Introduction
welcome to the louisville growth
consultation dvd
at the invitation of the uua growth team
12 uu ministers gathered in louisville
kentucky for a three-day discussion on
growth
Premise
the premise was simple
these ministers all have experience with
congregations that have grown some
steadily some dramatically some
experimentally and the growth team
figured it was high time to use a
technical term to pick their brains
the results were definitively you you
thoughtful remarks candid discussions
and insights that at times surprised
everyone in the room
Ken Belden
many accomplished eu ministers could
have been invited here are the 12 who
made the trip
ken belden is minister at wellspring as
uu just outside philadelphia after 18
months of planning this congregation
began worship in january of 2007 as of
this meeting average sunday attendance
was over a hundred
in ken's seven years at river of grass
in florida membership grew from 30 to
160.
Tom Belote
tom belot is minister at shawnee mission
uu church in overland park kansas since
he was called in 2003 membership has
grown by about 50 percent to 300 adult
members
Helen Carol
helen carroll has served at the uu
fellowship of san luis obispo county in
california since 2001
membership there is up by 30 percent to
240 adults
john crestwell's ministry is at davies
memorial uu church in maryland not only
has his congregation grown by 50 in
overall members but in racial diversity
as well this church went from eight
people of color in 2001 to nearly 100 in
2006 with virtually no white flight
Kendra Ford
kendra ford's congregation is the first
uu society of exeter new hampshire
membership there has steadily increased
since 2001 from 150 to 200.
Robert Hardees
robert hardes is minister at all souls
unitarian church in washington dc
since his call in 2001 the congregation
has almost doubled from 350 to nearly
700 members
Liz Lerner
liz lerner serves the uu church of
silver spring maryland membership was in
the low 200s when she was called in 2000
it's grown to
375.
Peter Morales
peter morales is in his second stand as
minister at jefferson unitarian church
in golden colorado he served as the
uua's director for district services in
between since 1999 membership at juc has
nearly doubled to 760.
Christine Robinson
christine robinson has been minister at
first unitarian church of albuquerque
new mexico since 1988.
since 2000 membership has grown from 500
to nearly 650 plus the church videotapes
its sermons and sends them on the
internet to a small satellite
congregation 90 miles away
Victoria Stafford
victoria safford began at white bear uu
church in st paul minnesota in 1999.
membership then was 265 it's up to 620
adults
Michael Schuer
michael schuler has served as minister
at the first unitarian society of
madison wisconsin since 1988 when
membership was 500. this is now one of
the movement's largest churches with
more than 1400 members
madison also spun off the james reed
congregation which has 135 members
Marilyn Sewell
marilyn sewell was called to the then
600 member first unitarian church of
portland oregon in 1992.
the church is now two and a half times
larger on a good sunday morning more
than a thousand adults attend worship
the three-day growth consultation was
split into two-hour sessions each with
different questions to address this dvd
contains the highlights of those
sessions and a few comments from
individual interviews the 12 guest
ministers sat in the inner circle with
members of the uua growth team in the
outer circle listening the facilitator
was reverend alice mann of the alban
institute