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Help With Leadership |
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| Leadership is a learning experience!
Vast numbers of resources are available to help Unitarian Universalist congregations. This list is intended as a brief, selective introduction to those resources (with annotations). You are encouraged to use it as a stepping stone in your journey to becoming an even more effective and informed UU leader.
We'd very much appreciate your sharing the results of your journey. If you have favorite resources, comments on resources shown here or discovered on your own, or other suggestions for improving this page, please let us know by sending mail to Metro
NY District Leadership Tips.
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Core Resources |
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UUA Home Page
The number one source for what's happening in our
denomination. Tons of resources for all aspects of congregational life. |
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Interconnections Resources
This resource page for lay leaders of UU congregations contains a
Quick Start for lay leaders, events listings, FAQ, and links to
other resources in a variety of areas of congregational life. |
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Congregational Handbook
Every congregation's president or chair of the board should have The Congregational Handbook. |
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UUA Email Lists
Email lists for many different interest groups are available through the UUA. An ideal place to get answers to your questions and trade information with leaders at other congregations.
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Metro NY District Staff
An excellent place to start when you need help and advice. |
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Leadership Self-Checks |
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Energy: Am I adding
energy to my board and those with whom I work? Am I energy neutral? Am I
an energy vampire?
Focus: Am I always keeping
the goal in mind and not being distracted by the buzzes in my ear?
Feedback: Am I giving enough so everyone
knows where I stand?
Momentum: Keep looking for
ways to keep an idea or project alive.
Proportion:
Know which hill I am ready to die on and which not to.
Equanimity:
Always speak more softly than I would like to. When I think
I have lost my sense of humor, stop whatever I am doing and go look for
it! |
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Training and Leadership Schools |
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Unitarian Universalist leadership schools generally hold week-long summer sessions for congregational leaders. Congregations are encouraged to send one or more persons annually. Coursework generally includes organizational development, theology, UU history, elements of worship, and the creation of a worship service. Participants explore new ways of looking at issues and find solutions to problems through a combination of lectures, exercises, and discussions. The programs are designed to provide insights and confidence, enriching participants' church, work, and personal lives. Each school serves one or more Districts; but some schools provide a broader range of services. |
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UNILEAD, serving the Metropolitan New York and Joseph
Priestley districts, offers an annual one-week course for lay leaders at the Kirkridge Retreat Center in Bangor, PA. |
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The Mountain offers a variety of UU leadership programs, including a program leading to a Certificate of Lay Leadership. Offerings include retreats, classroom courses, and online courses.
The Mountain Learning Center for Leadership is at
http://www.mountaincenters.org/lcl.html. |
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For information about training courses for other districts, visit the web page for that district (see
http://www.uua.org/DIST/). |
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Books |
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What are the most useful books for
congregational readers? Ask 160,000 Unitarian Universalists for
their suggestion of "best books" and you'll get 160,000—or
more!—answers. But the
Interconnections Resources page recommends the following.
Clicking on a book title takes you to Amazon.com with the book
displayed. Ordering books this way ensures that the UUA receives
part of the purchase price for the book. |
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| One District Consultant recommends the
BoardSource web site. "I like several of the books/booklets prepared by
BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards) They are written
for non-profit boards and require a bit of translation into church settings, but
there is enough commonality to make these books useful." To find these books and more, go to the
BoardSource web site and select
Books & Tools. |
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| The books recommended as especially useful for training and board retreat
discussions are: |
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| Bylaws, the set of rules governing a nonprofit organization's
internal affairs, are often neglected as a tool for ensuring good governance
and are sometimes a source of confusion and frustration to nonprofit leaders.
Attorneys Kim Zeitlin and Susan Dorn de-mystify the subject in simple,
non-technical language. They offer advice on the pros and cons of common
bylaws provisions, and emphasize the important role bylaws play in ensuring
effective governance. The book includes a checklist of the elements that
bylaws should contain and sample language for common bylaw provisions. This
publication also comes with a diskette of 11 sample bylaws from a variety of
local, state, and national nonprofit organizations. The diskette allows
organizations currently writing, updating, or revising their bylaws to see how
other nonprofits handle specific bylaw provisions. |
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| Is your board managing instead of governing? Understanding this
distinction will help your board’s ability to work effectively. Discover how
your board can successfully work with staff, and how this dynamic changes as
the size of your organization’s staff changes. Also included are specific
procedures to strengthen your board’s capacity to govern. |
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Topical List of Resources for Congregational Leaders |
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Leadership and Governance |
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UUA Programs & Services: Ministry & Professional Leadership
The UUA Congregational Services page provides a good starting
point for UUA resources for congregations. |
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The Carver Model of Policy Governance
Policy Governance |
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The Governing Board - The UUA Congregational Handbook
Congregational Handbook section on The Governing Board gives a
brief overview of some of the ways Boards can operate. |
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UUA InterConnections Newsletter and Resource Library
Interconnections is a
newsletter sent to all congregational board members five times a
year. It provides topical information about lay leadership. Past
articles are available in the
Archives. |
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Basic Principles of Policy Governance
Basic Principles of Policy Governance (this is very helpful) |
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UUA InterConnections: Ways to Get Board Meetings To Go
Faster and Work Better
Ways to get board meetings to go faster
and work better |
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Developing Effective Committee Meetings - The UUA
Congregational Handbook
Effective committee meetings (also relevant for Board meetings) |
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Board Development
Governance Models |
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Clarifying Your Congregation's Vision and Missionnal
Handbook
Congregational Handbook section on
Vision and Mission |
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UUA InterConnections: When Church Life Falters: Rekindling
Enthusiasm
Rekindling enthusiasm |
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UUA Congregational Services - Lay Leadership
The UUA resource page for Lay Leadership development.
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Leadership Without Easy Answers
Leadership without Easy Answers |
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Leader to Leader Institute
Leader to Leader Institute |
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UUA InterConnections: How UU Leadership Schools Build
Congregational Spirit
Article about UU Leadership Schools |
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The Long-Range Planning Process - The UUA Congregational
Handbook
Congregational Handbook section on Long Range Planning Process |
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Membership |
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UUMetroNY - Growth and Extension
This Metro
NY District page provides resources for congregational growth.
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Reports Issued by the Commission
This UUA page provides a portal for reports from the UUA Commission on
Appraisal. Of special interest is The Meaning of Membership, along with
the study guide.
The chapter on Measures of Membership provides perspective on what it
means to "grow membership." |
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Faith Communities Today
Faith Communities Today is the largest survey of congregations
ever conducted in the United States. It is the most inclusive, officially
sanctioned program of interfaith cooperation. The project was initiated to
enhance the capacity of participating faith groups to conduct and use
congregational research. This study is intended to provide a public profile of
the heart and soul of religion in America - local congregations - at the
beginning of a new millennium. |
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UUA Pamphlets Entire List
This page is a good source for UU Pamphlets about UU principles and
values. |
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Finances and Fund Raising |
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UU-Money Info Page
UU Moneyline is an email list that is full of useful information
for finance chairs and canvass chairs. Archives are available online. |
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UUMetroNY - Help With...Fund Raising
Pledge Canvass (Metro District page) |
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Every Member Canvass Committee - The UUA Congregational
Handbook
Every Member Canvass Committee |
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UUA InterConnections: Call on Dreams and Spirit To Build
Canvass Results
Calling on Dreams and Spirit to Build Canvass Results |
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UUA Programs & Services: Ministry & Professional
Leadership: Church Staff Finances
UUA Staff Finances page provides compensation guidelines and other staff
finance information. |
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Technology |
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UUMetroNy - Help With...Technology
Technology (Metro District page with pointers to resources for
congregational web site administrators). |
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Denominational Resources |
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UUMetroNY - Calendar
The Metro District Calendar provides information about events throughout
the District. A good place to check when doing calendaring for your
congregation! |
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UUMetroNY - Staff
This Metro NY District web page provides contact
information for District staff. |
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UUMetroNY - Board
This Metro District page provides contact information for members of the
District Board. |
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Religious Education |
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UUA Religious Education
The UUA Religious Education page provides resources for children,
youth, and lifetime learning. |
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Social Justice |
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UUA Programs & Services: Social Justice
More UUA Social Justice resources. |
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Worship |
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UUA WorshipWeb: Online Resources for Worship
The UUA Worship page provides resources to help with worship
planning.
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A listing of UU ministers and lay leaders available to
offer worship services to congregations in the District.
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