The attendees included people from churches with from 12 to 150 members, having started from 1 to 350 years ago.

Definitions

• Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF): A congregation with headquarters at the UUA, with congregants all over the world -- people who cannot get to another UU congregation. Click here for information about CLF.

• Church on Loan Program: Program for groups who are involved in setting up a church. (It used to be called Church in a Box.) It's available from CLF.

• Extension Ministry Program: For congregations that have been lay-led and decide to enter a growth period. If accepted, they receive funding and a minister appointed by the UUA's Extension Ministry Dept for three years. The congregation needs at least 50 members with an average pledge of at least $700, which is the amount required to support a minister. Click here for more information.

Successes and Struggles

Successes are marked with a 1 and struggles with a 2: many items are both!

• 1&2. Professional leadership: Calling a minister imparted energy, but struggle to afford it

• 1&2. Growth, exciting and energy-building, but causes loss of intimacy

• 1&2. Building causes growth, but upkeep can be hard. Rental can generate income. Church was evicted from a rental building because of their beliefs.

• 1&2. RE: Causes growth, but hard to staff

• 1. Tapping resources of members and academia for services

• 1. Interweave group which provided the only welcoming space in a community

• 1. Creative PR using library signs, local cable TV, big sign, etc.

• 2. Factionalism because of growth

• 2. Identifying candidates for members

• 2. Managing the energy of new, dynamic members

• 1. Social justice projects

• 2. Problems welcoming Wiccans or other minorities

• 1. Winter Solstice celebration open to the community (esp. in northern climes)

• 2. Attracting and maintaining of committed members

• 1. Education of new members to pledge at higher members

• 1. Community feeling: potlucks, retreats, and other non-Sunday events.

• 2. Burn-out

• 2. Cliquish core-group that scares newcomers away

• 1&2. Spontaneous, grass-roots action, but with little support from professional leadership

• 1&2. Diversity can be hard to find in small, homogeneous communities, but the church can be of huge value to minorities

Growth

Growth can cause problems with loss of intimacy. As you grow, start new small groups so that newcomers have alternatives to existing cliques as a way to find intimacy. Informal events work, too, like game nights, potlucks. One church has discussion circles right after the coffee hour, but newcomers may feel shut out. Designate a leader to invite newcomers into the discussion and give background.

The membership chair calls each new visitor (newcomer who signs the guestbook) to invite them to participate as volunteer. Some churches visit everyone (by appointment) who signs the book twice -- and soon after, the treasurer visits, too.

Ask visitors to help, so they don't feel shut out by the leadership. Ask newcomers to read the Church On Loan material, for example.

Some churches assign a mentor to each new person.

Religious Education

RE for both children and adults is important. It's hard to have quality children's programs for all age groups -- and if you have a lot of visitors, children's attendence can be sporadic.

Teachers and organizers burn out. Have plain old members or teenagers teach classes occasionally to "spell" the regular teachers. Or have teams teach, so that teachers take turns and have a chance to attend Sunday services. Tape services or have written copies for RE teachers who hate to miss the service.

Rather that stop RE during the summer, have "canned" programs for the summer, so that volunteers can run classes with no preparation.

Have DREs attend Renaissance modules (RE training courses) and other programs so that they (or teachers) get new ideas and community. RE teachers can feel isolated because they don't attend Sunday services from the adults. Check with your UUA district field staff to find out about district RE resources -- some have district RE consultants or committees. Videotape teacher training to make it available.

Small Congregation Resources

Some good books are available, although you have to be willing to read Christian language. The UUA Bookstore has them.

Click here for the handout, "Resources for Small Congregations"

Information: info@uua.org