Effective Congregational Governance: Organizing for Mission and Ministry
Governance in Congregations (PDF, 19 pages)
Your Congregation's Bylaws: A Guide to Effective Writing and Revising
Effective Congregational Committees (PDF, 36 pages)
Contact Your District Office to discuss your committee
Join communication forums like Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Email Lists, to discuss committee ideas with others in congregations
See the InterConnections newsletter for lay leaders
Harvest the Power: Developing Lay Leadership is a UUA curriculum for church leaders which can help equip congregational leaders
Telephone or video conferencing can be a useful way of gathering, if time or distance is a factor in arranging meetings in congregations with a wide catchment area. Your web browser, and the advice of those you trust,can help select a provider. Additionally, participants should become familiar with teleconferencing etiquette, as it differs from that for face-to-face meetings. The world wide web can supply information on this, also. Although teleconferencing and video conferencing can be convenient, holding face-to-face meetings makes it easier to build community, which is in large measure what congregations are about.
Congregational Committees
- Buildings and Grounds Committee
- Caring / Pastoral Care Committee
- Caring Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see pages 31-32)
- Member Support & Caring
- Beyond Casseroles: Caring Committees That Work
- Denominational Affairs Committee
- Every Member Canvass Committee
- Finance Committee
- Finance Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see pages 26-27)
- Congregational Finance
- Join the discussion on the email list UU-Money and search the archives for further answers.
- Financing Church Staff
- Human Resources or Personnel Committee
- Leadership / Volunteer Development Committee (please see Nominating below)
- Long-range Planning Committee: see Strategic Planning Committee
- Membership Committee
- Membership Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see pages 14-17)
- The Membership Journey (PDF, 53 pages)
- 100+ Ideas for Membership Growth
- Hospitality and Belonging
- Belonging: The Meaning of Membership
- A Three-Person Membership Committee for Small Congregations
- Participate in the UU Service Committee Coffee Project
- Ministerial Relations Committee / Committee on Ministry
- Music Committee
- Music Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see page 30)
- Music Resources
- Ask your UU Musicians Network District Liaison about your congregation's music program
- UU Musicians Network Mentor Program for congregations with a small music program, or with no or a non-UU music director
- Congregational Membership in the UU Musicians Network (PDF), for Small Congregations
- Nominating / Leadership Development Committee
- Nominating Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see pages 30-31)
- A Leadership Development Committee (PDF) can replace a Nominating Committee
- The Nominating Committee: Making It Work for You
- Volunteer Coordinators Help Fill the Committees
- To Keep Committees Filled, Make Church Meaningful
- Your Congregation's Bylaws
- Publicity / Communications Committee
- Publicity Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see pages 34-35)
- Communications and Social Media for UU Congregations
- Congregational Newsletter Content
- Email Lists, to discuss with others in congregations
- Religious Education / Lifespan Faith Development Committee
- RE Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see pages 17-19)
- Contact your district program consultant or, if you don't have one, your district executive
- Covenanting for Excellence in Religious Education
- Teacher Development
- Social Justice Committee
- Strategic Planning Committee
- Long-Range Planning Committee Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see pages 29-30)
- Your district office staff provide help and resources
- Vision, Mission and Covenant Development (PDF, 97 pages)
- Holy Conversations by Gilbert Rendle and Alice Mann
- Worship / Sunday Service Committee
- Young Adult and Campus Ministry Committee
- Youth Adult Committee (YAC)
- YAC Job Description (PDF, 36 pages: see page 26)
- Getting Started as a Youth Leader: for youth, young adults and adults
Meetings that Work (PDF, 38 pages)
Facilitating Fruitful Retreats (PDF, 6 pages)
Lay Leadership Resources
- Congregational Management
- InterConnections
- All Are Chosen, Margaret Beard and Roger Comstock, editors
Congregational Polity
- Congregational Polity (PDF, 274 pages): A Historical Survey of Unitarian and Universalist Practice
- Interdependence: Renewing Congregational Polity
For more information contact growthresources @ uua.org.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.
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