“He said, she said, they said, and now we have a conflict!” “I don’t remember what we fought about, but I do remember how I felt when you yelled at me.” “When I hid the ‘send’ key, I didn’t expect this reaction!” “Now that we are in the parking lot, let me tell you what I...

Learning how to be in community with people who have different opinions or experiences is essential in UU congregations.

What are typical job descriptions for the officers on a congregational board? Here is summary of typical roles and responsibilities....

Boards have the fiduciary responsibility to make sure the overall finances of the congregation are in order and the budget is on track. But the line-item spreadsheets given to board often have too much detail and don't give related information that helps the board make sense of the information.

Our living tradition calls us to be lifelong learners, and this is especially true for our leaders. There are many skills and sensibilities that today's leaders need to help our congregations be ready for the 21st century. The UUA has many training resources to assist you!

Anxiety about lack of volunteers and leaders can often lead to treating them as human capital. Ironically, this anxiety-fueled approach tend to produce disappointing results. Instead, creating a program based on a relationship of mutuality, generosity and gratitude can create a culture where people desire to serve.

Your Leadership Development Team should have several practices and strategies that enable them to identify potential leaders, especially from groups that may be at the margins (young adults, people of color). Places to Look For Potential Leaders Attend newcomer classes....

Learn the kinds of leadership best practices that you want to instill in the rest of the congregation. Learn about the difference between Leadership and Management (we need both), how Leadership Development is an important part of Faith Formation, and how thinking in terms of teams and not just individuals can make all the difference!

Healthy, wise leadership is essential to the growth and vitality of our congregations, yet leadership development can easily become an afterthought. Here is a brief overview of where we come from and where we are going....

Embodying Unitarian Universalist (UU) "DNA"—one of the recommended leadership development competencies— includes: Developing and embodying faithfulness to core UU values and theology. Knowing UU history and traditions. Core Values Integrity in our faith. Practices Covenantal relationships within...

Being Spiritually Grounded—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—includes: A clear, positive understanding and personal practice of one’s own faith in our liberal religious tradition. Being able to “translate” and not be reactive to the language, beliefs or practices...

Emotional Intelligence—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—includes: Forbearance, e.g. having self-control, especially when provoked. Presence and functioning, i.e. a high level of self-awareness with an alignment between the body and the mind. Knowing and taking...

Change Skills—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—include: Understanding the difference between unhealthy and creative conflict. Being knowledgeable about change theories and strategies. Understanding the difference between technical and adaptive challenges. Core Values We...

Communication Skills—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—include: Understanding different styles of giving and receiving information. Being able to communicate across different communication styles. Understanding differences in communication across cultures Developing the...

Conflict Skills are part of the recommended leadership development competencies. Conflict Skills include: Understanding the difference between unhealthy and creative conflict. Being able to diffuse unhealthy conflict. Being able to be present to and engage in healthy conflict....

Management Skills—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—include: Basic skills to keep the congregation running smoothly and effectively. Understanding the fiscal responsibilities of leadership. Strong understanding of governance. Core Values A sense of responsibility and...

Skills to Grow Other Leaders—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—include: A generosity of spirit and collegiality in identifying and mentoring potential leaders. A commitment to shared ministry. Identifying and developing training experiences. Supporting the development...

Generational Sensibility—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—includes: Understanding that along with life-stage differences, there may be differences in generations based on the societal shifts they experience during their different life stages. Understanding that...

Multicultural Sensibility—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—includes: Understanding how race and privilege operate in our lives and institutions. Actively working to dismantle racism, especially in our institutions and systems. Understanding how culture affects beliefs,...

Every one-to-one recruitment invitation should include these four major components which are based on paying attention to the individual and building authentic relationship.