Stories, resources, ideas, and practices shared by congregations in the spirit of creative interchange, group learning, and emerging practices.

A 120 member congregation sets and meets a goal of a 20% pledge increase to bring their staff up to UUA compensation guidelines.

The practice of self-descriptions creates a more accessible and inclusive space for participants who are blind or who have low-vision.

Learn to work together to reinforce life-affirming and creative frameworks and use practical tools for welcoming and inclusion, connection and belonging, all as foundational to a membership journey in your congregation grounded in mutuality and consent.

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.

Books, training organizations, and other resources for congregations exploring Sociocracy.

The Sermon of the Month series is an offering from your UUA Congregational Life Staff to help support small congregations with quality worship resources.

Investing in real estate is a big decision involving strategic planning and fundraising for the project as well as increased operating costs.

BLUU Havens are Black UU social groups, valuable to the lives of the people leading and connecting through them.

Does your congregation want to grow but feels stuck? We offer resources to help you revitalize and grow your congregation to the next level.

Resources and guidance on how to adjust your budget and programming when your congregation has declined in membership and/or pledging.

A sea-change is happening in American religion, and spiritual needs have only grown more intense. Take home tools to attract new people, successfully integrate them into community, and nourish their faith for the long haul.

Fill out this online form to apply to become a covenanting community of the UUA. Please talk to your UUA primary contact first!

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

All congregation sizes based on certified membership at the time the stories were shared.

Shifting from a humanist fellowship to a more spiritual and inclusive community helped them reach the goal of owning their own building.

Making welcoming part of everyone's responsibility, and putting energy into small group ministry helped this congregation achieve sustained growth.

They chose to give up a historic building they dearly loved in order to build a new, larger home as their gift to the future.

A multiracial congregation offers a liberal sanctuary in a conservative area.

This congregation thrives because "This congregation says 'yes!' "Newcomers feel warmly welcomed, there are lots of activities aimed at getting people together, people feel their talents are appreciated.

They moved beyond their former mentality of scarcity and invest in new facilities, programs, and personnel, and…we needed to become a fair compensation congregation.

A church where people grow spiritually, and then out of that give to the larger world.

The congregation's leaders said there were seven values that sustained and guided them: we value everyone's voice; it's okay to ask for help; we value the advice we receive; we value the generosity of angels; we value the growth of liberal religion; we value social justice; and we value fun.

A family-oriented and welcoming congregation

This congregation grew from 250 to 500 members and its budget has grown from $144,000 to $740,000 in ten years.

A church boldly faced its problematic behaviors and focused on navigating the diversity already in its midst, and grew from 350 to 520 members.

This congregation was a committed multi-racial church, growing and extending its influence in the wider community.

To celebrate their Centennial, they planned to raise and give away $100,000 and perform 100 hours of service, which helped unify the congregation.

A 300+ year old church renews itself by focusing on mission, covenant, and welcoming.

A suburban congregation looks to renew its sense of mission by buying a building in a diverse neighborhood.

After a major conflict, the church rebounded from 160 to over 500 by embracing its multicultural values and its spiritual connections.

Focusing on key values and core mission enabled the congregation to grow without straining their budget.

Currently the congregation has more than 1000 active members, and its leaders believe they have broken through "unseen and powerful barriers by taking care of the church building, planning for the future, and welcoming visitors."

A congregation in a community of 8000 grew from a house church to 220 members, partly on the strength of the religious education program.

A church focuses on shared ministry, community building, and religious exploration as a growth strategy.

With Branches in Socorro and Edgewood, First Albuquerque grew in depth and in numbers (564 to 715) in five years.

Hear lay and professional leaders describe how they have grown in depth and in numbers (93 to 128) in the past five years.

Lay and professional leaders describe how they have grown in depth and in numbers (304 to 405) in the past five years.

After an intentional decision to grow out of a 30-year 250 member plateau, they grew the membership to 400 in eight years.

During the 5 year period when they grew from 170 to 240 members, they made an intentional effort to keep the long time members connected, and most stayed.

First Unitarian Society of Madison, WI, the largest Unitarian Universalist congregation in North America, grew from 400 to 2,000 members in 17 years.

Collecting and analyzing data is important as a feedback loop. Here are some tools to help.