Q. I’ve heard that if the sanctuary or meeting hall is too full on Sunday morning it will discourage growth. Is that true? At what point does that occur? A. Church consultants often use the figure of 85 percent, says Rev. Bob Hill, district e xecutive of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s…

All of us are welcoming. Right? Visitors come on Sunday morning, and as soon as they step in the door they feel the love, not only from the official greeters, but from everyone else….

When we sing an African-American spiritual during worship does that act honor another culture or is it cultural misappropriation? Can we hold a Seder if we’re not Jewish? Can our children make Native American dream catchers in religious education classes? As Unitarian Universalists we take pride…

When a congregation on the east coast had to decide whether to sell its former parsonage, a beloved old building that needed lots of work, the process began painfully. An emotional congregational meeting ensued when members were asked to vote, without being given the skills to negotiate strong…

In the early 1980s, First Unitarian Church of Oakland, CA, was struggling. Once a vibrant congregation, it had lost much of its membership as its urban neighborhood declined. But when a new minister arrived with a vision that included involving the congregation in planning and leading worship…

The article about ministerial disability in InterConnections (“How to Respond When Ministers Become Ill,” Spring 2007) reminds us that we are all vulnerable to sudden illness or accidents that can impair our ability to earn a living….

What does our congregation need to do to grow? Should we be more welcoming, or is it a matter of adding more ways to integrate folks? Or should we really be focusing on outreach? It can be hard to know what to do if you’re part of a membership committee….

When a congregation becomes motivated to improve its annual budget drive great things are possible. Members of High Plains Church Unitarian Universalist in Colorado Springs, CO (143 members), want to build a larger facility to accommodate their growth, which has been running at 15 to 20 percent….

When a number of men at River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesda, MD (656 members), bought seats at a “gourmet men’s dinner for eight” at the annual church auction in 1986, they had no way of knowing they’d be forming a group that would have a profound effect on their lives. That dinner evolved…

When a longtime member of a congregation decided it was time for a new minister she started a derogatory email campaign against the current one. She sent multi-page emails to members of the congregation, listing all of the minister’s alleged faults….