Growing Your Congregation

What Is Growth?

There are many ways to describe congregational growth. An enduring means is the four types of growth devised by Ted Buckle and popularized by Loren Mead in his book More Than Numbers: the Way Churches Grow. These types of growth are:

• numerical (the number of people attending worship and programs, or number of members),
   
• maturational (growth in the spiritual maturity of each member),
   
• organic (a congregation's ability to maintain its health and to engage with the world), and
   
• incarnational (making real and living our values in the world).
   
• associational (relationship to other Unitarian Universalist (UU) Congregations and the wider community).

Congregation Sizes

What works differs by size of membership and attendance. We have resources for small (1-150 adult members), midsize (151-549 adult members), and large (550 or more adult members) congregations.

Congregational Growth Overview

• Congregational Growth in Unitarian Universalism (PDF, 23 pages)
  A brief and general treatment of the subject of UU congregational growth.
   
• Growth Resources List for Small Congregations (PDF, 23 pages)
  1-150 adult members.
   
• Growth Resources List for Midsize Congregations (PDF, 25 pages)
  151-549 adult members.
   
• Growth in Larger Midsize and Large Congregations
  Large (550 or more adult members) and larger midsize congregations (351-549 adult members).
   
• Size Transitions in UU Congregations (PDF, 7 pages)

Topics and Resources

• Adding Worship Services (PDF, 49 pages): A How-To Manual
   
• Breakthrough Congregations
   
• The Congregational Handbook
   
• Congregational Life Dynamics and Conflict Management: An Application of Family Systems Theory:
  • Part 1: Systems Theory (PDF, 41 pages)
  • Part 2: Conflict Management (PDF, 23 pages)
     
• Demographic Research and Information
   
• Effective Congregational Committees (PDF, 36 pages)
   
• Facilitating Fruitful Retreats (PDF, 6 pages)
   
• Faith Communities Today
   
• Governance for UU Congregations (PDF, 19 pages)
   
• InterConnections newsletter and archive
• Leap of Faith: Congregations Learning Together
   
• Marketing and Public Relations (PDF, 121 pages)
   
• Meetings That Work (PDF, 38 pages)
   
• New media for congregations: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and podcasts
   
• The Membership Journey (PDF, 52 pages)
   
• Religious Education Programming
  RE programming can be a growth strategy for congregations.
   
• Social Justice for Congregations
  Justice work can be a growth strategy.
   
• Vision, Mission, and Covenant (PDF, 97 pages): Creating a Future Together
   
• Websites for Congregations
   
• Your Congregation's Bylaws: A Guide to Effective Writing and Revising
   
• Your Congregation's Facilities (PDF, 4 pages)