by Bethany Russell-Lowe (Millennial) and Sharon Wylie (GenX) This past March, we attended a gathering of UU ministers, a time for us to rest together, to worship together, and to learn together. During a collegial discussion about the future of church in an increasingly secular world, the idea arose that …
Our culture right now is steeped in messages that encourage us to do what we love, and the money will follow. There’s a book by that name–Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow–written in 1989 by Marsha Sinetar, and I don’t know if she and that book started our preoccupation …
People new to congregational life are often anxious about pledging. After all, this is a financial commitment you didn’t used to have. Here’s what I hear most often: How much should I pledge? Pledging is a spiritual practice, a commitment to the future of the congregation. The practice of making a …
Aha! You knew some day this blog would grub for money, didn’t you? Churches are all the same. Church financial scandals in recent decades have led many to view fundraising as an example of religious hypocrisy: if religious people really want to make the world a better place, why don’t …
So much has been written about children attending worship services that I feel I have little to add. At the same time, parents with young children have many questions and worries about attending church with children. So here goes. Many parents are surprised to learn that children are welcome to …
You made it to church for the first time! You got yourself out of bed on Sunday morning, had the right set of directions, found a parking spot, and arrived not too late for the start of the service. You even enjoyed the service! But… Something off-putting happened. There was …
Before I became a minister, I never, ever, even once went through the receiving line to greet the minister after a worship service. I assumed that everyone else waiting in line had something meaningful to say about the service, something deep. I had no idea what to say. I came …
Beloved community, Because we are such a community of readers, I thought some of you might be interested in knowing what’s on my reading list for the coming year. Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square by Paul Rasor. This is the UUA’s “Common Read” title for 2014-15. …
Beloved community, I’d like you to think about joining our Religious Education (RE) committee. Yes, you. The majority of Unitarian Universalists were not raised in this faith tradition. Many of us come to Unitarian Universalism as we prioritize certain life values over the norms of our surrounding culture. We value …
This wonderful seven-minute video is one of my favorites, a concise and easy-to-understand summary of Edwin Friedman’s theory of “differentiated” (also sometimes called “non-anxious”) leadership. This video is based on Friedman’s book A Failure of Nerve.
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