a. Speaking with One Voice b. Team Players: Interpersonal Dynamics c. Minutes and Records

The flow of information in an organization is a bit like the flow of water after a rain. Ideally, the information is shared evenly, and the members are able to absorb it like loamy soil. But information that triggers anxiety can be like a heavy rain. Without established channels, information will create its own channels, possible eroding trust or creating other damage.Here are some practices to create healthy communication channels.

Balancing transparency and confidentiality can be challenging for congregational board members, staff, and other leaders who have access to sensitive information. Healthy, vibrant systems need as much open communication as possible. White Supremacy Culture sometimes uses "the need for...

I have a love-hate relationship with surveys, especially surveys used as a part of congregational planning. Frankly, used in this context they can often do more harm than good. When used as one among a number of ways of collecting data, they can get great and comparatively easy way to add peripheral vision to face-to-face methods of gathering response. Here Ian Evison offers a few guidelines for using surveys well.

Congregational Governing Boards have different structures, cultures, assumptions, and responsibilities in different congregations.  The size and structure of a governing board is dependent upon the roles and responsibilities of the board itself. Here are a series of factors that you can consider as you determine the size of your congregation's board.

What is the difference between a technical challenge and an adaptive challenge? Rev. David Pyle gives a helpful example.

Organizations, like all systems, seek equilibrium. If a congregation is thrown out of balance by the prospect of change, most members will seek to restore order and sameness. This is natural and should not be a reason to judge one another. Healthy organizations have developed the ability to be receptive to change and resistance--to lean into the disruption to their equilibrium. This is where a congregation becomes a community of learning.

A brief overview of how Governance and Ministry partner to serve the mission of the congregation. (Based on Dan Hotchkiss's Governance and Ministry, 2nd Edition.)...

Video, based on the book Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Gary L. McIntosh

Surveys that work best come out of an understanding that the job of leadership is not to “make people happy” but to help the congregation live out its mission.  Surveys that are useless at best and divisive at worst typically seek to honor personal preferences about various areas of congregational life (including the minister).

One key insight for leaders is to understanding how responses to change are not just intellectual, but emotional. This presentation provides a mental model using a rollercoaster to help you lead through change.

"Deferred Maintenance" and "Building Reserves" are terms that are often tossed around when talking about the budget, but what do they mean?

What are our promises to each other, to our fellow congregants, to any Unitarian Universalist in the world? How do we show up for each other?...

Every Unitarian Universalist Congregation is designed differently. How each congregation functions is a blend of congregational experience, culture, and history. Congregational structures are also affected by whether and which other congregations members have attended or been a part of before. W

(Atlanta, GA, 2000) Following a morning worship service, Alban Institute consultant Alice Mann was introduced to lead the day's learning experience on "Navigating Change in the Midsize Congregation." Mann, the author of "The In-Between Church," is an Episcopal priest who has been involved in...

Creates a shared vision of the church, an effective mission statement and dynamic mission-centered goals to implement the mission. Develops and affirms a clear identity and purpose with a strong sense of mission. Mission(s) used as a compass in decision-making. Members can identify the...

In this model, the heart is your core values & mission, the arrow is your aspirations or vision, and holding them in relationship is intentional values or covenant. Accidental values act as a counterweight to our aspirations.

What is working well today, including the tried and true, and new ideas. What is not working so well, and how can it be improved or replaced. How can we use technology and social media. How can we reach the people who are hard to reach. Can we effectively diversify our revenue streams....

Recognizing the baggage we bring and the anxiety many of us have about money and stewardship, how can we talk about sharing our gifts in service of the whole, that is, our beloved faith community....

Participants will be invited to reflect on their recent campaigns and learn how to generate new ideas, new themes, and attract new people. Consider what have we not done for a while, what stewardship message does our congregation need this year, what would we do with more money....