Improve the quality of your process by taking time to create a shared understanding of all of the things that should be taken into consideration.

Learning to understand human communities (and in our case, congregations) as systems has been an ongoing learning process for the past several decades for family therapists, organizational development consultants and social scientists....

An overview of the nine principles of Emergent Strategy from adrienne maree brown.

Friends, we are in the heart of an overwhelming storm. None of us are operating at full capacity. Most all of us are exhausted. Here is some advice.

Some ways to approach conflict in congregations grounded in our values and principles

Creativity is exponential. When people play off one another’s ideas and create new programs, they experience the joy of interconnection and purpose. Such synergy is an amazing experience, but it’s not easy to create the conditions to produce that kind of creative interchange.

We’re excited to announce the release of a Study/Action Guide to the Widening the Circle of Concern report! Many of you are looking for ways to bring the hard work and findings of the COIC into the life of your congregation or UU community. This new guide provides 11 session outlines...

Welcome to the new home for congregations and leaders implementing the recommendations of the Commission on Institutional Change! We’re excited to announce the release of a Study/Action Guide to the Widening the Circle of Concern report.

No one fact says more about a group of human beings than its size. Dan Hotchkiss shares some of the differences in dynamics.

Every congregation I go to has a list of things they have to do or want to do that they just can’t do because they don’t have the resources – money, volunteers, energy, space, whatever it is. Maybe it’s time to change your framing so that you can create abundance.

When thinking about needed or wanted change, congregations can sometimes feel stymied. And, let’s face it, human systems like religious communities don’t tend to like to change. In a way, we need to trick the system in order to allow in energy and creativity.

Bylaws changes require approval by the congregation in a meeting of the whole. Like any significant change, changes to bylaws should be communicated as clearly as possible with lots of opportunity for questions and comments.

The interdependence of our faith communities is integral to our polity (as is our independence). This is what makes us an Association of congregations. What can this interrelationship look like when it comes to congregational staff? Here are a few examples: Newly hired staff are welcomed and...

Not all conflict is alike. Different kinds of conflict require different kinds of responses. This is an overview of a model of conflict from Alban Institute consultant Speed Leas.

Avoiding triangulation will not eliminate conflict in a congregation but it will help keep it in the constructive and creative zone.

Congregations should include bylaws provisions that enable the congregation to terminate the covenantal relationship when the trust and confidence in the minister has been compromised or eroded.

Church leaders need to give serious consideration to whether a controversial issue should be acted on or not.

Some of the most volatile disagreements in the life of the congregations have to do with who speaks for the congregation on controversial issues. How does a congregation decide?

Leaders who want to engage the creativity of the congregation in a process (such as the creation of guiding documents or strategic plans) can learn to ask questions and host conversations that will facilitate group learning.

Yet we've learned that conflicts can present great opportunities for building community by examining together what we value the most and clarifying our purpose and mission as a community.