Use the following background check (as well as reference check) guidelines (previously presented as Responsible Staffing) when hiring professional religious leaders and staff, and when recruiting volunteers whose work will put them in close contact with children and persons in vulnerable...

The UUA wants to help our congregations live into their values by offering benefit plans that protect their employees, including health plans that reflect UU values

In February 2020, the UUA shifted from Compensation Guidelines (salary and benefit recommendations) to Compensation Standards. While we continue to provide recommendations for salaries and benefits, the new UUA Compensation Standards also include legal requirements related to pay and benefits...

The word liturgy is a fancy word meaning the formulation of a religious service. Its etymology tells us that it means “the work of the people.” In many Unitarian Universalist contexts, the verb worship is intransitive. We do not worship something or someone. We claim the act of worship as...

Can you provide guidance and resources for completing W-2 forms for both ministers and other congregational staff? Deadline by January 31 after the tax year (February 1 in 2021), W-2 forms must be given to employees and sent to the Social Security Administration.

The UUA Compensation Program is evolving! We launched Phase I of of our program revisions in early 2020 with the introduction of new Compensation Standards. Please sign up for Compensation and Staffing News and stay informed about upcoming changes....

Last revised: July 2019 Highlights Nearly all congregational ministers are employees, not independent contractors. There are 3 important tax provisions for ministers – dual tax status, housing allowance, and optional tax withholding. Benefits recommended for all staff, including ministers, are...

Last revised: July 2019 Highlights The Ministerial Housing Allowance enables ministers to exclude a portion of their salary from certain taxes. For most active and retired ministers, it is their most important tax benefit....

All systems need feedback loops and organizations like congregations are no different. Your Leadership Development program will be more responsive if you develop assessments and other tools to help you learn and adjust as needed. Things you might include in your assessments: How is the...

Effective Leadership Development teams focus on recruiting and relationship building. By using our suite of four leadership development trainings, you can spend less time on content and more on connection. All of our courses have discussion questions that you can use for in-person sessions.

Congregations need to follow copyright laws and ensure their leaders and staff are aware of these laws. The issues surrounding copyright and worship are complex and often confusing. You will also want to review the resource Copyright Issues Related to Worship. Sample Policy Any use of copyrighted...

The board, as "trustees," have specific responsibilities to the congregation that should be articulated in fiduciary policies. Along with the governance policies that guide the board's work , the board also needs to set policies around safety, finance, capital assets, and personnel.

Governance policies augment the bylaws by giving more detail and guidance. Policies defining board member roles and conduct, meetings for both the board and congregation.

RACI charts are helpful to be clear about shared process, especially the part about which body gets to have “final” say.

The technology in our pockets now makes it possible to provide live translation of speech to text at church.

The primary responsibility of the denominational affairs committee is to provide a liaison between the congregation and both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the region. The committee meets to discuss issues of denominational concern....

Healthy groups provide feedback loops so they can learn and grow as a group. One practice is to designate a "process observer" who takes notes on group process.

Practicing radical hospitality opens up possibilities for interaction with different people, allowing for diverse experiences and an expanded creative interchange.  And it’s about meeting people where they are.  It’s about learning together.  We are all works in progress. 

Any tool, including NonViolent Communication, can be dangerous if it is used as a weapon, so let’s use the best tool for the job – and let’s use it in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone, including ourselves.

Every congregation I go to has a list of things they have to do or want to do that they just can’t do because they don’t have the resources – money, volunteers, energy, space, whatever it is. Maybe it’s time to change your framing so that you can create abundance.