Last updated: 05/11/2008

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Resources For Growth    
 
Staff Services
 
Growing membership is at the core of the District’s mission. District staff play an essential role in fulfilling that mission.  
 
UUA Resources
 
The UUA offers a wealth of resources pertaining to issues of growth. The Department of Congregational Services – Growth Resources is a good place to start. Among the many resources is an extensive list of excellent reading material on growth topics ranging from bricks and mortar to marketing. Links to excellent coverage of department-sponsored Continental Growth Conferences for midsize and large congregations is available as are links to other UUA sites devoted to growth-related issues such as fundraising and lay leadership development. The Congregational Handbook also includes a valuable discussion about growth.
 
Other Resources
 
An excellent place to visit is the Alban Institute online and the Congregational Resources Guide, co-sponsored by the Alban Institute and the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. Covering a wide span of issues related to congregational growth, these resources are not strictly for UUs. They are, nonetheless, valuable sources of information for congregation leaders.

Like the Alban Institute, the Center for Church Growth, while decidedly Christian, offers numerous resources related to growth, both numerical and spiritual. The Center’s Church Growth Magazine is worth checking out. You’ll find articles such as "Growing a Church from the Inside Out: How to Organize for Spiritual Growth."

 
Recommended Reading
 
Here’s a partial list of books you may want to read. Visit the UUA Bookstore, Beacon Press, or the Alban Institute Bookstore for availability and cost.  
 
bullet Twelve Keys to an Effective Church: Strategic Planning for Mission by Kennon L. Callahan. A Study Guide and Leaders’ Guide is also available.
bullet Transformational Regional Bodies by Roy M. Oswald and Claire S. Burkat
bullet Church and Denominational Growth by David A. Roozen
bullet Raising the Roof : The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition by Alice Mann
bullet The Small Membership Church: Scenarios for Tomorrow by Lyle E. Schaller
bullet The Little Church That Could: Raising Small Church Self-Esteem by Steven E. Burt and Hazel Ann Roper
bullet Turnaround Strategies for the Small Church by Ronald K. Crandall
bullet Activating Leadership in the Small Church: Clergy and Laity Working Together by Steve Burt
bullet Developing Your Small Church's Potential by Carl S. Dudley
bullet The Small Church Is Different: Leader's Guide by Lyle E. Schaller
bullet Energizing the Congregation: Images That Shape Your Church's Ministry by Carl S. Dudley and Sally A. Johnson
bullet Churchworks: A Well-Body Book for Congregations by Anne Odin Heller
bullet Salted with Fire: UU Strategies for Sharing Faith and Growing Congregations - edited by Scott Alexander
bullet Five Challenges for the Once and Future Church by Loren B. Mead
bullet Growing Plans by Lyle E. Schaller
bullet More Than Numbers: The Way Churches Grow by Loren B. Mead
bullet The Antioch Effect: 8 Characteristics of Highly Effective Churches by Ken Hemphill
bullet Church for the Unchurched by George Hunter
bullet Church Planting for a Greater Harvest: A Comprehensive Guide by C. Peter Wagner
 

Guided by our living faith, the Unitarian Universalist District of Metropolitan New York exists to be a source of connection and transformation for our congregations and our larger world.