Would you know what to do if your congregation’s Sunday morning service was disrupted by people who despised your beliefs? It happened July 20 to the congregation at First Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church of New Orleans. In the middle of a service—during a period of meditation—activists from...

There was a time when it was a bit of a challenge to identify Unitarian Universalist congregations with thriving young adult ministries—but not anymore. More and more congregations are getting the hang of young adult ministries, and they have lots to teach the rest of us. The Rev. Annie Gonzalez,...

As recently as five or ten years ago, visitors to our congregations showed up full of questions—and brought with them some apprehensions about what Unitarian Universalism might be. Times have changed. Thanks to the Internet and social media, today’s Sunday guests have a pretty good idea of what...

Over the years congregations have employed various methods to handle complaints from congregants. Many congregations direct complainants to a Ministerial Relations Committee, a Committee on Ministry, or, if a complaint involves a staff member, to speak to that person directly. The Rev. Dr. Daniel...

Dr. Wayne Clark, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UU's) Congregational Stewardship Network director, gets the question all the time: “What’s the one thing we can do to make our stewardship campaign successful? What’s the secret?” And his answer is always the same. “There is no...

In the late 1990s the Rev. Dr. Glenn Turner, of Maine, and the Rev. Bob Hill, of Texas, began promoting a novel idea. They proposed that what was missing from many of our congregations was small groups, where people could connect in meaningful ways for “intimacy and ultimacy.” Groups where...

Many Unitarian Universalist congregations rent space in their buildings. Doing so not only helps out the community but gives the congregation some added income. Rentals—whether for weddings, meetings, rehearsals, concerts, Tai Chi sessions, or conferences—also allow the community to get...

Congregations traditionally promote and encourage Unitarian Universalist values through sermons, religious education, and social justice work. Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, Minn., is taking its values to a new level—applying them to the companies that it buys products from. Unity Church...

When the offering plate comes around on Sunday morning at First Universalist Church of Denver, Colo., many nonprofit groups in the community feel the earth move just a little. This is the third year that the congregation has given its entire offering—every Sunday—to local groups or to support...

Is it possible to imagine that an armed intruder could show up on Sunday morning at one of our congregations, inflamed about our inclusiveness or a particular justice stance we’ve taken in the community, and proceed to do us harm? It happened in 2008 at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist...