Making the decision to add an additional worship service, or even considering such a thing, is a major undertaking in congregational life. As institutions (and even as members of institutions), we don’t always embrace even the smallest changes easily, and alterations in our worship...

Adding services can provide a wonderful, invigorating climate for growth of all sorts, both individual and institutional. But large-scale change without adequate planning not only may doom the change but also may create additional problems. Therefore, ...

Some useful points to consider and remember as the congregation faces the addition of a service and the consequent growth.

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...

One of the key challenges in adding an additional service is providing religious education for children. What is needed, what will be offered, and how it will be done are large questions that need and deserve special consideration. The process of determining the answer to these questions runs...

A congregation might choose to add an additional worship service for many different reasons: Some are from the needs of the congregation, and and others are driven by needs of individuals not yet within the congregational walls.

Three sample surveys that can be modified easily for your specific situation.

Any change is difficult for an organization, but the change in number of worship services seems to prompt some particular fears and feelings. They need to be articulated, recognized, affirmed, and responded to so the change can move forward effectively. The following are some common concerns and...

Adding an additional service will have a real impact on congregational life. Once the decision to add a service is made, the designing and implementation stages begin. Here are a list of questions to help guide your planning:

Some tips from congregations who have added a second service.

This work isn’t all prayers and beautiful moments, nor is it laments and trauma. It’s not even both/and, because this work is something greater than you, greater than us, greater than the whole of those we serve. This work is a calling. And we’re doing it. Day after day, night after night,...

Holy Mystery Silent Presence Uncertain Bearer of the Weight of It All In these quiet moments we listen We listen for the maybe still breathing, perhaps still whispering Faintest sign of the Universal Good We listen between the cacophony of distractions pulling us towards untruth and falsehood We...

America has not yet faced our history of slavery, nor the malicious colonization and oppression of the Indigenous peoples.

We light this chalice, the symbol of our faith, knowing that this morning many others across this land and around the world are doing the same. For us and for our far-flung kin it is a light of peace, of justice, and of love....

We feel the season turning. The early sunset glancing through the red-tinged leaves. The newspaper arriving in the cool morning air. The flock of migrating swallows. A feeling of being on the edge of something new. These are the Days of Awe. A time to welcome a new year and a time to make the old...

Millions of Humanists celebrate Christmas joyfully, meaningfully, and authentically, without pretending to be Christians or grinchishly trying to take anything away from them.

Photographs and excerpts from worship services at the 2018 UUA General Assembly.

Stories do three things.

‘As Unitarian Universalists, we are first and foremost religious communities that practice love as our foundation—and we are living in times of heartbreak, violence, and pain.’

These images were created by graphic designer Ellen Rockett from some of the prayers included in our weekly Braver/Wiser series.