This video is a portion of the Conversations with Leaders: Dual Platform Future for All Ages webinar that was offered in April. In this video, Nancy Combs-Morgan, Mid-America Congregational Life Staff talks about inclusive congregations and how that needs to be the focus as we plan for the future.

This video is a portion of the Conversations with Leaders: Dual Platform Future for All Ages webinar that was offered in April. In this video, Annie Scott, Pacific Western Staff talks about the role of religious educators in planning for moving forward....

This video is a portion of the Conversations with Leaders: Dual Platform Future for All Ages webinar that was offered in April. In this video, Wren Bellavance-Grace, New England Congregational Life Staff, talks about trauma and how it impacts our congregations and returning to religious education...

This video is a portion of the Conversations with Leaders: Dual Platform Future for All Ages webinar that was offered in April. In this video, Patricia Infante, CER Staff in Lifespan Faith Development talks about conflict and how change and conflict are connected in our congregations. As our...

Hear insights from Congregational Life Staff and read insights from leaders about the challenges and possibilities of moving toward in person ministry that is inclusive for our whole community including children and youth.

Here’s some details and examples of how to practice supportive YaEA Ministry in 2020/2021.

This year is hard on everyone, in universal ways, but also in ways specific to age, identity, and life stage. This article focuses on supporting youth and emerging young adults.

As a religious educator, a minister, or a lay leader, here’s some vital family ministry you can support in simple short ways. Here are some simple ways to support your families.

This workshop was given by Evin Carvill Ziemer on September 19, 2020 focusing on safety guidelines and protocols as congregations prepare to launch religious education programming in an online environment.

A liberatory faith holds the theological mandate to privilege those most in need of justice and most at risk. How do we educate for this theological mandate?

Before the pandemic began, the Oberlin, OH UU Fellowship and the Olmsted, OH UU Congregation collaborated on a monthly book group, reading fiction and nonfiction, religious, spiritual, secular, whatever called to our hearts and minds. Some of it was kind of heavy (e.g., The Sixth...

At a time of physical distancing, when in-person ministry and religious education are on hold, UU leaders have new challenges and new opportunities to bring transformative faith development experiences and vital, supportive connection to families large and small. Explore practical and spiritual...

Everything we do is Faith Formation - Everything we teach is Unitarian Universalism - The Congregation is the Curriculum

As religious educators wrestle with the shifting trend towards “family ministry,” many congregations are seeking resources and concrete examples of what’s working. We’ll look at two congregations that have committed to a version of the “Family Ministry” model and some of the specific...

Leaders understand that it’s not just about skills, but it’s about being able to learn (often together) what’s necessary in congregational life; they understand the difference between technical and adaptive challenges, and find themselves at ease in the discomfort of adaptive work, understanding that no one knows the answers, but that together a way can be found.

Leaders understand what they believe or don’t believe and are aware of their need for connection to something larger than themselves; they are aware that they need to connect with a deeper core that gives them balance, intuition, and commitment.

Thematic Ministry Presentation From Dawning Future, 2015 Presented by the staff team of the Washington Ethical Society - Rev. Amanda Poppie, Robyn Kravtiz, Melissa Sinclair and Bailey Whiteman...

Theme-based ministry is happening in more and more congregations throughout the Unitarian Universalist movement. Theme based ministry, sometimes called theme based church, helps create multigenerational connections, as people of all ages explore common themes in age-appropriate ways....

This workshop was presented at Cedar Lane Church in September 2014 and focuses on what is Theme Based Church, how it is different from Theme Based Worship and how you can move your congregation to Theme Based Church as well.

The Worship Backpack - This video is a recording of a workshop presented at the Leadership Day for the Metro NY District, 2013. The theme of the day was: Wonderful Ways to Worship: Leading Your Congregation from the Edge of Awe.

We'll look at ways that your classroom practices, curriculum choices and worship can affirm UU Identity in children and youth. We'll tap into the power of Tapestry of Faith as a tool for building and growing a sense of connection with our Unitarian Universalist history, principles and way of living.

We'll revisit this important topic with the latest information and resources for insuring the physical, emotional and sexual safety of our children, youth, and adults. A process for creating a safe congregation policy will be touched on, including new language to address disaster and trauma...

This workshop will introduce the characteristics of a “spiritually strong” congregation. We will explore how faith development for all ages is a key factor in bold living, and we’ll consider the value of healthy leadership and a strong mission in living out a bold vision. 2015...

Finding the right volunteer for the job and providing ongoing training so that they feel competent and confident is an important piece of the recruitment puzzle. We'll look at some strategies and tips for recruiting and equipping a 21st century volunteer. (2014)...

How often do you introduce spiritual practice when your youth gather? If you are a religious educator or volunteer, make every effort to ensure that each gathering of your young ones taps into the spirit. That by the time these limitless spirits bridge from your program, they have many tools from...

How do you create a meaningful congregational experience when you've got a small number of kids in your congregation, few of whom are the same age?

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...

...self-culture is possible, not only because we can enter into and search ourselves. We have a still nobler power, that of acting on, determining and forming ourselves. This is a fearful as well as glorious endowment, for it is the ground of human responsibility. We have the power not only of...

If you’ve ever been to a Unitarian Universalist General Assembly, or a District Assembly, or read many of our blogs and Facebook pages, you know we are very focused on the idea of growth. We love our faith, and we want others to love it with us! We get a little stymied in the “how” of growth,...

I spent several days hiking in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia for my vacation. (It was a good opportunity to get away from the technology that is my constant companion during the rest of the year, since there are few cell phone towers in those mountains.) Many of the trails we...

One of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs (YouTube) begins: Every picture has its shadows And it has some source of light Blindness, blindness and sight… When I talk about leadership qualities, I find that many of the qualities can be either strengths or weaknesses—or somewhere on a continuum...