A shared history is a powerful bond and an awareness of history can foster a sense of pride and a feeling of connectedness. The telling of this history, whether in oral or written form, is one of the most important ways that newer members of a family are welcomed into the group. ...

Annual reports, often published in conjunction with a congregation's annual meeting, provide an opportunity to report on the annual goals that are serving the mission and vision of the congregation

Adding a worship service inevitably means more work for the congregation’s staff, both professional and support. The leaders of worship and religious education must not only repeat the service, create a separate special focus, and oversee another religious education program but also do more...

Series on Staffing for Diversity This series of articles originally appeared in the August 2017 through January 2018 editions of Compensation and Staffing News, a monthly Office of Church Staff Finances publication. Staffing for Diversity, Part I: Vision and Values - An Important Place to Start...

Who is responsible for the oversight, management and upkeep of your buildings and surrounding property?

An accessible, attractive and efficient office space makes staff, volunteers and visitors happy and productive!

The UUA has a Safe Congregations Team that spends hours developing and curating resources: General Safety Topic Responding to Threats and Incidents Promoting Appropriate Behavior Keeping Children Safe in Congregations Becoming a Safer Congregation (Handbook) A UU Guide to Effective Safety Policie...

When an employee's wages change, it affects Life and Long-Term Disability insurance premiums (and benefit payouts) as well as Retirement Plan contributions. Do any of your staff have new hours or salaries (salary + housing for ministers)? If they are on our Life or LTD Plans, use the form on our...

A post-fire redesign of this San José, California, church feels like ‘getting a hug from the building.’

When a congregation is in search for a new professional staff member to fill a key and important role in the congregation, whether it is that of a custodian or that of a membership director, an important consideration is how well potential applicants understand and have personal values that are...

One of the keys to a healthy congregational staff team is that they understand themselves as a team....

One of the most common sources of tension in a congregation where conflict occurs that involves governing boards is the relationship between governing boards and the congregation’s professional staff, including the minister.  I have found that much of this conflict arises from the...

You’ve probably heard that there are special tax rules for ministers. Most church leaders don’t need to be experts on ministerial compensation, but it’s important to understand the basics of how payroll and taxes for the minister differ from other employees. Our Ministerial Compensation...

a. Our Values, Our Staff b. Compensation Guidelines c. The Unique Finances of Your Minister d. Personnel Policies and Best Practices

These 2 videos (about 20 minutes each) were created especially for those who are new to staff team leadership and supervision.

Balancing transparency and confidentiality can be challenging for congregational board members, staff, and other leaders who have access to sensitive information. Healthy, vibrant systems need as much open communication as possible. White Supremacy Culture sometimes uses "the need for...

"Deferred Maintenance" and "Building Reserves" are terms that are often tossed around when talking about the budget, but what do they mean?