DIY Small Church Learning Resources: Discerning Your Future

Discernment is a spiritual decision making process. Individuals and congregations can engage in discernment by asking good questions without presuming to know the answer. One example might be asking, "How can we most faithfully use our church building to support our mission and magnify our UU values in our community?," instead of asking, "How can we keep our church doors open and our building heated for another winter?" The first question leaves space for a broader diversity of answers - perhaps the most faithful use of the building would be to partner with a community agency to house an after school mentoring program, or to sell the building and use the proceeds to fund more community ministry. Asking questions about where the future is calling your congregation is an act of spiritual leadership. If you find yourself at a crossroads moment in your congregation, one of these articles below might help you spark important conversations about your next steps.

Start with asking good questions....

New Questions for a New Day: This is a great place to start if you want to think about changing the kind of questions to ask yourselves to explore ways to renew, revitalize, or redevelop your small congregation. Importantly, "There are no “right” answers to these new questions that can be applied to all congregations. Every congregation needs to live with the questions..." How might the conversation change if instead of asking "How will we survive?" you ask instead "How will we serve?"

Crunch Time in Small Congregations: Are you feeling that your church is at a crossroads and it's time to make some really important decisions? This brief piece by Alice Mann helps identify what options are worth considering (hint: ALL of them!!)  Please contact your kbellavancegrace [at] uua [dot] org (NER staff) if you'd like a neutral facilitator for these important conversations!

Start where you are........

Narrow is the Path: Could your church have greater impact and be more effective by doing less? Read and discuss this blog post with your team. How can you focus your ministry and programs more closely around your church's mission?

5 Things Small Churches Can Uniquely Offer...Right Now: Busting the myth that "bigger is better," this blog post names five potential gifts of small churches. Use this as a study and reflection guide - how well is your congregation embodying and attending to serving these five gifts? 

Start something new........

How a Forward-Thinking Minister Built a Vibrant, Growing, and Important Community in Calgary: This news article documents one church's ten year journey to vibrancy and growth through an intentional path of making relevant connections in its community. If your church is interested in experimenting along these lines, you'll want to do some groundwork to understand where your community's deep needs intersect with your congregation's skills and calling. Contact yourkbellavancegrace [at] uua [dot] org ( NER Staff) for resources, coaching, and support! 

Four Steps to Becoming a Great Church - of Any Size: Being a vibrant church of any size might boil down to a few simple practices: do the basics, wholeheartedly, consistently, for a long time. This blog post is written from a Christian perspective, but what might your church leadership gain by identifying what are the basics in your church? Are we tending to them wholeheartedly, or have we taken them for granted?

Start the process of ending well.....

 How Do We Say Goodbye: No church leader wants to be the one to preside over the closing of their church, but sometimes church closure is a faithful answer to some difficult questions small churches are facing. This blog post tells the story of one small church that arrived at this decision, grieved the loss, celebrated the life and history of their congregation, and moved on to serve their larger faith in new ways.

Stop doing these.......

9 Surefire Ways to Make Your Church Completely Ineffective: Church consultant Carey Nieuwhuf has a great many thoughts about practices that hold some churches back and keep them stagnant. Do you see your church reflected in any of these metrics? Uh-oh, may be time for some change!