UU Growth Lab Members,
Our October on-demand training is now available in our member area:
October 2025: Belonging, Branding, and the Structure of Congregational Life
In this session, I challenge the impact of the amount of religious language that many UU congregations have progressively adopted over the last 20 years, which I'm starting to see serving as "religious barrier language." By that I mean, language that keeps the people we want to welcome into our congregations out of our congregations.
Second, I share specific strategies around re-structuring small group programs to be more inclusive, to advance your mission, and to grow as a result. Specifically, what you call your groups, their content, and how they are used to engage members, friends, newcomers, and the larger community.
Everyone has language preferences. I think it is important we consider not only the impact of our choices, but how the impact changes over time.
We're in a different world. I believe the way people research UU congregations online and their behavior changes the language equation.
