Strong Leadership Creates 'Breakthrough' Churches
September 26, 2008
Dynamic worship, a green building, and strong, effective professional and lay leaders helped four congregations become 2008 Breakthrough Congregations this spring. The four were recognized at General Assembly (GA) in June.
The Bull Run Unitarian Universalists, Manassas, VA, credit their growth from 159 to 234 members in five years to a dynamic minister, the Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd, an exemplary music ministry, and an energetic RE program led by Interim Director of Religious Education Michelle Grove. RE registration rose from 70 to 100. They hold a family worship service before the regular Sunday service each week, which focuses on the needs of children and youth.
The congregation renovated its building to make it more functional. There are children, youth, and adult choirs, and an orchestra. The offering plate is split each Sunday between the congregation and local organizations.
At Pacific Unitarian Church at Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, adult membership has risen from 220 to 300 and RE registration from 52 to 75. Pacific Unitarian places an emphasis on pastoral care, including a dedicated staff person and trained lay pastoral associates. The church also has a strong RE program and a new addictions and recovery ministry.
Pacific Unitarian is a partner church with the Community Church Unitarian Universalist (UU) in the greater New Orleans area. It designated $75,000 from the bequest of a member to go to the capital campaign drive of the three New Orleans area UU congregations. Pacific Unitarian has a goal of giving away at least 10 percent of its income each year. The Rev. John Morehouse is minister and Renee Daley is Lifespan Faith Development director.
The UU Fellowship of Wayne County in Wooster, OH, grew from 64 to 112 members after buying its first building in 1996. When growth plateaued it built a new building, this time an environmentally responsible one that earned a Gold LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council. Since moving into the building in 2005 the congregation has grown to 150.
The congregation’s intentional hospitality begins with a website that includes a map and continues with clearly marked parking places for visitors in the parking lot.
More than a third of the members are involved in a Small Group Ministry program. The minister is the Rev. Elaine Strawn. The DRE is Marge Thomas.
Unity Temple UU Congregation in Oak Park, IL, has grown in a decade from 275 members to 461. Growth came after the congregation began offering two services, overhauled its administrative practices, made Sunday services more worshipful, invested in a full time director of religious education, and adopted a form of policy governance, which allowed the governing board to focus more on visioning and policy. A diverse musical program also was a major factor.
Last year Unity gave away $45,000 through the Sunday offering and $13,000 through other means, reaching a goal of giving at least 10 percent of its budget to social missions, on top of Fair Share contributions to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Central Midwest District.
Many of these changes were inspired by the Rev. Alan Taylor, who was called by Unity in 2003. “I tell everyone that the congregation did a lot of good work before I came,” Taylor says. “And then I did three things. I raised expectations, I raised expectations, and I raised expectations. We made clear that this was not a club where people could hang out, but a spiritual home that asks a lot of people—to the point they are changed.”
Resources
See the Breakthrough Congregations’ 15-minute GA videos (during Plenaries II, III, and IV).
For more information contact interconnections @ uua.org.
Last updated on Tuesday, September 23, 2008.
