Lisa Presley

Congregational Life Consultant

MidAmerica Region in Congregational Life

Email: lpresley@uua.org

Telephone: (248) 514-5458

Headshot of Lisa Presley

Rev. Dr. Lisa Presley

MidAmerica Region Congregational Life Consultant

Lisa Presley is a life-long Unitarian Universalist who was an active lay leader before entering our ministry in 1991. As a lay leader she was board president, board member, worship associate, stewardship campaign chair, religious education teacher, bookkeeper, secretary, and shoveled the snow as well as many other "duties as assigned". She has served congregations as interim minister (Calgary AB, Rochester MI, Naperville IL, San Rafael CA), and as settled minister (Southfield MI). Her work for first the Heartland District and now the MidAmerica Region includes mentoring, teaching, and working with congregations in all aspects of congregational life. For MidAmerica she is a "deep generalist" working across the spectrum of congregational issues, while taking as her "deep" areas include areas of safe congregations, the UUA Disaster Relief Fund, and working toward greater intercultural competency in our congregations. She lives in Kalamazoo, MI, with her partner, and their dog Teddy.

From Lisa Presley

Displaying 11 - 20 of 26

Knows self, and handles their own anxiety: Leaders know where their buttons are, and know how to manage their own anxiety; they recognize that anxiety serves little purpose in moving a congregation forward, and instead can lessen that anxiety and help the congregation focus on the issues involved...

By Lisa Presley | July 23, 2020

Culturally competent: Leaders are aware, or becoming aware, that much in their world is based on cultural assumptions of the dominant groups, rather than simply “the way things are;” they understand that congregations must work to determine how they will be—that commonality in values is either...

By Lisa Presley | July 23, 2020

We go over the basics of how to have a congregational meeting on Zoom, including registration options, polling options, and security controls.

Webinar | By MidAmerica Region of the UUA, Lisa Presley | May 3, 2020 | For Adults | From LeaderLab

For our recent annual meeting, we utilized the Zoom polling feature to conduct the votes on the business. It worked well (once we sorted through some of the following complications), and it provided fast returns on the questions....

By Lisa Presley | April 24, 2020 | From LeaderLab

There’s something that makes me come alive when September comes. Perhaps it’s the multiple years of school starting, and the smell of new pencils, notebooks, and paper. Maybe it’s the beginning coolness in the air that spurs me to move faster. I don’t know what it is, but I love the fall when things rev back up again!

By Lisa Presley | September 4, 2019 | From MidAmerica News

Safe Congregations: Where to Begin

Webinar | By Lisa Presley, MidAmerica Region of the UUA | March 18, 2019 | For Adults | From LeaderLab

Well, actually, every month should be a month of love in my books, but February is the time that we’re reminded to think of the people whom we love. Parents, family, friends, partners, people not related to us—we do well to remember, each day, those we love, and show that love to the people in our lives.

By Lisa Presley | February 5, 2019 | From MidAmerica News

For many of our congregations, and sometimes more particularly for our smaller congregations, there is little articulated sense about why the congregation exists beyond the companionship of others on the journey.

By Lisa Presley | November 27, 2018 | From MidAmerica Region

Question our assumptions, include everyone, and choose how we decide.

Webinar | By Lisa Presley, MidAmerica Region of the UUA | November 1, 2018 | For Adults | From LeaderLab

What a congregation can, and should do, to prepare themselves for disasters.

Webinar | By Julie Taylor, Lisa Presley, MidAmerica Region of the UUA, UU Trauma Response Ministry | October 29, 2018 | For Adults | From LeaderLab

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