UU Growth Lab members,
A few member updates as we head into November.
🗓️ Registration is open for our November 10th and December 8th live growth strategy sessions via Zoom. Full session details for both are below.
👉A reminder that I’m refining how our member area is organized so that our growing collection of trainings, including new strategy & leader briefing videos, and live session replays are easier to explore. I'm mentioning it multiple times before making the changes. I wanted to get our first batch of new member videos ready first.
🎃 Now for something new. I'm starting to roll out new member content inspired by your questions and issues raised in our live sessions. Below is the first. In the conversation behind it, we ended up calling it “The UU Blob Strategy” for short. Maybe not the best name, but good for Halloween. Ha!
Hope you have a great weekend.
Peter Bowden,
The UU Growth Lab
New Member Video
🔒 Growing Congregational Life Beyond the Building
This unlisted video is for you to share with leaders in your congregation via email if you find it helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByqTm3-Ccq0
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This started with a question about how I would help grow a congregation that was running out of room in a rented facility. My answer shares strategies and approaches that apply to most congregations, regardless of size.
The strategies shared in this video are drawn from my decades of work with small groups, but also from research into how larger congregations and megachurches grow. Decentralized small-group church planting strategy and a range of other group-based ministry approaches that transcend the building.
You are leading a congregation of people, relationships, not a building, not just an institution. If we transcend the building and focus on groups, connection, community, doing things together (both within the congregation and in groups meeting in other locations such as the home or cafes, and all the things that we might do together with friends in the larger community), we can start building networks of relationship that have a capacity far beyond what your building can house.
What if you started gathering with a vision of more people meeting in conversation, food, fun, fellowship, and enrichment activities out in the larger community that exceeds your worship capacity?
Live Session Details
NOVEMBER UU GROWTH LAB LIVE
Helping Newcomers Connect, Orient, and Prepare for Deeper Participation
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern
Duration: 90 minutes
Registration: Zoom Meeting Registration for Nov 10
Peter's Strategy Spotlight: Helping newcomers get oriented, comfortable & connected during their first visits. What can we do to help people acclimate and prepare for deeper involvement?
Larger Strategy Conversation: We'll explore how we support newcomers during the acclimation period before they feel ready to participate in more formal newcomer offerings.
While some people, especially existing UUs and those with congregational experience, are ready to dive in and get involved, sign up, and so on, some people need time to make sure they're in the right place to get a sense of who we are, build trust, and get a sense that this is going to work.
There's some important psychology and strategy at play. We want to support people and give them space, but not leave them alone such that they have that "coffee hour this is awkward, I hate this, I'm going to leave never come back" experience.
We'll check in on strategies and approaches you are using. As I've shared previously, we're evolving our live session strategy to include a specific strategy spotlight I present that ties into the larger conversation. Then we dedicate the rest of our time to learning from each other, crowdsourcing insights and ideas, and figuring out what's working.
How do you help new visitors get acclimated to your congregation? What's working? What's not working? What are your questions? What can we learn from each other?
DECEMBER UU GROWTH LAB LIVE
Designing and Promoting Opportunities for Deeper Participation
Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern
Duration: 90 minutes
Registration: Zoom Meeting Registration for Dec 8
Peter's Strategy Spotlight: How to effectively promote participation in small group-based offerings, from newcomer orientations and new member classes to small group ministry programs.
Larger Strategy Conversation: December picks up right where November leaves off. Once someone is thinking, “This is working. I like these people. I want more of this,” what's next?
We’ll look at what we offer for those ready to get more involved. It would be great to catalog the name, description, and format of our various newcomer offerings!
If we have enough time, we might also explore which groups, programs, volunteer opportunities, activities, and so on you find are easiest for newcomers to get involved in.
From our conversations, I have a growing appreciation for the different ways people prefer to get involved, especially when they're new to a community. As we've discussed, some people enjoy active things, which might include a little light conversation, while others are eager to explore in a deeper group context.
With limited capacity and volunteers, we can't do everything, but if we compare notes, we can work to identify what seems to be working well.
UU Growth Lab Member Resources :
Member Area • Live Session Replays • Training with Peter Library • Member Podcast Setup • Contact Me
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