Contextual Sensibility for Leadership Development

UU Value words, Love, Justice, Hope, Faith and Community, projected on to a building for light show.

Contextual Sensibility—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—include:

  • Understanding what is happening in the world around us.
  • Understanding how changes in society and demographics impacting our congregations, e.g. in today’s world each congregation has to make a case for itself to a skeptical public.
  • Developing strategies on how their congregation should we use the Internet, social media and other new technologies.

Core Values

We understand that "revelation" is open and continuous, i.e. that we need to be paying attention and be responsive to the world around us.

Practices

  • Create a learning community among your leaders to stay informed about cultural changes and discuss how the congregation may respond.
  • Include youth and young adults in leadership.
  • Subscribe to news feeds or blogs that discuss the changing religious landscape.

Resources

Videos

Web Articles

On-Demand Webinars

Websites

  • Congregational Life Survey Data U.S. Congregations is a religious research group staffed by religious researchers and sociologists who are conducting the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.
  • Lifelong Faith: Faith Formation 2020

Books

About the Authors

Renee Ruchotzke

Rev. Renee Ruchotzke (ruh-HUT-skee) is a Congregational Life Consultant and program manager for Leadership Development.

For more information contact .

Graphic for Contextual Sensibility Badge.

Starfish" Leadership in UU Congregations

presented by Renee Ruchotzke

When Everything You Thought You Knew Isn't Enough

presented by Tandi Rogers and Stefan Jonasson (GA 2014)