Worker classification is an important legal matter. Learn to determine which of your workers must be treated as employees versus who might be an independent contractor. Know the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act and whether each of your employees is nonexempt or exempt.

Involuntary terminations are never easy. Ensure the best possible outcomes for the congregation while offering kindness and respect to the employee. This is a chance for the congregation leadership to practice UU values.

On top of managing the “logistics” of a staff member’s departure, you will need to manage the emotional component. Congregants may have a whole range of feelings and reactions. It’s important to acknowledge all feelings.

Personnel Committees don't hire, manage or supervise staff. Instead they advise the board and the senior minister on best practices.

The UUA offers a Congregational Salary Program as a service to congregational leaders. Our approach emphasizes process and values, with recommended salary ranges provided for six job levels in four congregational size profiles.

When your congregation has staff but no staff member is in a supervisory role, you will need to find a volunteer lay leader to fill that role. 

Problems can arise when staff fail to recognize the unique responsibilities and relationships inherent to congregational employment. 

11/04/2022 - When a congregation has no clear head-of-staff, the board needs to ensure that good staffing and supervision practices are in place.

Resources to help you make sound decisions and ensure that you are treating your employees fairly and legally.

How can your congregation be a good employer during the COVID-19 outbreak? Caring for staff is an opportunity to model your values and spirit for the congregation, to demonstrate the kindness, creativity, and interdependence that these days ask of us....

The departure of a staff team member provides a fruitful time for reflection, visioning, and change. Some UU professionals are equipped to work with congregations during transitions, providing specialized skills and tools that help a congregation prepare for robust new leadership....

In the months ahead, many congregations plan to offer a combination of online and in-person programming options. Will there be new budget items? How might staff hours or responsibilities be changing? Here are some considerations.

The Benefits Tune-up Workbook is designed to help congregational leaders understand our benefit plan rules - necessary documents, eligibility criteria, enrollment windows, and more. We'll help ensure that you remain compliant by having good protocol in place for benefits administration.

With the onset of virtual operations and the ability to work from anywhere, we're seeing an increase in both employee- and congregation-initiated arrangements that result in one individual working for more than one UU congregation. As more shared staffing situations unfold, we have identified key...

As congregations move into extended virtual operations, we are providing answers to common human resources questions related to remote work....

Moving from full-time to part-time ministry asks the minister and congregation to consider renegotiating things that don’t neatly divide. Here is a suggested process based on mutuality and consent.

There are times when a congregation needs to adjust their commitment to professional ministry in reducing hours. Here are some considerations from one of our small congregation program consultants.

If there was ever a time that you needed to trust that your religious leaders were making the best choices they could make, that time is now.

In March of 2020, as COVID-19 was taking hold, the Office of Church Staff Finances offered recommendations to congregations regarding staffing and finances through June. Now, in early June, we have issued a comprehensive memo with updated guidance: Staffing and Finances for July and Beyond. This...

A guide congregational leaders in recruiting, hiring, supporting, and transitioning professional music and religious education leaders.

Rob Molla, UUA Director of Human Resources presents this series. This webinar covers employee manuals, evaluations and assessments, supervisory feedback, performance improvement plans, bias and cultural awareness, and Rob’s rules.

Rob Molla, UUA Director of Human Resources presents this series. Whether you have staff who supervise staff, or are a small congregation where members must fill this role, come to learn basics of positive human resource practice.

SLIDES from the presentation (https://www.midamericauua.net/documents/webinars/182-human-resources-10…;) Jan Gartner, UUA Compensation and Staffing Practices Manager presents this webinar. Whether you have staff who supervise staff, or are a small congregation where members must fill this role,...

Resources from Past General Assemblies General Assembly 2019 Track: How to Be a Good Employer and Supervisor General Assembly 2017 workshop slides: https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/ga17_compensation_fina… Considerations and Complications in a Changing World (PDF): Learn about...

The PLUS Program (or Professional Learning Units for Staff) is designed for new (and relatively new) professional staff in Unitarian Universalist congregations.

Employees in meaningful roles want to do their best, and the best gift a supervisor can give is honest and helpful feedback. Provide opportunities for regular supervision that is supportive and useful to staff members, their supervisors, and your congregation’s leadership....

The health and vitality of the congregation depends on the health and vitality of its minister(s), religious educator(s), music professional(s), administrative professional(s), membership professional(s) and other staff.

Wherever you may be in your process of hiring and supporting staff at this moment, exploring your vision and values is an important starting place for thinking about diversity.

Note: When checking references before calling or hiring a minister, please refer to The Settlement Handbook. Use the following reference check (as well as the background check) guidelines (previously presented as Responsible Staffing) when hiring professional religious leaders and staff, and when...

Use the following background check (as well as reference check) guidelines (previously presented as Responsible Staffing) when hiring professional religious leaders and staff, and when recruiting volunteers whose work will put them in close contact with children and persons in vulnerable...

We know that learning about staff compensation can be confusing. UUA Compensation Consultants are here to help! Compensation Consultants are trained volunteers who work under the direction of the Office of Church Staff Finances.

Personnel Committees operate like Human Resources departments in that they don't hire, manage or supervise staff. Instead they advise on best practices.

The interdependence of our faith communities is integral to our polity (as is our independence). This is what makes us an Association of congregations. What can this interrelationship look like when it comes to congregational staff? Here are a few examples: Newly hired staff are welcomed and...

Once the salary and benefits are set by the appropriate church leadership based on recommended practices, it’s important to make sure the payroll is handled accurately and confidentially. Because of the complicated nature of payroll, and especially when it comes to ministers’ salary, housing and...

Adding a worship service inevitably means more work for the congregation’s staff, both professional and support. The leaders of worship and religious education must not only repeat the service, create a separate special focus, and oversee another religious education program but also do more...

Is your congregation an employer? In other words do you pay folks to do work? Be it a minister, religious educator, custodian, musician, administrator or some other position? Are any of those folx participants in any of the UUA plans? Retirement, health insurance, etc?

When an employee's wages change, it affects Life and Long-Term Disability insurance premiums (and benefit payouts) as well as Retirement Plan contributions. Do any of your staff have new hours or salaries (salary + housing for ministers)? If they are on our Life or LTD Plans, use the form on our...

When a congregation is in search for a new professional staff member to fill a key and important role in the congregation, whether it is that of a custodian or that of a membership director, an important consideration is how well potential applicants understand and have personal values that are...

One of the keys to a healthy congregational staff team is that they understand themselves as a team....

One of the most common sources of tension in a congregation where conflict occurs that involves governing boards is the relationship between governing boards and the congregation’s professional staff, including the minister.  I have found that much of this conflict arises from the...

You’ve probably heard that there are special tax rules for ministers. Most church leaders don’t need to be experts on ministerial compensation, but it’s important to understand the basics of how payroll and taxes for the minister differ from other employees. Our Ministerial Compensation...

These 2 videos (about 20 minutes each) were created especially for those who are new to staff team leadership and supervision.

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...

Get your new employees off to a healthy, happy start every time! Learn about formal administrative onboarding and proven practices for welcoming and orienting staff.

Congregations are legal entities required to comply with all sorts of legal requirements. While religious institutions might be exempt from a FEW legal requirements, churches are NOT exempt from most. This includes many requirements stemming from being an employer. This post pertains to the UU...

What is “professional development?" Why is it essential? How do you choose and fund professional development activities and fit them into your schedule?

Churches that are well staffed usually find that their volunteer pool increases!

Establishing good communication practices and healthy boundaries are essential to attracting and keeping good staff. This article gives an overview of good practices, with special tips for congregations of various sizes.