The question comes up often on Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) email lists: “We’re thinking about advertising on our National Public Radio station. People who listen to NPR...

When a man who had just joined a West Coast congregation volunteered to take care of the grounds, the overworked folks in the congregation were thrilled. But when he hacked off all the branches of several small trees, they had second thoughts. More alarms sounded when he forcefully criticized the...

Use caution when discussing congregational issues on email, reminds Rev. Bob Hill, district executive for the Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA's) Southwest District. "Email is wonderful," Hill says....

The membership committee of the Unitarian Universalists (UUs) of the Cumberland Valley, Boiling Springs, PA (126 members), gives each first-time visitor a Newcomer Bag on Sunday mornings. The bag is stuffed with Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) pamphlets, a letter from cominister's Duane...

When visitors come through our doors on Sunday morning most of us know what to do. We greet them warmly, talk to them during coffee hour and invite them back. What happens next is more challenging. If they become interested in us, then we are expected to teach them about our faith....

When the congregation of the First Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church of Duluth, MN (190 members), made the decision this past winter to begin raising money for a new church building, it seemed like the time might also be right to consider changing the name that would go up on the new building.

When a congregation adds to its space by building or remodeling, it has cause for celebration. But there are right and wrong ways to perform these ceremonies. Rev. John A. Buehrens, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President, has participated in more than one hundred building dedication...

Asking the right questions is a key part of learning how well your congregation functions. The new book, Churchworks: A Well-Body Book for Congregations, by Rev. Anne Heller, district executive of the Pacific Northwest District, includes checklists for committees and boards of trustees. Here are...

We see them standing there after the service, intently studying the bulletin board, carefully reading the framed copy of the Seven Principles on the wall, or focusing into their coffee. Visitors. We know in our hearts we should speak to them....

If any committee is a natural for Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations, it should be the booktable committee. A bookstore, booktable, or bookstall can not only feed the hunger of congregants for UU-related books, but can make it easier for religious education classes and other groups to get the...

We've all been there. The service is about to start and the moderator asks the dreaded question: Are there any announcements? Yes, it seems there are, and they go on forever. How best to handle them?...

Q. We're concerned about all the ways that members are getting asked for money at church. There are the musicians that bring tapes, Girl/Boy Scouts/school fundraisers, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the collection plate, the service auction, regular/capital pledges, a church used book...

If you get "the call," from a smooth, but insistent made-for-radio-or-TV voice asking you, as a Unitarian Universalist (UU) leader, for an instant comment, you need to be prepared....

Q. We just had our annual meeting and we were barely able to declare a quorum at the start of the meeting. The same was true at a special meeting we held earlier this year. By the time we got around to voting I'm sure we had lost our quorum. I find it a little disappointing. How do other...

How many of these vignettes sound like your congregation? At your last annual meeting, twenty-seven of your 181 adult members showed up. The budget and a proposal to hire a part-time bookkeeper couldn't be considered for lack of a quorum....