Holy Church Evaluated

When Vatican officials heard what Mr.

Martindell had in mind, "they were." he says, "both astounded and doubtful." This is not surprising, for Jackson Martindell is president of New York's American Institute of Management, a nonprofit organization formed to evaluate the efficiency of business corporations, and what he had in mind was nothing less than a management analysis of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church.

The Church of Rome, reasoned A.I.M., doubtless could teach businessmen a thing or two--and vice versa. "Standard Oil of N.J. and the Catholic Church are both producers," says retired Banker Martindell. "Standard Oil produces oil and the church produces a way of life and a way of thought, but they both have production problems. Take a missionary--it's my belief that a man who practices good management will probably save more souls than a man who doesn't.'' So, in December 1948, with the astonished acquiescence of the Vatican, Episcopalian Martindell had an audience with the Pope and went to work.

For a full year, 200 researchers worked away in Rome, swarming through the Vatican's archives and offices, codifying, correlating, questioning. They were aided by hundreds of other researchers working in 30 languages throughout the world. "The Holy See will tell you that its [success has] resulted from Divine Guidance," says A.I.M. "But, at best, this is an oversimplification. The American Institute of Management believes that the New Testament contains conclusive evidence of a requirement of good management in all Christian activities."

This week, in a 26-page "advance summary report," A.I.M. gave the Roman Catholic Church a good score for "Management Excellence": 88% *

SOCIAL FUNCTION (a score of 1,000 points out of a possible 1,000): "With some 5,000,000 workers [the church] annually educates about 20 million children and cares for an even greater number of the sick and needy of all creeds."

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE (700 points out of a possible 800): The church's management record has been uneven. In the reign of Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) "we see the beginning of real delegation of authority and responsibility in church affairs." Two "major" weaknesses in today's structure: "Too little provision for staff research work, the result of which would be available to bishops," and "too much line and staff responsibility . . . still vested in the Pope himself, thus cutting down the opportunity for his good health, study and spiritual leadership."

GROWTH OF FACILITIES (375 points out of 500): The church has come a long way from the year 251, when "the personnel at the Holy See comprised 99 persons . . . and churches were numbered in the hundreds. Today, there are 416,466 Catholic churches, 385,219 priests, 191,681 educational and charitable institutions." But development has been spotty. And Catholic institutions all too often are ill-housed. "The financial planning of the church has never set up depreciation reserves."

MEMBERSHIP (1,100 points out of 1,300): Since St. Peter's martyrdom, "more than 5 billion souls have been baptized in the Roman Catholic faith ... In evaluating church membership, all these must be reckoned with as establishing tradition and thereby influencing the future. All the Pope's men are not to be counted merely within the living apostolate." But so far the church has failed to make sufficient appeal to the middle class, and this has handicapped it unduly in the U.S., despite "less Government opposition and more tax-exempt encouragement" than almost anywhere else.

Average Catholic zeal, which A.I.M. undertakes to measure through the centuries as it does Vatican efficiency and temporal power (see chart), is higher today than it was 100 years ago, "but we believe it to be but half of what it was in the beginning."

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (650 points put of 800): The church is weak here in public information and propaganda. "There are apparently too many Catholic publications, with too little effort to see that any of them are truly outstanding." The Deport cites the Christian Science Monitor as the level of excellence Catholic publications should aim for. "Having first used the word propaganda, the Holy See has failed to utilize the best talent available in the field. Time and again it puts its worst vestment forward when the best side could easily be shown."

FISCAL POLICIES (700 points out of 800): Here the church "performs amazingly well. No other organization within the area of our knowledge or experience does so much with so little." But too much of the church's capital seems to be invested in Italy. "Having a great financial interest in the hotels and banks in Italy, would not appear to us to be the most astute selection for investment."

TRUSTEE ANALYSIS (525 points out of 800): A.I.M. rates the church relatively low here, first, because there is no board of trustees (the College of Cardinals is "the nearest approach" to one), secondly, because of "the advanced age of the Cardinals, and the fact that they so largely seem to represent an Italian clique."

OPERATING EFFICIENCY (650 points out of 700): "As of now, the atmosphere at the Vatican exudes efficiency . . . From the time clocks for all personnel to the extraordinarily long hours of the Pope himself, one senses an immensity of detail that is handled quickly and handled well ..." Great decisions are often made quickly, despite protocol and secrecy. "Literally everything is kept under lock and key. The Pope carries the key to his own desk." The notion that the Vatican moves slowly arises from operations "where time is not consequential," e.g., definition of dogma and creation of saints.

EFFECTIVENESS OF LEADERSHIP (2,000 points out of 2,100): The church's recent leadership has been "extremely effective." "The present Pope has wisely selected bishops a step above the previous type. Most important of all, Pope Pius XII has recognized the need of a fresh appeal to the workingman, while bringing the church to the middle classes to a much greater extent than formerly."

RECOMMENDATION TO THE VATICAN : "The family as an institution is dying on the road to material progress and needs a revival that the Catholic Church could give ... A 'Family Crusade' by Catholic Action would perhaps do more to strengthen the church as a positive measure than all the more negative steps against birth control or divorce."

RECOMMENDATIONS TO AMERICAN MANAGEMENT for lessons to be learned from the church:

P:Long executive training and slow promotion.

P: Full authority for top men once chosen.

P: Not too much obvious zeal once a position of influence has been attained.

P:Haste in some directions, delay in others.

P: Use of elderly men in staff capacities.

P: Diplomacy in all dealings.

P: Avoid nepotism.

P: Awareness that monetary reward by itself has never been a great motivating force for man's best activities.

P: Public honor for past contributors to the undertaking.

P: Strict discipline and an atmosphere of struggle and humility.

* As compared to Standard Oil of NJ.'s 90%, TIME Inc.'s 87%.

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