  a scond mailing the week of March 24th. 

You can also access the Census through the QR code for Smart Phones and Tablets with cameras: 

• on the last page of Sunday’s bulletin March 16 to April 5
• in the on-line chat during the livestreamed 10:30 service 
• from posters around the Cathedral.

Q. Should everyone in the household complete the Census separately? 

YES we would like everyone in our community to complete it. 

Our apologies to those of you who tried after another person in your household with the same email/device had done so and were unable to do it. We have fixed the auto setting and all should now be able to complete the Census. 

Q. The Census is pretty probing, and collects sensitive, personal information. How will this be used and how will it be protected?

The Census is step one in the Strategic Planning Process. It will provide us with an understanding of the current culture, demographic and socio-economic composition of the Cathedral community. 

We are treating this data with utmost care and confidentiality and adhering to all necessary best practice precautions to protect you and your information.

The Census is anonymous. The information you provide will NOT be used to identify you; we will NOT attempt to connect responses to individuals. We will NOT collect or track responses with any personally identifiable information such as email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses or other personal information.

The data collected from the Census will be analysed and presented in aggregate form to provide a profile of the Cathedral and the multiple unique and overlapping communities that exist within our large congregation. 

The raw data will only be accessed by select members of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Access to this account is limited to one person who has signed a confidentiality agreement. We will NOT keep this data longer than necessary. Once the Strategic Planning process is completed in early 2026, we will delete the raw data and only keep the aggregate. 

Q. Last time we participated in a similar process, we said what we wanted and nothing happened. How will it be different this time? Will we be heard?

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee is striving to create an inclusive and engaging process that allows members to feel heard and valued. We will do our best to ensure everyone has a voice and opportunity to contribute to the process. And we hope every member feels heard and represented by the end of the process. The ensuing Strategic Plan will be based on all this input. 

The 2018 Holy Cow consulting process was not a strategic planning process but an effort to get a pulse on congregation satisfaction with the Cathedral, its staff, activities and other areas. Since this process, there have been many changes to the Cathedral especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and return to in-person services. 

Q. Will the results of the census be shared?

Yes. We will publish a report that provides a profile of the Cathedral community. This will be provided later in April through Chronicle.

Q. What happens next? 

The Census is only an initial part of the process to help us understand who makes us part of the community.

The Census will be followed in late April by an in-depth Future Outlook Survey to help us understand your views about the Cathedral and the future of this community. 

In the late spring/early summer, we will hold Listening Circles which will allow us to delve into what we heard in the Future Outlook Survey 

In the fall, we will present the draft strategy and conduct another round of listening circles for feedback. 

Finally, at Vestry 2026, we will present the Strategic Plan 2026-2031 and aligned budget.

We hope that through all these opportunities, we provide avenues for the congregation to contribute, share their opinions and give feedback so we end up with a plan that best reflects our community and where we want it to go.