Those of us who have served on nominating committees know the experience can be either a joy or a tragedy. Some years everyone we call says yes, grateful for the opportunity to give something back to the congregation that means so much to them and wondering why we hadn't called sooner. In other...

Each year, core leaders agree on short-term goals. They agree that barring an emergency, they will not be diverted from these objectives. Leaders trust one another, respecting the work each does. They resist micro managing....

Q. The idea of providing child care for church and committee functions has not been a priority in our congregation....

When recruiting volunteers for committees, rather then telling them "we need you to fill this slot," tell them why they’re the best person for the job. Elaborate on their qualifications, insights, and experiences. Tell them how it fits into the mission of the congregation and how their...

When congregations set out to renovate their buildings, they're thinking primarily about the work to be done, how to pay for it, and how much better the building will be. They're generally not thinking about catastrophes that can happen while the work is taking place....

Q. I have always understood that the check-in process should be brief, personal, and without interruption. Is it possible that some of the objections to the process are due to sometimes letting check-in become too lengthy and more interactive than it should be? Many of us may have a totally...

Sometimes, through no deliberate fault, a congregation becomes, well, complacent. It still functions week to week, but there's no fire. Rebuilding that fire can happen several ways. A new minister or lay leader can do it. Sometimes a church event or a new way of doing things can do it. At...

For those small congregations which aren't able to muster many volunteers for the Membership Committee, here is one that operates with just three leaders....

The Caring Committee at the UU Church of the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel, CA (234 members), once sandbagged a member's house to protect it from a flood. Last year it secretly delivered 31 Easter baskets to people who needed a boost. Another time it weeded an elderly woman's garden....

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.

The First Unitarian Church, Oakland, CA (284 members), used to have a cash flow problem in the summer. As Church Administrator, Jay Roller, explains it: "People would go away in the summer and forget to pay their pledges."Seasonal sag is a perennial church problem....

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...

Q. Our small fellowship has moved from employing a minister half time to two-thirds time for next year. a) Does a minister, whether part-time or full-time, get the same amount of money for professional expenses like books, etc.? Does the expense allowance go up as his salary goes up? b) Also, how...

The annual budget drive. Done well it's a thing of beauty and a joy for at least nine months, until the next one rolls around. Done badly it causes massive volunteer burnout, drives the congregation into hiding, and forces budget cuts that set the tone for a parsimonious year....

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our congregations. They fill our committees, lead our small groups, cut the grass, and run our canvasses. A constant stream of them flows through all aspects of church life. That is, if we ask the right people....

Pennies and nickles from church school children, combined with larger donations from adult members, helped the endowment fund at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church in Bethesda, MD (917 members), grow past a million dollars last year.November is Endowment Month at Cedar Lane, and that's...

Think back to the last time you were asked to chair or serve on an important congregational committee? Did it feel like: I thought you'd never ask. I was just going to ask you if I could do that. A death sentence. It may be too much to expect that we will be overjoyed when we are asked to take on...

The voice of experience belongs to Deirdre Shaw when it comes to attracting young adults to Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations. Three times in ten years she tried to form a Young Adult group in her own congregation. Twice she failed. But the third time she succeeded and now on any given...

Q.My church has about 175 members. We have always had a fulltime minister and part-time secretary and custodian, but we began paying our half-time director of religious education about ten years ago and recently began paying a quarter-time music director....