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Search InterConnections for resources relevant to your interest and role: whether you are a lay or professional leader, there's information here to help you fulfill your ministry and carry forward your mission more effectively.
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Creating a night at midweek for friends and members to come out for a "church night" is a tradition for many of our congregations. It's an important time to build relationships in a more relaxed setting than on Sunday morning. And it provides a worship opportunity for those who have difficulty...
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Membership in Congregations, Music in Worship -
Q. Our small Unitarian Universalist (UU) church is exploring the possibility of renting out space in our RE wing to a daycare or preschool to increase our yearly income. Have other UU churches done this, how did they begin, and what has their experience been? A. John Levine of the First Unitarian...
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Benefits & Compensation for Congregations, Facilities Management, Finance for Congregations, Safe Congregations -
The annual water service, sometimes called a "water communion" or "Waters of the World," is beloved by Unitarian Universalists (UUs). The water service is a UU ritual, usually conducted in the fall when friends and members return from their summer travels....
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Music in Worship -
Q. Our congregation wants to attract new members; we also want to manage our money in a responsible way. We estimate that it costs $75 minimum to keep a member on the church list for a year. This includes newsletter costs and the support we provide to our district and the Unitarian Universalist...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Membership in Congregations, Finance for Congregations, Leadership Development, Membership Growth & Outreach -
People complain about someone to a third person. Resistance to change, turf wars. Rampant gossip, secret meetings. Calls for resignations. Email and telephone cliques that exclude some people. Abrupt changes in support of and participation in congregational life. Committee on Ministry is...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Conflict Management in Congregations, Governance for Congregations, Leadership Development -
Try as we might, conflict is a part of life in many of our congregations. A group may not like the direction the church is going. Someone feels left out. There is too much spirituality on Sunday morning. Or not enough. The minister or religious educator is going down the wrong path....
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Conflict Management in Congregations, Membership in Congregations, UUA Districts & Regions, Leadership Development -
Sometimes a new building is just what a congregation needs. Sometimes, if you build it, people will come and fill it. There is nothing worse than having to turn away people because you don't have room for them. And sometimes there are alternatives to a new building. Before you embark on an...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Facilities Management, Fundraising for Congregations, Governance for Congregations, Leadership Development, Membership Growth & Outreach -
Q. Our church has just gone to two services and had our first congregational meeting after the second service. We wonder if we are disenfranchising those who attend the first service since few people return for the meeting....
By Donald E. Skinner | January 1, 2006 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Membership in Congregations, Governance for Congregations, Leadership Development, Membership Growth & Outreach -
Q. We had an awkward situation recently when our church sold a piece of furniture that a member had donated. The member felt we should have kept it. We felt that once it was donated it was the congregation’s to do with as it wished. Do other congregations have policies covering donated items? A.
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2005 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Conflict Management in Congregations, Facilities Management, Planned Giving for Congregations, Finance for Congregations, Governance for Congregations -
Those of us who are leaders in our congregations are sometimes puzzled by those who sit on the sidelines. Why, we wonder, did we get involved and why do those folks choose not to? Here are stories of a few people who chose to get involved....
By Donald E. Skinner | October 1, 2005 | From InterConnectionsTagged as: Leadership Development