Your New England Region UUA staff team is committed to equipping and supporting religious professionals and lay leaders for healthy, vital Unitarian Universalist ministries. Our staff consultants are often the primary source of support, counsel, and connection. We thank those congregations whose generous gifts enable us to offer services and learning opportunities to 232 congregations in New England and beyond.

To find your congregation's primary contact or start a conversation about anything below, call or email our main office at newengland@uua.org or (617) 978-4515. Or, please submit this form (Wufoo) for support from your primary contact, they will respond to you within a few business days.

We offer:

• Conflict transformation. Conflict is a natural part of community life. Conflict itself is not an issue but how we respond to it can be. Ignoring or denying it can be problematic, as can engaging it in ways that are destructive to individuals and congregations. Regional staff supports congregations in engaging conflict in creative ways that build sustainable, healthy relationships. Congregational leaders who seek support for their efforts at navigating conflict in their congregation are encouraged to contact any one of the NER congregational consultants.
• Individual and group consultations and coaching. Contact us at (617) 948-6415 or newengland@uua.org to initiate a conversation about your needs.
• Board and leadership retreat facilitation. As your church year starts up or midyear, you may be planning a retreat with your leadership team. Visioning, goal-setting and covenanting are common leadership practices within vital congregations. We'll connect you with our team of skilled and experienced Peer Facilitators who can design and facilitate these sessions with you. Congregations are asked to pay a modest honorarium of $50 per onsite hour plus a preparation, travel and miscellaneous expense surcharge of $50 for facilitation services.
  Please make your request for facilitation at least six weeks before your proposed retreat date using the linked form.
  Please note: Due to ongoing issues related to the Covid pandemic, our decisions to do in-person or online events will be centered on keeping our facilitators and participants as safe and healthy as possible.
• Support for ministers and congregations in ministerial transition. The ministerial search and settlement process is well-supported by our Unitarian Universalist Association.
• Search and settlement support for interim, part-time and consulting ministries. Our UUA’s Transitions Office is directly involved only in ¾ time or full-time ministries. For support in ministerial transitions for positions of less than ¾ time, contact us at (617) 948-6415 or newengland@uua.org to initiate a conversation about your needs.
• Startup retreats for new ministers or other Staff. Startups are a facilitated retreat led by Regional staff in the 1st year of a new minister’s ministry, or for the start of a new staff member like Directors of Religious Education (DREs). Startups may involve an array of lay leaders and congregants, including past and present members of the Board, Committee on Ministry, Search Committee, and others. While there are common components to startups, there is not a standard outline because each congregation and minister have slightly different needs and thus the startup is customized for that. Startups are also tailored for the type of ministry such as settled, part-time, contract or even a congregation shifting to lay-led. At the same time, congregations have common needs at the start of a new ministry, whatever the form that ministry might take. Learn more about startups and how to request one.
• Consultation on congregation-based justice ministries. We support and coach leaders interested in making justice ministries a vibrant and vital part of congregational life. Specifically, we are happy to consult with congregational leaders to evaluate, initiate, revamp, restructure and/or revitalize your congregation's justice ministries. Congregations ready to take their next steps on a racial justice journey are encouraged to call or email us.
• Support for lifespan religious education and faith formation. We believe healthy lifespan faith development programs are essential to creating and sustaining vital congregations. We offer support and referrals for organizational assessment, vision and goal-setting, developing healthy systems for RE Committees and other groups, consultations on religious education curricula and programming, multigenerational worship planning, conflict management assessments and interventions, training, workshops, and retreats for religious education volunteers and leaders.
• Small congregations support and congregational collaborations. Small congregations (membership of under 120 or so) are the majority of of our New England Unitarian Universalist churches. We can support in helping your small congregation to be vital and healthy, or assist in discernment about its future.
• Stewardship support.

Regional staff also designs and delivers in-person and online learning events. These programs are designed to broaden knowledge, develop leadership skills, spark ideas and connect members of sibling congregations with one another.