Boards, especially in congregations with 100 or more members, find that delegating part of their fiduciary work to committees and/or task forces helps to free them up for big-picture and visionary discussions.

Policies and procedures are a way of telling future boards “this is our best thinking and guidance on this subject.” 

One of the most important keys to congregational health and vitality--along with a clear purpose--is a cohesive leadership team.

The primary responsibility of the denominational affairs committee is to provide a liaison between the congregation and both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the region. The committee meets to discuss issues of denominational concern....

Unity offers deep questions and commitments for governance within a progressive religious, covenantal context: Whose Are We? What Do We Value? What Are Our Commitments?

Small congregations need a governance system that is "right sized" for the unique needs and challenges generated by their size. Boards Much of the decision-making in small congregations happens at the board level. Emerging Best Practices Create and live by a board covenant. Have a clear...

Nurturing the relationship between a congregation and its governing body.

Leadership is an important, yet elusive concept. It takes on different forms in different settings. The intent of Policy Governance® is to give operational definition to "leadership" as it applies in the specific context of a governing Board.

Procedures should have the flexibility to change as the organization changes size, staff, technologies and other situational factors.

The Bylaws provide the formal structure of your congregation and allow for maintaining and changing that structure. Bylaws hold the highest level of authority of congregational guiding documents. Some state laws require that congregations have a constitution, charter, articles of incorporation or...

Congregational Life Staff are often asked who performs executive functions in UU Congregations under policy governance. Here are some considerations.

Congregational boards are entrusted with many of the operational and sometimes programmatic decisions....

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.

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).

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

Practical Decision Making How a congregation makes decisions should reflect all the characteristics of a free church. Respectful participation, democratic values, and reference to common principles and mission should be common in our practices and most clearly evident in congregational meetings....

Sample Scripts from the 2009 UU University Governance Track.

Five key components needed in the governance system of congregations, including visioning, coordinating, planning, training and implementing.

All congregations must understand that the instruments of congregational polity will vary with the size of the congregation. The practices of governance must be suited to the characteristics of the individual congregation.

An overview of how UU governance developed over time.