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

The congregational meeting was held right after the Sunday service to guarantee a quorum.  There were a couple of important issues to discuss, including passing a deficit budget to help fund a part time membership coordinator in service of their desire for growth. Standard...

These principles guide congregations in their social media use. The platform with the largest and most active Unitarian Universalist (UU) use is Facebook.

At the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, we had a problem: Not enough time together. This isn’t unique to us, many congregations struggle with this.

Questions to use when wrestling with purpose, identity and vision.

It happens more often than you think it should. The church seems to be vital, even growing, but the money in the collection plate doesn't keep up with the growth, or there seems to be a shortfall every month. There might be grumbling about how the new folks aren't pulling their weight financially.

Stories from UU Congregations showing growth, creativity and vitality in the program that ran from 2005-2019.

I remember my first church family camp, the Ohio Meadville Summer Institute. At the end of the morning worship, one of the planning committee members would go up to the podium and start singing: Announcements, Announcements, An-NOW-ounce-ments! A terrible death to die, a terrible death to die, A...

Use fewer words and design for skimming. Be sure your content supports your mission, helps your users find what they need, and encourages web visitors to become congregational visitors.

An accessible website doesn't exclude visitors due to their abilities or the method they choose to access the web. Accessible content helps people with disabilities and people with limited internet, old technology, or who speak a different language.

Is your congregation’s website effective, attractive, and accurate? Learn how to run simple tests to assess and improve your usability, accessibility, and search engine placement.

What kinds of messages and content will build a relationship with key audiences, inviting them to join in?

People are more likely to change their behavior if they see others doing it.

I've spent most of my summer working with different programs and events that help to grow lay leaders in our faith. I have had the blessing of encountering dozens of earnest, committed and evangelical lay leaders wanting to spread the good news of our liberal faith....

If we truly believe in the power of this faith to change lives, why is there anyone not wanting to grow and sing Unitarian Universalism from the highest mountains and the tallest peaks?

I had just finished leading a worship service as a guest preacher. This congregation had been experiencing a gentle decline in membership over the past decade. Several congregants came up to me afterward and exclaimed, "It was wonderful how the music, the readings and the children's story all...

Website hosting can be free or cheap, but it's worth making a budget item for hosting with well-reviewed customer service and technical support. Some hosting companies offer reduced rates to non-profit organizations. Registering your own domain name (websters email list, whose members are always...

Satellites, multi-site, yolked ministries and partnerships can explored by all types of congregations - tiny, large, urban, rural, clustered, or isolated. Might multi-site be right for you?

How do we design and support congregational systems that help us live into our mission and vision? Using guiding "ministry action statements," goal-setting, and assessment to keep its mission and vision vital and effective.

A wonderful exercise to elicit emerging ideas and to discover where the energy resides in a large group.