Small Congregations FAQs

Resources for Small Congregations

FAQs about Boards and Committees

What help is available for creating agendas and facilitating meetings?

We have energy, but so few people. How do we prevent burn out?
There is some great writing to help figure how to structure the congregation so that it takes less energy to run than traditional structure. (Fewer committees, more time-limited task groups, fewer people on committees which may or may not require by-law changes.)

In particular, check out Big Ideas for Small Congregations by Dwinell and Germann-Melosh. You may also find the Small Talk newsletter or list serve helpful at Smalltalknewsletter@lists.uua.org and Smalltalk@lists.uua.org

We don’t have energy. Can leadership help change this?

Call your District Staff to talk through what might be happening. There could be something significant going on that needs particular support, and there are different resources to call on depending on your situation.
In addition, vision can energize. It may be time to shift from managing the congregation as it has been for a while, to leading it towards its own vision.
Don’t have a congregational vision? Making big decisions as a group is a lot more difficult without a vision to help guide you. There are lots of possible resources for creating one, but, again check with District Staff on what resources might be most helpful in your situation.

Learn more about the difference between management and leadership (both of which are necessary. Either limps without the other).

The work of Margaret Wheatley can be very helpful. Her articles are available at www.margaretwheatley.com/writing.html

Here are two for starters:
www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/new.html

www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/innovationmeans.html

Also very helpful are the books and videos of Dr. Peter Steinke and Gilbert Rendle which you can borrow from your district library or buy from the UUA bookstore.

Isn’t it true that small congregations do not need written policies and procedures the same way larger congregations do?
One of the things we love about small congregations is their sense of familiarity, family, friends, informality. But this is a strength that has two inherent weaknesses to it. Newcomers have a harder time finding their way in if the path to participating is not clear, and the familiar system of making decisions can go badly awry under pressure. There is no need to be top-heavy in written policies and procedures, but having none for things like membership, finances, and ministry leaves you particularly open to conflict.