When Mitch Levy’s wife asked him for a divorce three years ago, he hadn’t seen it coming. He’d just moved to the Seattle area for a new job and she was to join him. But then she called, saying she’d decided she didn’t want to be married. In shock, and in a new town with no friends and no support,…

Music feeds our souls and many of us wouldn’t stay in our congregations without it, but to do it properly takes vision, time, and talent. Ten years ago, when Tom Benjamin, a choral director who had recently moved to the area, was asked to build a music program at the Unitarian Universalist (UU)…

Don’t feel it’s necessary to reinvent the wheel. Originality in worship is no special virtue. Familiar language, like an old shoe, soothes and reassures. Don’t put anybody down, including yourself. Do take care of your congregation….

Asking the right questions is a key part of learning how well your congregation functions. The new book, Churchworks: A Well-Body Book for Congregations, by Rev. Anne Heller, district executive of the Pacific Northwest District, includes checklists for committees and boards of trustees. Here are…

The First Unitarian Church, Oakland, CA (284 members), used to have a cash flow problem in the summer. As Church Administrator, Jay Roller, explains it: “People would go away in the summer and forget to pay their pledges.”Seasonal sag is a perennial church problem….

When a congregation adds to its space by building or remodeling, it has cause for celebration. But there are right and wrong ways to perform these ceremonies. Rev. John A. Buehrens, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President, has participated in more than one hundred building dedication…

Getting members out at midweek for a “church night” is a tradition for many of our congregations. It’s an important time to build those community connections in a more relaxed atmosphere than on Sunday morning. Members of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church of Berkeley in Kensington, CA (555…

When the congregation of the First Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church of Duluth, MN (190 members), made the decision this past winter to begin raising money for a new church building, it seemed like the time might also be right to consider changing the name that would go up on the new building.

The annual budget drive. Done well it’s a thing of beauty and a joy for at least nine months, until the next one rolls around. Done badly it causes massive volunteer burnout, drives the congregation into hiding, and forces budget cuts that set the tone for a parsimonious year….

Q. Our small fellowship has moved from employing a minister half time to two-thirds time for next year. a) Does a minister, whether part-time or full-time, get the same amount of money for professional expenses like books, etc.? Does the expense allowance go up as his salary goes up? b) Also, how…