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March 24, 2008

Dear Ones,

A couple of weeks ago I flew to Louisville, Kentucky with John Mason and Kristen Leddy, members of our Board of Trustees, to the 7^th National Conference for Large Congregations. Neither Kristen nor John had experienced UUism much beyond the walls of our congregation, so it was a delight to be with them as they took in the spectacle of 350 lay leaders, ministry teams and denominational leaders reminding one another what it means to be a “flagship” in the fleet of our movement. The theme program speaker was Susan Beaumont, a Senior Consultant from the Alban Institute. She spoke helpfully and compellingly about how leaders in congregations can use their power and authority effectively and with ethical and spiritual integrity. On Saturday the three of us chose different topics of interest for each of four separate workshop sessions.

Ministers and lay leaders gather with peers for continuing education in order to keep our ministries fresh, replenish our own well of inspiration, and update our leadership skills with information about current best practices and emerging cultural trends. Our large (>500 members) and large mid-range (>350) churches are the epicenter of the growth of Unitarian Universalism right now. I share the belief of many lay and professional leaders that making room for newcomers who are starving for the message of liberal religion is the top priority in our movement at this time. Our recent experience with UUA consultant Larry Wheeler confirmed for me that we have been long at a membership plateau primarily because there is “no more room at the inn.” We are at >100% capacity in RE, 110% in parking and >80% capacity in the sanctuary overall, to say nothing of our critical shortage of storage, meeting and office space. Statistically, anything over 70 or 80% is perceived by newcomers as “crowded” and inherently unwelcoming.

At the conference Kristen, John and I solicited a round-table discussion with some lay leaders from the First Unitarian Society of Madison, WI. That congregation is ahead of us on a trajectory that emerges from a shared dilemma: they too are a large congregation perched a small parcel of land utilizing a small sanctuary of architectural note, in their case a fabulous Frank Lloyd Wright original. Over the last few years, they have handled some of the same challenges we are now facing in a way the three of us much admired. There is no reason under the sun that we should have to reinvent this wheel. I am hoping some UCW representatives will be able to continue the conversation, perhaps during a site visit this spring.

Professional development is particularly critical for new ministers, of course. One of the workshops I attended in Louisville was “The Role of the Second,” featuring a panel of fellow “second ministers” in large congregations. I’ll be exploring this topic further at a seminar in early June called “Thriving in Associate Ministry” being held at The Mountain in North Carolina, one of our most beautiful UU “camps.” Later that month I’ll travel to Fort Lauderdale to attend Ministry Days, a 2-day gathering of UU clergy and religious educators that annually precedes the General Assembly of the UUA. There, among other things, I’ll be one of four Louisville-goers participating in an unprecedented conversation between Senior/Lead and Assistant/Associate ministers about the challenges and rewards of our collaboration in service to UU congregations. Everywhere I go, my friends, I am proud to represent you and so enjoy your company. Road trips can be a blast. Join me sometime!

Affectionately,

margie

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